The doctor is in!  Here at Game Lab, we’ve rigorously tested, chemically balanced, and finely sifted the gaming field to find relief for an agonizing chronic condition afflicting far too many game players, analysis paralysis!  

If you’ve ever had to sit through interminable turns of players too flimflammed or befuddled by a few too many options and alternatives, you’ve been affected by this condition passively and painfully.  You know the teeth grinding willpower it takes to avoid swinging from the chandelier shouting “TAKE YOUR TURN ALREADY!”  But then those poor victims of this dreaded pseudo-disease!  How much poorer off they are, locked in the icy grip of indecision, desperate to play and unable to bring themselves to it.  Fear no longer!  Let’s take a look at what we can do to combat this scourge and end the menace on game night once and for all.

A brief analysis of the paralysis

All humor aside, let’s take a look at the problem.  One person makes timely moves.  Another person does not.  The game is the same.  So, we’re not dealing with a problem of the game.  We’re dealing with the problem of people.  But, it is wishful thinking to consider that we could easily change the people.  Instead, even though it’s no fault of the game, the game is the thing we can easily change.  People who are prone to AP should work on playing faster, but that’s the work of personal reflection and self-betterment – you do that on your own time.

And of course, we should all be tolerant of the occasional slowdown or intricate situation which requires deeper thought.  From time to time, everyone needs a minute to collect their thoughts, especially after momentous alterations to the game state.  AP isn’t a sometime problem, though, for the sufferers.  It is  an every time problem.  The victims of AP feel it in almost every game… well, every game of certain qualities, perhaps.  With better game selection, I contend you can minimize the impact.

What’s in an AP-proof game?

The first feature we want in a game that will keep people moving is continuous action.  If we have a game where each player takes a long turn of many phases before the next player takes their turn, this is going to be the kind of game that compounds the frustration and delay.  Instead, our AP proof games should have phasing, where each player takes a small action in the same phase – we all draw a card, the we all take one action each, then we all take another action, then the new round begins.  This instead of one player doing all those things before the next.  As much as possible, we’re looking for small, discrete actions and simultaneous play.  Games with a small number of players or asynchronous play can sometimes fit these criteria as well.

Second, a game should strive to avoid confronting the players with many choices at once.  Often, as the game breaks down into simultaneous play, this problem is cleared up – instead of award each player 10 action points on their turn and waiting for them to parcel them all out, each player taking an action in turn breaks up the mass.  The AP prone player has the brief moments while others act to work out a play and the flow is more organic.  The more pieces or complexity the situation has, the more the AP player will sit back and try to build a mental map of the current game state and the future, so games with a smaller game state can be helpful too.

A third quality that can help resolve AP is clarity.  Clear games are those where the actions taken by the players produce clear results directly in line with good strategy.  That is, taking a particular action clearly contributes to the final outcome in an obvious way.  When actions have many complex consequences or tradeoffs, the AP player is prone to puzzle them out before selecting one or another option.  A good play now is better than the best play later, to paraphrase an old saying – be sure the good plays are apparent to make them easier.  A good game selection can matter here, but just as much good results can come from lots of practice!  Practice gives the AP prone player a chance to use experience to resolve issues instead of always forming a fresh plan.

The social angle

Before we get to a list of great games that follow these rules and, hopefully, avoid AP, I would be remiss if I didn’t cover the social angle of this problem.  Because AP is a people problem, not a gaming problem, it falls to us to responsibly recognize the issue and deal with it both as paralyzed and paralyzed co-player.

If people are complaining that you play too slow, you really need to think hard about how you can move along faster.  Recognize that you are removing some of the fun from the game and lessening the enjoyment of others when you take extended periods to plan, think, and resolve.  You might feel you need this time, but you must learn to do the best you can with a mix of intuition, experience, and bravado, not just hard processing.  Don’t rush or be rushed, but keep up a pace.  Like driving, where you go with the speed of the traffic, try to play at the speed others play – even if it hurts your game or you feel uncomfortable at first, I’m sure you can with practice acclimatize yourself.  Lastly, don’t just sit there thinking.  Consider talking out your moves as you consider them.  It can help keep the other players occupied to play along with your line of thinking or follow your progress.

