{"schemaVersion":1,"record":{"key":"practice/two-windows","type":"practice","id":"two-windows","lang":"en","title":"Two dispatch windows","summary":"Make cooperation necessary by distributing information and actions.","updatedAt":"2026-10-20","status":"active","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/practice/two-windows/","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/practice/two-windows.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/practice/two-windows.md","aliases":[],"tags":["Multiplayer"],"sourceIds":["source-3e6c21889ae768e0","source-6f794a271cd60b9c"],"sources":[{"id":"source-3e6c21889ae768e0","title":"Challenges for Game Designers: author website","url":"https://designgames.wordpress.com/","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-6f794a271cd60b9c","title":"Challenges for Game Designers: table of contents","url":"https://designgames.wordpress.com/toc/","verifiedAt":null}],"sections":[{"id":"goal","title":"Goal","body":"Make cooperation necessary by distributing information and actions."},{"id":"example","title":"Scenario and materials","body":"Two dispatchers guide a repair team through a station. One sees the schedule of safe passages; the other knows the tool supply and door conditions. Design a shared goal and communication rules so that each person's decisions affect the result.\n\nTwo players and route cards"},{"id":"constraints","title":"Constraints","body":"- Players have different information and available actions.\n- One participant cannot directly perform the other's actions.\n- The first version needs no network: use two paper information sets."},{"id":"steps","title":"Steps","body":"1. Divide information and actions between the roles.\n2. Describe permitted communication, winning and losing.\n3. Play a game and swap roles. Note moments when one player made every decision while the other merely carried them out."},{"id":"outcome","title":"Deliverable","body":"Two card sets, shared rules and notes on each role's independent decisions."},{"id":"checks","title":"Check your work","body":"- Each role makes at least one decision affecting the shared goal.\n- Both players understand what they may communicate and do.\n- Identify a reason to cooperate and check whether one participant dominates."},{"id":"reflection","title":"Reflect","body":"Which information needs to stay separate to keep both roles involved?"}],"relations":[{"type":"uses","direction":"outgoing","label":"Sources in the selection","key":"resource/challenges-for-game-designers","title":"Challenges for Game Designers","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/resources/#resource-challenges-for-game-designers","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/resource/challenges-for-game-designers.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/resource/challenges-for-game-designers.md"}],"placements":[{"title":"In the original collection","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/practice/#two-windows"}],"supersededBy":[],"attributes":{"topic":"multiplayer","level":"intermediate","minutes":75},"endsAt":null,"provenance":"Thematic inspiration: Challenges for Game Designers by Brenda Brathwaite and Ian Schreiber. These scenarios, constraints and checks are independently written around broad game-design learning topics. This is not a translation or a sequential retelling of the book exercises.","license":"CC-BY-4.0","codeLicense":"MIT","attribution":"gamemechanics.pro contributors"}}