A board game needs these three things to be good. Player agency, a well-designed win condition(s), and no player elimination. Player agency is the ability for a player to make choices in the game that make a difference in the outcome of the game. A win condition is how a player can win the game. For example, the win condition in UNO is to be the first player to empty their hands. A well-designed win condition means that the game never feels like it has dragged on for too long. One way to know a game has dragged on too long is when there is clearly a winner, but the game continues. A good win condition should also create suspense as to who will win in the end. This makes the game more exciting. A game with player elimination means that a player can be eliminated from play. This is a negative game design since it forces someone to not be able to participate in the game. They would have to wait for the game to finish to join again. The only exceptions to this are games that have short rounds, such as Love Letters so that eliminated players do not have to wait too long before being able to join again. We will look at two games to see how these factors affect how fun these games are. The game would be Monopoly, an example of a game that fails in all three factors. Then we will take a look at Settlers of Catan, which is a game that does well in these three factors.
In Monopoly, the outcome of the game is heavily determined by the roll of the dice. Your actions have little to no effect on the outcome of the game. When a player obtains a critical amount of property in the game, he becomes the monopoly, and there is statistically no way for them to lose. Even if the game does turn around for a losing player, it would be because of the roll of the dice. The winning player also does not get real satisfaction from winning because the winner did not win through their own wits and decisions but because the dice just rolled in their favour. This is not to say that Monopoly has no strategy. There is a mathematically correct way to play Monopoly, such as buying the orange properties, only buying three houses and never getting hotels, etc. But once everyone uses the same strategy, it then becomes who has the luck to be able to execute the strategy. Furthermore, if player actions are meaningful, then there will be better engagement throughout the game. But Monopoly is essentially a simulator that plays itself through dice rolls. This means that players do not have to pay attention to what other players are doing. Everything will play out the way that the dice have rolled.
Monopoly’s terrible win condition means its play time is way too long. The game finishes when all other players are bankrupt, with only one player remaining. This means that even though the winner of the game has long been decided, every single player has to lose all their money to end the game. This results in an excruciatingly long game. Furthermore, when a player goes bankrupt in Monopoly, they get eliminated from the game. Which, taken in one way, could be good, because they’ve gotten out of playing such a bad game. But usually it means that not only do they get crushed in the game, they also have to suffer not being a part of the game anymore. And being unable to start a different game on their own, they have to wait for others to drop out as well. Which could take a long time. So for the love of your friends and families, pick a better game to play. A game such as Settlers of Catan.
In Settlers of Catan, players play as settlers on an island with hexagonal tiles that produce resources. These resources are wheat, sheep, rock, wood, and clay. The placement of these tiles is randomized with each game. Players roll two dice on each turn to determine which resource tiles produces resources. Players using these resources can build roads, settlements, cities, or use development cards. Settlements and cities allow the player to gain resources from surrounding tiles. Settlements and cities can only be placed on roads that the player owns. Development cards give the player special abilities and sometimes victory points. A crucial part of the game is player trading. Players are free to trade amongst each other for resources. A player may also choose to exchange four of one resource into one of another resource. If a player built a settlement or city on a harbour port, they can make the exchange rate of one resource more favourable (3:1, or 2:1). If a player rolls a seven, they get to put the robber on a tile, and they get to pick a random resource card from a player whose settlement is on that tile. While the robber remains on that tile, all resource generation from that tile is blocked. The game is won when a player reaches ten victory points. You gain victory points through building settlements (1 point), cities (2 points), gaining the longest road (2 points), the largest army (2 points), or through development cards.
In Settlers of Catan, a player may have bad luck with dice rolls, but they still have options to gain victory points. They can trade with other players. They can exchange resources when other players choose not to trade. They can get development cards. Players’ decisions on where they build their roads, settlements, and where to put the robber can all change the outcome of the game. Getting development cards might score the player a special card that can turn the tide, or give them a victory point, or help them get the largest army (2 points). A player can place the robber on an important tile for the winning player. And because almost all of these actions help the player increase their victory point, the losing player always has a chance to win if they played well.
In Settlers of Catan, the end game is often played in suspense as to who will win. Players can get points from getting the longest road, largest army, development cards, and through building settlements and cities. The amount of victory points you have scored through longest roads, largest army, settlements and cities is shown to other players. But victory points from development cards are always hidden from other players. Players with the longest road and largest army can also lose those titles when another player takes those titles. Players can build settlements or cities to quickly gain points as well. So players are often wary of other players that are also close to winning. If they have faced down development cards, it could be a knight that gains them the largest army and wins them the game. They could also get a development card that gives them the final victory point that they needed to win. Because a player’s resources and development cards are hidden from other players, they do not know how many victory points someone else may gain on their turn. This means that players can be much closer to winning than they appear. All these factors combine to make for a game that is much more engaging and fun. Settlers of Catan also does not have player elimination. Everyone who started the game will end the game together. No one gets kicked out of the game.
A good board game has these three qualities: player agency, a good win condition, and no player elimination. Consider these qualities the next time you play a board game and see if these qualities exist. I believe that we owe our friends and families their time, and they deserve to play good board games. Monopoly is clearly not one of them!