In the first of (hopefully) a series, I chat with Carl (@carlcrusoe) designer of the game Kelp about how we go about building tension in board games. Be sure to check out his game and Instagram at the links above, and if you fancy a chat and featuring on my next conversation message me.
Carl: So, to kick off this post- why do you design games, Joe? And why does a game need tension?
Joe: That’s a big first question! Why do I make games? I love creating things that make people happy. Particularly when that thing brings people together and creates an experience that’s more than the sum of the brains taking part. For a long time these games weren’t tabletop games, they were large games played out across evenings, almost like interactive performances, gameshows and quizzes. And then at some point last September a board game popped into my head. And it’s been downhill ever since!
I’ll throw back to you, before I answer part 2!
Carl: I’ve been thinking about this recently, because I came across an old notebook and found some notes on a board game I tried to design back in 2012, then another one again in 2013 and again and again until I made the game that I finally completed and got published in the past couple of years. I’d throw down some ideas, maybe do a little research or draw a picture and then finally move on without really understanding the design process back then. I was struck that without really realising it, I’ve been aspiring to design games for some time. So what has been driving me to do it? A big part of it has been to make games that I personally enjoy playing, and also the fun of seeing my ideas be realised, tested, developed and then work to deliver a particular experience has been very fulfilling. I think there is a deep joy and satisfaction in striving for mastery in a field, whatever that field is for you, and it seems that board game design is the field for me.
Joe: It’s ace we’ve both found that thing that seems to make us tick!
“if the best stories have that tension, then the best games need that too.”
The second part of your question – “why do games need tension?” I think that’s because a game is a story, fundamentally. Even games that aren’t set in some magical realm, or a game that turns your into a character battling for some sort of survival or victory are still stories. Games allow us to live out a story for a brief moment. And the best stories, they have tension. They build and ebb, pushing the characters to new limits developing a narrative that ultimately sticks with you. So if the best stories have that tension, then the best games need that too.
What do you think?
Carl: Yes, I think I agree for the most part (although I just played Scout and loved it, and that has zero story but a good amount of tension, and it does have an arc although I also wouldn’t say that was story or narrative).
I read somewhere that in a perfect game every turn would either ratchet up the tension or release it, and that the steps by which the tension built and released would increase over the course of the game, with the biggest release of tension happening on the final turn.
Like you say, the best stories have tension when characters have goals but obstacles between them and the completion of those goals. In games it’s the same. The game presents a goal to the player and then obstacles through the mechanisms and systems. But opponents also present obstacles in the ways they interact with the game too, and (especially in the games with high interactivity that I love) the interplay between player agency/psychology and the systems is where the tension emerges.
What are some ways you have found to ratchet up tension in your designs?
Joe: in competitive games each player sees themselves as the hero (a villain is just a reverse hero), so to ensure that there’s tension throughout I think we need a few things: the possibitity for you win (or lose) right until the end. This is so no one player can be the obvious victor too early. In my games this balance is done through the mathematics that underpin the game. Making sure that reward or victory point levels and difficulty are well-balanced. I also found that a level release system helps build, so that as the game progresses more is unlocked which changes the dynamic building anticipation, excitement and tension.
In Drop Zone, I’m using an end game mechanic that builds tension further towards the game’s climax. The game ends when the final mission is complete, but different players will want the game to end at the optimum moment for them. This means the final mission is in a state of flux as players use their tactical cards to build to an epic end. The dynamic end game attempts to hold that tension until the games final moments.
How did you build tension in Kelp?
Carl: I like that idea of an end game that isn’t certain as to when it will trigger, that you’ve implemented in Drop Zone. I’m sure it leads to a thrilling finale!
For Kelp, with it being an asymmetrical game with a hunter vs hunted dynamic (shark vs octopus), there’s an inherent tension in that the two sides are directly opposed to one another. The shark only wins if the octopus dies, so the stakes are high from the start. If the shark is in the correct position, has the correct die and know where the octopus is, that is a very dangerous moment for the octopus, so whenever that situation could be close tension is definitely felt by the octopus player. On the other side, the shark can fall prey to a well-timed bluff from the octopus, and too many of these and the shark will starve. So both players experience the thrill of danger, at the hands of their opponent.