To the person waiting, I remind you of the virtue of patience.  Be conscious of how you may have an easier time in a game through practice or experience; other new players may not find it as effortless as you.  You may have an instinct to try to help things along, but this is a sensitive issue with many gamers.  It can easily come across as judgmental, condescending, or rude.  But worse, all it often accomplishes is interrupting a person already hard at work.  An interruption you can ill afford.  So fight the tendency to interject – a brief, clear reminder to keep things moving should be enough to prompt a play from the paralyzed.

Play on!

So, which games fit our criteria?  Let’s look at a few examples.

Race For The Galaxy and Puerto Rico: These games employ simultaneous game play to keep things clicking along.  Everyone is taking short, direct actions and each phase of the game (selecting roles and playing cards or resetting between rounds) is shared.  By breaking down the actions into a continuous pace, there’s little need for any player to really puzzle over what they should be doing next.  Turns are brief and shared.

Tower of Babel and Settlers of Catan: These games keep everyone busy.  There is a continuous need to contribute to a trade or auction which has very direct consequences.  A player is always participating in the current action, considering offers from other players and only making a simple choice to accept or reject.

Magic: The Gathering and El Grande: Fast action sequence is the main feature in these.  At each step, the player should find it quite easy to make a simple, elemental choice to keep the game moving.  Choose a card, play the actions, improve your state and pass to the next player.  Things are generally up front and strategy is direct.

Wings of War and Red November: Clear, clear, clear. The objectives here are so obvious and the action of play so straight that there’s nothing to really get bogged down in.  “Shoot him down” is your only plan in the first with simple you think I think strategy, yet it is lots of fun even for a large group.  And cooperative games offer a chance for players to collaborate on the outcomes so that one player’s turn is every player’s turn.

Carcassonne: Hunters and Gatherers and Through The Desert: These games have going for them elements of simplicity.  You turn?  Take a tile and play a tile.  Choose two pieces, play two pieces.  By sporting cumulative small actions and an evolving board position, there is never really a daunting challenge of planning but instead emergent strategy and collective results.

Analysis complete

Avoiding analysis paralysis is something we all want to do, whether we suffer from it or suffer through it.  Do learn to take your time and play well, but remember its part of the fun of a game to play with a light heart and jaunty pace.  Don’t let the situation drag out or grind down… this is just a game!  Every play need not be perfect.  After all, there’s always another chance to play.

That time of year is creeping up on us again fast – the holidays.  You’ll visit with your family and relatives and after everyone’s caught up on the news of another year… what then?  Odds aren’t too bad that you and yours will sit down at the dining room table for a game.  That same old game.  You know the one.  The one you play every year.  The one that you… dare I say it… dread?

Let’s be honest here.  The classics are classic.  But a lot of them aren’t what we might call state-of-the-art in great game play.  So, why not kick your holiday family game play up a notch?  Take these recommendations and find the ones that work best for you.  I’m sure you’ll be delighted that you’ve found such a great substitute, a new family favorite for years to come!

 

Monopoly -> Acquire, For Sale

Roll and move and roll and move, buy this, land on that… Monopoly is pretty limited in terms of making fun choices.  Why not pump it up a bit, buying and selling hotels in the real estate classic Acquire or try another quality angle on the property game with For Sale?

 

Life -> Settlers of Catan, Formula D

Whrrr… spin the spinner, move the car, pink and blue pegs.  It’s a yawner isn’t it?  Let this old dog go and play a powerhouse of trading and maneuver that’s a modern classic, Settlers of Catan.  Not getting your driving a little car around a track fix from Settlers?  No problem – switch Formula D in for Life and tear up the track in super fun high speed Formula car racing.

 

Clue -> Mystery Express

I’m going to confess that I did it with the lead pipe in the dining room to the person who makes me suffer through this bit of the past.  Instead, put on the most excellent movie version in the background and have a game of Mystery Express instead – murder on trains is so much more interesting than a stuffy old mansion, anyway.

