Goal
Check what a mechanic contributes and whether it is worth keeping.
Scenario and materials
Take a small game of your own that has several mechanics. Choose a supporting system, such as resource trading. Make a version without it while preserving the game’s goal. Check which decisions disappear and which rules become simpler.
An existing small prototype
Constraints
- Use your own prototype or a game you have permission to modify.
- Remove one system and its associated exceptions.
- Do not replace it with another large mechanic.
Steps
- Write down what the chosen system should offer the player.
- Prepare the reduced version and check that the game can end.
- Compare explanation time and decisions in both versions. Decide what to restore, change or leave removed.
Deliverable
Two rule sets and a justified decision about the mechanic’s future.
Check your work
- The reduced version contains no references to removed resources or actions.
- The goal remains reachable.
- Name the useful choice that was lost or explain why there was none.
Reflect
Which complexity did the designer notice? Which did the player actually notice?
Sources and further reading
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.
In collections
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