Sub-games with variaton

Sub-games with variation

2 October 2005

In previous articles, I mentioned that sub-games should vary slightly each time they're used. I thought I'd explain the idea a bit more using the combat sub-game from the Dungeons & Dragons pen-and-paper RPG as an example.

How does D&D vary combat? Take, for example, an encounter with orcs:

Default - 1st level characters have their first battle against a prototypical monster, such as orcs. The player characters are attacked by a handful of orcs in a nondescript dungeon room. Players find this fun and exciting because they have never fought orcs (or anything) before.
Geography - Future combats occur in more interesting geography. There are trees to act as barriers, perhaps elevated regions of the combat "arena", or even movable barriers like crates.
Geographic complications - Combat could take place on muddy ground, where PCs and monsters might slip. Or maybe combat is in shallow water where movement is slowed and unconscious characters drown. Or, underwater, in the astral plane, etc.
Other complications - The fight might occur in a crowded city street with innocent bystanders that need to be protected. If too much noise is made, other orcs might be pulled in. Or, the original orcs might call for help, creating time constraints to how long the combat can last before reinforcements arrive.
Tactics - Monsters will use different tactics, like charging out all at once, or using barriers to hide behind, or continually running and regrouping.
Weapons - Orcs can wield swords, maces, bows, or hurl stones. Each weapon has different properties that affect combat.
Numbers - Instead of a handful of orcs, players might have to fight dozens. (By the way, as characters advance to higher levels, bringing in dozens of orcs shows the players how powerful they've become, and gives them a sense of accomplishment.)
Bigger orcs - Instead of the standard 1 hit-die orc, use 2 hit-die orcs.
Special abilities, resistances, and weaknesses - The orcs could be magically manipulated so they regenerate, breath fire, etc.
Different shape - Of course, a bigger orc with special abilities is usually given a knew name, like an ogre, troll, or dragon.
Combinations - Players might have to face combinations of monsters, such as a hoard of orcs that occupy the fighters while a vampire uses its hypnotism ability to knock off the party's magic users.

Meanwhile, the player characters are gaining new powers:

Magic weapons and armour - As players find magic weapons and armour, they get new abilities, such as immunity to a ghoul's paralysing touch, or the ability to fly. These new abilities provide players new actions to use during combat. MMORPG magic weapons and armour just end up being more powerful versions of normal weapons/armour, and rarely introduce new abilities.
Spells - D&D magic users are provided new spells every few levels. Again, this provides them with new abilities that they can use in combat. While higher-level MMORPG spells pretty much end up being "a more damaging version of the lower-level spell", D&D spells includes a large variety of offensive and defensive spells, each with special effects.

As an aside: The way D&D limits magic is pretty clever from a game design POV. It forces magic users to make choices about resource allocation, namely, which spells they wish to prepare for the day. Since players will inevitably chose spells that aren't appropriate for the day's situation, they often need to find creative uses for their remaining spells. How can Magic mouth or Tenser's floating disc be used creatively in combat? There are ways, and the limitation makes the game more fun than mana-based systems.
New abilities - Other classes learn new abilities as they advance levels, like the ability to climb walls. These new abilities breath new variation into combat.

Basically, D&D starts off 1st level characters with a very simple combat sub-game, and gradually introduces more choices, strategy, and complications into the sub-game as characters advance levels. Since new players begin as 1st level characters and gradually advance, the combat sub-game's complexity rises in line with the player's mastery of the rules. This design ensures that new players aren't overwhelmed with choice and complexity, and that experienced players aren't bored.