 

Operation -> PitchCar

Bzzt… pop!  It’s noisy, it’s messy… and is this even really a game?  If you want to test your reflexes, upgrade to a little competitive racing with a flick and go action in configurable, expandable PitchCar.  And the noisy part of this one is the cheering of the players, not the game board.

 

Cranium -> Bausack

The old saw party game has had its day… how about something new and tricky?  Bausack is all about stacking odd shape pieces, picking those you think others are brave enough to try – and fumbling enough to fail at stacking.  It’s tense, creative, and tricky just like the game you’re replacing.  And you won’t have to hear Uncle Kermit sing.

 

Sorry -> Ticket To Ride

You don’t have to be Sorry if you’re pulling out the award winning game of railroad building Ticket To Ride!  Accessible, easy, colorful, and fun, Ticket To Ride is a great substitute here.

 

Candyland -> Zooloretto, Gulo Gulo

Candyland is full of charming whimsy, but it’s not really going to pull it together in terms of keeping the adults and the kids at the table and happy – it’s just too basic for the older set.  A great alternative game like Zooloretto keeps the kids with cute animals as well as having engaging game play.  Or something fun and tricky like Gulo Gulo, where little fingers have advantages that adult fingers could only wish for.

 

Chutes and Ladders -> Forbidden Island

Still rolling and moving after all these years, this game doesn’t have much thought in it.  And maybe as much flavor as the old shoe leather to which it is mostly comparable.  Spice up the holiday game with a co-operative, colorful adventure to retrieve the hidden artifacts on Forbidden Island

 

Trivial Pursuit -> Wits & Wagers

Tired of losing to the smartest people in the room all the time?  Know-it-all aunts and uncles showing you up in front of your kids?  What you need is some Wits & Wagers, where knowing the answer isn’t as important as knowing who is going to know the answer – a much more lively party game to enjoy, even with a very large group.

 

Battleship -> Survive!

Is this one a trick to get people to learn coordinate systems or a game?  It had it’s day, but even though it means to represent the excitement of a naval battle, it’s always been a bit flat.  If you’re really looking to get your people out of danger in a fun situation, check out Survive! where you’ve got to get your tribe off the exploding volcanic island before it sinks into the sea.

 

Uno -> Blokus, Bohnanza

The rainy day standard for many, Uno is all about going out of cards… even if you don’t make a lot of interesting choices along the way.  Blokus is all about playing out all your pieces in a twist on Tetris-like piece placement, just as colorful but way more clever than Uno.  If you’ve gotta get your hands on some cards, why not trade silly beans in fantastic upgrade called Bohnanza instead?

 

Yahtzee -> Liar’s Dice, Can’t Stop, Incan Gold

Yahtzee is maybe the game of a bygone era, but there’s charm in a handful of dice bouncing on the table; if only you were doing more than just keeping track of what came up in this one!  Why not bluff and push  your luck with great alternatives like Liar’s Dice or Can’t Stop!  Or, for those more inclined to replicating the adventures of one Dr. Jones, push your luck with traps and monsters in Incan Gold.

 

Cribbage -> Lost Cities

I’ve enjoyed a great game of Cribbage for years so I can’t easily say anything too critical of it – a solid old parlor classic.  But sometimes it’s fun just to switch it up with something else, something with a bit more color, a bit more back and forth instead of just tallying points – and that’s Lost Cities, a modern legend in the two player realm.

 

Chess -> Through The Desert, Hey! That’s My Fish!

Chess is black and white, plain Jane brain grinding.  There’s a serious game in there – too serious.  If you’re just looking to unwind with your friends and family, why not pick up a little more colorful, playful, thematic sort of abstract strategy game, the kind you can play with 2 or more than 2!  Great choices are Through The Desert, the game of candy colored caravans (don’t eat the camels!) and Hey! That’s My Fish!, a tricksy penguin vs. penguin fish fest that will even hold the attention of younger players… and both games offer the strategic depth and complexity of their more staid brother if you want to play hard.

 

Scrabble -> Qwirkle

Are you really going to be consulting a dictionary when you play games?  There’s a time and place for some serious verbiage in competitive Scrabble, but for all your relaxing tile laying needs you might want to dial in some crafty matchmaking work in a rising star like Qwirkle instead.

