I agree with most of the points you have Chris especially the ones where the theme and the mechanics of the game are not aligned. That said i feel that many of the themes are not so much overdone as they are to similar to each other ticket to ride being its own example. Colt express on the other hand is also a train game and a lot of other genres you mentioned and it feels fresh in its own right. I feel that the point here is not so much don't use these themes but rather create something unique within theme as opposed to slapping a theme onto a generic resource management game.
That said the Rebel in me wants to take all the themes in the list and create a single game ;P
Colt Express is set on a train, but it’s main ‘sense of place’ is the Wild West. The latter thematically explains what you’re doing (stealing money, trying to rob things or people), and the train happens to be a place where that happened. ‘Train games’ usually have a macroscopic view (building networks and stations, etc.)
The post was meant to get people thinking beyond the classic tropes and create something new and interesting. They’re tropes and they’re useful and they have fans, but there are plenty of other less-used themes out there to explore.
> Most Lovecraftian games don’t actually engage with what makes Lovecraft’s ideas interesting. They take the aesthetic – tentacles, sanity tracks, cults, ancient gods, etc. – and treat it as a skin rather than a source of genuine design inspiration.
Video games also have this problem, but at least I can cut them some slack as they’ve got a massive debuff in that genre (in that trying to visually portray the horror of incomprehensible madness is insanely tough). I would’ve thought board games would more consistently nail it as they’ve engage the imagination more.
Board games often need to handwave details and ensure the game works mechanically… and in a way that’s relatively easy to admin. As such the story typically stays on the surface and is contrived to fit the desired experience.
People don’t usually want to read a book when they’re trying to play a game…
I agree with most of the points you have Chris especially the ones where the theme and the mechanics of the game are not aligned. That said i feel that many of the themes are not so much overdone as they are to similar to each other ticket to ride being its own example. Colt express on the other hand is also a train game and a lot of other genres you mentioned and it feels fresh in its own right. I feel that the point here is not so much don't use these themes but rather create something unique within theme as opposed to slapping a theme onto a generic resource management game.
That said the Rebel in me wants to take all the themes in the list and create a single game ;P
Do it!
Colt Express is set on a train, but it’s main ‘sense of place’ is the Wild West. The latter thematically explains what you’re doing (stealing money, trying to rob things or people), and the train happens to be a place where that happened. ‘Train games’ usually have a macroscopic view (building networks and stations, etc.)
The post was meant to get people thinking beyond the classic tropes and create something new and interesting. They’re tropes and they’re useful and they have fans, but there are plenty of other less-used themes out there to explore.
I know it is not a theme and please excuse me for this, but i can’t resist : enough with the amnesic avatars !
…huh?
There are so many amnesic heroes. You start the game and you don’t know who you are and part of the game will be figuring out.
Planescape torment, disco elysium, amnesia, kotor, nier:automata, prey, ff7, ff 16, one metal gear, breath of the wild, katana zéro, sanitarium...
> Most Lovecraftian games don’t actually engage with what makes Lovecraft’s ideas interesting. They take the aesthetic – tentacles, sanity tracks, cults, ancient gods, etc. – and treat it as a skin rather than a source of genuine design inspiration.
Video games also have this problem, but at least I can cut them some slack as they’ve got a massive debuff in that genre (in that trying to visually portray the horror of incomprehensible madness is insanely tough). I would’ve thought board games would more consistently nail it as they’ve engage the imagination more.
Board games often need to handwave details and ensure the game works mechanically… and in a way that’s relatively easy to admin. As such the story typically stays on the surface and is contrived to fit the desired experience.
People don’t usually want to read a book when they’re trying to play a game…