Board Game Design 3: Payoff

I want to talk about a very important principle in board game design. It’s sort of an abstract concept and I have taken a lot of time thinking about how to put it into words. But the word I keep coming back to is payoff. Payoff. According to the google dictionary payoff means: “The return on investment or on a bet” Or “a final outcome; a conclusion”. In game terms payoff is the satisfaction received from a game. Great games create more than just fun; they create a lasting emotional and sometimes physiological response. It is one of the most important but also one of the most difficult elements to capture in a board game. (and of course it's going to be a little different for everyone.)

Every game requires some level of investment. Time, focus, effort. And in turn every game has some level of payoff. It's very important that the payoff is in proportion to the investment. Otherwise it risks players growing bored or frustrated with a game. Games won’t feel worth it to play and won’t make it to the table.

I’ve had a lot of amazing experiences with tabletop games. But I’ve also had my share of disappointments. Rarely have I come across what I would truly consider a bad game, in fact most of the time I see potential even in games I dislike. Instead it usually comes back to this concept of payoff. So I’ve decided to narrow in on what helps and what hinders a game from achieving its optimal payoff ratio with players:

Hinderances:

Personal Preference: I have to preface with this one because this is a huge factor in payoff. Everybody has different preferences and interests when it comes to board games. Different people receive their ‘return on investment’ from different sources, when playing a game. The four most prominent that come to mind are social, theme/immersion, strategy, and progression:

• Social: Games can provide a framework for light hearted and fun social interactions. Games can also provide a chance to work together in order to solve challenges.

• Theme/immersion: Many people love games for their themes. They love art, they love experiencing things they’d never otherwise experience. They like to get lost in the worlds that boardgames create.

• Strategy: Strategy games give players space to think critically, plan ahead, and solve complicated challenges that can bring satisfaction. They can create competition both with other players, with the challenges of the game, and with one’s self as players try to optimize their strategy in order to succeed.

• Progression: Whether its building a single character, a civilization, or anything in between, many people take pleasure in the sense of progression a game provides. Upgrading, expanding, becoming more powerful or more wealthy. Progression provides a great payoff to many people.

All of these sources are equally valid and people may draw from all of them in different amounts. Personally I’m partial to the strategy and progression side of things. But I’ve also had plenty of experiences where the theme or the social aspect led to a great payoff. Obviously no game will please everybody. My advice here is to not try. By trying to appease all of these preferences you probably won’t excel at any one of them. Focus on one or two that really fit the game you're creating. It’s likely that in the end a well made game will hit on all of these at least a little bit. But staying focused will ensure you’re delivering a great experience each time.

Overcomplication: The more complicated a game is the more time and attention players will have to invest in learning and playing your game. A higher investment should mean a higher payoff. When designing a game its easy to add additional features and exciting components that may seem relevant, without actually adding much to the player experience. Games should be refined and polished until they are as simple as possible while still creating the intended experience.

Unbalanced Luck or Chance: Luck and chance play a strong role in all games. I write luck and chance separately because I treat them as different concepts in game design. (see game design principles blog post) An imbalance of luck or chance can ruin a game’s payoff. A game with too much chance involved takes agency away from the players. Even lighter games that rely heavily on luck (i.e. exploding kittens, I mention it because I think it does this well) need to maintain a player’s feeling that their choices affect their opportunity to succeed. Likewise a game with very little luck can relay almost no pleasure to inexperienced players who have no chance to win. Think about chess, it's all about strategy and decision making, without a lick of luck. Now I know many people love chess, but if you're inexperienced and uneducated about the intricacies of the game you're likely not going to have a good time going up against experienced players. A balanced amount of luck leads to players feeling in control, but still taking calculated risks.

Lack of Rewards: Rewards is not an official term as far as I know, but I use it to convey specific moments of ‘payoff’ within a game. It's important to remember that all players should experience joy during a game, not just the winner. How this payoff comes depends on the type of game you are making. In a party game it might be great laughs or clever ideas. In strategy games it might be accomplishing something within the game despite challenges. If payoff doesn’t come till the end of the game, then playing can feel like a bit of a slog.

Helpers:

Playtesting: However much playtesting you think a game needs, double it, then do more. This will help you identify issues with luck, complication, rewards, and preference. Every design has potential but if its missing the payoff mark then keep testing it and figuring out the problems. Maybe its too long, maybe there are elements that could be removed to tighten it up, maybe it needs a greater sense of accomplishment throughout. No one and nothing can really tell you. Only playing it yourself and with different people can reveal the issues it may have.

Know What Your Game Is and What It Isn’t: As I mentioned in the preference section, it's important that you’re aware of what your game is offering and that you focus on that element. Hone in on your original intended experience and ignore everything else.

There are my thoughts on this difficult but important topic. If you learned something, consider following the blog for future insights!