 

Out with the old, in with the new…

Classics are great.  They’ve got kitsch, memories, and maybe a few of them aren’t even too bad if we put them in the context of the history of games.  But there are so many marvelous new entries in recent years, things that have won lots of awards around the world, lit fires in the video game world as well as the tabletop, and just generally out-fun the old school.  Give some of this new stuff a try the next time you’re with your family.  You won’t be disappointed.

When you build a system, you’ve gotta test it. And a game is most definitely a system. A system of rules. Playtesting is just working out the details, balance, and systems of a game through repeated plays.

Making the game in the first place, that’s design – creating the ideas, foundations, basics. But for most games it’s in the repeated hashing out of the twists and turns of the rules where the real work and long hours come in. Design is easy; playtesting is hard. So, if you’ve ever wanted to be a designer, you’ve probably got to do your time as a playtester first. How should you approach this job? Well, you could go get that degree is systems analysis or quality assurance that you’ve always wanted (right?) or you could read on and pick up some tips that’ll help you at the table.

It’s all about the goals

The first mistake you’re gonna make, because everyone makes it, is you’re gonna think that you know best about what is best in gaming and that what you like or don’t like is all that matters. Guess what? It’s not all about you. A good playtester doesn’t (just) evaluate a game based on their personal tastes and preferences. They think about the goals.

What goals? The designer’s goals! A game comes with some rules, but behind those rules are usually some basic goals the designer is trying to satisfy. Your job is to determine how well it’s meeting those goals. So the first thing you’re gonna want to do is ask about those goals and, perhaps, be prepared to infer them from the game if the designer isn’t present. You won’t be making the same suggestions if the goal for one game is “sell a million units” and another it’s “challenge hardcore gamers”. So… what are some typical goals, some typical conditions on which we can evaluate a game?

Intro to Evaluation Criteria 101

Is this game fun? This is a good consideration to think hard on as you’re trying out a game, but it falls into a strange space between important and deceptive. See, what’s fun for you is not, perhaps, fun for others. When you’re asking yourself this question, it’s always in the context of “fun for the intended audience” – try to get into their heads, try to understand what their reactions will be. If there isn’t a stated audience, try to imagine a group or type of gamer that will like it. If that group is too small or too obscure or just doesn’t exist, you should really start challenging the fun of the game. But don’t fall into the trap of thinking that because it isn’t your cup of tea, it’s bad. 1835 is a complex historical simulation of the development of trains in Germany. Gulo Gulo is about stealing eggs from a nest. Both of these games are fun. Just maybe not fun for the same people.

Is this game challenging? There’s almost as big a range of skill out there as there are different interpretations of what is fun, so be careful as you ask this question too. But remember much of the joy of a game is going to come from some level of challenge in the game. If there are no clever choices, interesting plays, or tricky tradeoffs, a game isn’t likely to be well-received, even by the intended group. Different games offer different challenges – dexterity, memory, planning, negotiating, calculating – but you should be able to identify those challenges and gauge that they aren’t too hard or too easy.

Is this game innovative? Another difficult question! Innovation is too often a buzzword wrongly interpreted to mean “good”. Often, it’s better to be descended from good stock than it is to be the awkward mutant that people can’t classify. True innovation is rarely successful, but it shouldn’t be ignored. Fresh interpretations are often very welcome. But look for the lineage of a game you are playing. Understand how it shares mechanics, style, or theme with other games for the same group or in the same genre. A good design often builds on the successes of others. For example, Galactic Emperor is a game heavily derived from Puerto Rico, but builds enough on that model to make something new. Civilization defines an entire genre of games, too; following in those footsteps is about the only way to build something in that group.

Would I play this game again? Replayability, the ability find something interesting in repeated plays of a game, goes right to the value and depth of a game. By its nature, with playtesting, you’re going to be playing and playing and playing a game, so you’ll have a great insight into how the game keeps repeated plays fresh. If every run through is turning out the same or one strategy is clearly best, those are great things to bring back to the designer – consistency isn’t always bad though, especially in a lighter game.