Furthermore, I tried to make other tough choices for each side, by creating consequences or risks for certain actions. For example, there is a powerful octopus card called ‘Taking Chances’ which allows the octopus to shuffle three blocks together, which is great, but one of those blocks will randomly end up in the exposed zone in the centre of the board leaving it a sitting duck for the shark to attack. Or on the shark’s side, they have a card which allows them to choose the die for their turn, rather than the two randomly drawn at the start of the turn, but at the cost of sacrificing the other die which could slow them down or prevent them from getting where they need to. It’s mechanisms like this that I think sustain the tension through the game, and then the player choices and interactions that ramp it up over the course of play.
“both players experience the thrill of danger, at the hands of their opponent”
But too many obstacles, too much stress, can become frustrating, so how have you found ways to release the tension in Drop Zone? What are the big payoffs that players can expect to experience when they play?
Joe: [adds get hold of a copy of Kelp to his to do list]
Drop Zone is built from multiple smaller missions with varying payouts depending on the difficulty of a mission. On any mission, you\’re flying towards a Dropzone ready to roll and hopefully meet the requirements of the mission. If you’re successful, you complete the mission and collect the reputation that you so rightly deserve. The tension and release cycle is happening multiple times during the game. Once a mission is completed a new one, with different parameters, is drawn. Aviators (or players as they might call themselves) are opening up the play space in front of them through mission completion – at the start of the game there are 3, by the end we’re up to 5.
Other payoffs come from adding Tactical cards to the missions that either make them more rewarding or easier to complete, or that make them harder! I really wanted to bring in a sense that planning ahead is important in this game. I’ve played too many games where things just happen to you and well-made plans are scuppered, and I didn’t want that for this game.
I’m also using language to build that sense of story and tension. Early missions are Rookie, mid are Hot Shot, and that final mission, Legendary!
What do you reckon the key things to remember are when we’re trying to build tension? I reckon a summary or list might be useful.
Carl: You raise a good point, that you can employ thematic language in your game to inspire emotions and set tone! I think that is a factor in building tension as well.
Thinking about the arc of your game is also critical. In Kelp, I tried to use a three-act structure (the number three is just a good mathematical number when it comes to tension building in general I think) to ensure that the game feels satisfying and tension continues to build until the denouement. I did this in a couple of ways-
Firstly and generally, by ensuring players have ways and incentives for building up their power and abilities in the early-game, then setting up situations to naturally arise for conflict in the mid-game, and finally to make sure that in the end-game both players know that victory or defeat is imminent and that they have a way to impact the outcome.
Secondly, the way that the end game in Kelp happens is through a mechanism which is named in the game as the ‘Confrontation’ and it’s a minigame which the players play, once the octopus is caught by the shark. I didn’t want the game to just end as the shark attacked the octopus, because it would have been anticlimactic for the octopus who wouldn’t be able to do anything about it and would just have to concede. So, instead I used this system of card-play where both players secretly select a card (they each have one card of three matching pairs) and simultaneously reveal it. If the played cards match (i.e. the shark has countered the escape strategy of the octopus) then the game is over. But if they are different then the octopus escapes and play continues however, to ensure the tension remains high, then one of the pairs is removed from the game, reducing the odds of a successful escape the next time.
To summarise, I think the most important things to remember when designing tension into your games are that strong (thematic) goals provide the incentives for your players to care about what happens. Obstacles in the game (be it the costs incurred, the loops that need to be jumped through, the resources that need to be gathered, or the bets that must be wagered) raise and release the tension as these challenges are worked on and then overcome. But it is often player interaction that is the factor that increases the tension over the course of the game, as each opponent gets closer and closer to victory or defeat, and that as the designer you have structures and systems that you can employ to ensure that interaction is meaningful and fun.
Is there anything you think we’ve missed or something about tension that you’ve discovered in your design journey that you want to finish with?
Joe: I think we’ve covered most of what I know in our conversation! Thanks for joining me Carl!
