Guidelines for Strategy Game Design
A functional and lightweight game design manual by Level 99's D. Brad Talton Jr,
on how to create tense, dynamic, decision-driven games.
A functional and lightweight game design manual by Level 99's D. Brad Talton Jr,
on how to create tense, dynamic, decision-driven games.
A game should let players know what they ought to be doing at each step of the way.
For highly tactical games, the rules alone may suffice for this. For more strategic games, this may take the form of a reference card or a character faction with some limited specialization.
Starting players with a specialization is especially useful in strategic games with a wide play space, as it immediately gives the players focus required to start making strategic decisions from the first turn.