Is this game clear? Games are generally better when the players can pick up on the play and nature of the game quickly. Clarity isn’t simplicity nor is complexity the opposite of clarity. Clear really means that the game is intuitive, understandable, and direct in action. A clear game lets players enjoy the action of the game instead of fretting over many exceptions or interruptions or distractions. Often the best way to judge clarity is by looking at the action of the game and the victory conditions of the game – when actions directly contribute to victory, that’s clarity. In Caylus, you use workers to get resources and spend resources to get points. In Space Hulk, it’s marines versus aliens in mission based play. These are both good examples of clarity.

Does the game flow? Flow is a feeling that the game will move from phase to phase, step to step, action to action in a pleasing, easy manner. It should be more or less apparent to players what they should be doing next and that activity should rise naturally from the previous step. A classic example is “move, then fight” in a game like Axis & Allies; a player can expect to put units into action and resolve that battle.

Attitude is everything

The golden rule of good playtesting, though, is to understand that you are here to help, not hurt, to tune, not trash. It can be all too easy sometimes to say something cold, hard, or ugly about a game, especially a game that’s still rough around the edges. That’s wrong. Playtesting is a constructive activity, not an opportunity to deride a design or, worse, the designer. Remember that a big part of playtesting is feedback; you don’t have to be the one to fix what’s off about a game. That’s the designer’s responsibility. Yours is to provide detailed feedback, helping realize the goals of the design. And don’t forget that just about the best way to get good playtesting for your designs is to be a good playtester for others – treat them like you’d expect to be treated in return.

Be a ‘know ’em all’

That’s not “know it all” – nobody needs one of those. Instead one of the most valuable skills you can cultivate as a playtester is to be as familiar as possible with as many different games, especially different kinds of games, as you can. A huge gaming experience helps you understand the goals and taxonomy of games, helps you make good comparisons to what works or doesn’t work. It’s worth learning games that are the best of the best, but also good to study the train wrecks, odd ducks, and mediocre maybes of gaming. Learn role-playing, abstracts, video games, collectibles, and everything in between. The more you know, the more useful you can be.

Is this playtesting gig starting to sound like hard work? It can be, but there’s a great silver lining, a great way to pay yourself back for learning this skill. Just because a game is finished, purchased off the shelf with ready to go rulebook doesn’t mean it can’t be better or more fun. Once you’ve practiced playtesting, you’ll start to see neat additions and alternate options in almost every game you play. Take advantage of that! Make some house rules to tweak a game you like to make it a game you love. For example, I’ve been a big fan of Die Macher for years, but not a play of the game goes by without me unhappy about the auctioning of secret, highly decisive polls at the end of every round. Why subject your deep planning to a flip of a card for the win or lose? So, we’ve worked out all sorts of options to address this, like auctioning the polls face up. A minor change can make all the difference in changing the feel of a good game to an even better one.

Good luck and happy playtesting!

Ever been to a game convention? No, no, I don’t mean those massive affairs like GenCon, PAX or Essen.

I mean that gathering of 50, 100 or 200 people at that local community college or airport hotel. You know the one: you saw their flyer on the counter the last time you were at your local game store. A little black and white slip of paper that probably flew off someone’s home laser, boldly emblazoned with a name like CoolCityCon or Mytown Meetup or StarCon or some such thing. Did you take that flyer? Did you post it on your to do list? Make a point of going with all your friends? No? Well, good reader, let me tell you what you are missing.

 

What’s in it for me?

Games: Yeah, that’s what you’re here to do! Play games. The local game convention is going to be in a hotel or rental hall and it’s likely to have a few score tables set up for an entire weekend, from the morning to late in the evening where you can game and game and game to your heart’s content. They’ll have organized events in lots of different fields – board, card, minis, and role playing. This is an excellent opportunity to take time out of your daily grind for some focused gaming action. Whether you’re into pickup games with friends or finding something different with strangers, you can know that the local game convention’s gonna have it.

People: You’re gonna be spending hours on end with other gaming fanatics like you. This is your chance to hang out with your tribe, enjoy the jokes and good times you like the most with people who get you – and who want to play the games you want to play. Yep, this is the time to get that special or rare game on the table or to find that new thing you’ve been wanting to try before you buy. Be sure and bring your old gaming friends along with you to share the experience, but expect to make new friends over a game too.

Extras: Your local game convention is going to be the kind of place you’re going to find the local artist who makes cool dice bags, your local game store offering their wares at a special convention discount, raffles, game libraries, silent auctions, awards ceremonies, math trades, movie screenings, wireless handheld meetups, you name it. The local game convention is going to be the kind of place where special events and extras are going to be on the agenda. Make a little scratch on the side by selling your games in an auction.

 

The local game convention’s great benefits

Networking: You’re gonna be gaming with other gamers. And they’ll want to game again in the future; why wait for the game convention next year? When (not if) you run into people who’d be a good fit for your weekly gaming session, invite them over. And be open to an invitation yourself. This is a great way to reach out and find new folks to game with, new friends who share your interests.

New experiences: The convention is going to have a raft of events and it’s highly unlikely you’ve seen it all or done it all. That game you’ve been eyeing up online may very well be hitting the table with a person ready to teach it to you. Sometimes, even game producers will be there eager to demo their latest offerings. And there are the other gamers there for first person interviews on their experiences with games. Heck, you might even be able to swing a few good playtest runs of that game you’ve been designing – lots of people are interested in seeing the next big thing.

Special games: That game that only plays with 8? Guess where you’re gonna find 8. (Not at your dining room table or in your basement rec room.) But the convention will have plenty to fill up two Werewolf sessions or enough like-minded folks to fill that game of Diplomacy. Wanna get a Magic: The Gathering draft going? No problem. Heck, you might even be able to find a big tournament for a game like that. Multi-round role playing events are doable affairs with convention hours. A whole series of train games in a row might be on tap if that’s what blows your steam whistle. There’s going to be a big group of gamers looking to game, so take advantage of it!

Low costs: Have you flown cross country and stayed in a hotel to enjoy a big game convention? It’s fun, but you’re gonna break the bank on that kind of effort if you do it too often. The entry fee alone at a lot of these things is off the charts, but not at your local game convention. It usually costs less than a pair of movie tickets, and you’re getting days of solid gaming in exchange. You can sleep in your own place and often bring your own food (or go out to your favorite places to get it). Costs often go even lower if you can run a few hours of gaming too.

Close to home: You did get the world “local” right?  This is not going to take days of vacation time from your job just to travel there and back.  You can hop in the car in the morning and be gaming before breakfast if you want.  Driving an hour or so can take you a long way these days at highway speed, but if you’re in a major metro area, you may not even need that.

 

Got nothing near you? Make it happen!

Frankly, I don’t buy it: gaming is everywhere. If you have to, you can make it happen yourself, but I’d wager there are already a host of people in your area attending a game convention nearby and you might not even know it. How can you make this event an even bigger success for you and your gaming friends? There are at least a couple of ways to contribute.

Volunteering: Local game conventions depend on the host of excellent volunteers they get to organize and run great events. If you’ve got passion for a game or you want to make sure it hits the table, sign up as an event organizer! It’s a casual affair, so you can most likely play in whatever game you bring, teaching something you love to others while helping to make the event a success. Or run something bigger like a tournament; as players to bring their own copies of the game so you have enough to go around.  Write up that killer RPG one-shot you’ve always wanted to run. Paint up your other army for a head-to-head smashup scenario. By running a game you love, you’re making the convention better and making sure you have fun too. 

Organizing: Conventions need infrastructure to be successful. There are registration websites that need to be maintained, a check-in desk that needs staff for an hour here or there, someone to contact and wrangle vendors and guests, setup and takedown specialists and sometimes even food and hospitality experts. A game convention doesn’t just happen on its own; the most valuable people there are the ones giving back to the community to make the event a first-class success. You could always join their ranks to make it even better.

The local game convention is a hub of great gaming activity. If you aren’t already taking advantage of this, what are you waiting for? Dig around online to find something in your area and start enjoying the benefits as soon as it rolls around again.

Eric Jome can usually be found at his favorite local game conventions: Oshcon, Fire & Ice, Gaming Hoopla and Midwinter Gaming Convention.