More Theme Than You Can Shake a Stick At!
I was reading a recent Beware the Gazebo (Mike Betzel's blog) entry about use of theme in boardgames, and I couldn't help but comment about it here. Please go read Mike 's article, both for his ideas about theme and for his great analysis of Bootleggers and how theme is used in that game, but for clarity in this post I'll also copy his main ideas with a few minor formatting tweaks. So again, the following list of thematic levels in games are all Mike:
No theme - Usually found in abstract strategy games like Go, these games have no theme. They are simply a set of rules to play but the components are not meant to represent anything specific. It is the purest form of gaming.Of course, I recently wrote an entry in my Boardgame Basics series about theme, but this is a whole other level of analysis covering the spectrum of thematic influence that a game can possess. There's not a lot more that I can add to it (other than maybe split some hairs about Puerto Rico having more of an Applied than Abstract theme), but it did get me thinking about where my preferences tend to lie on this spectrum. Going into my analysis, my general impression is that while I like games from all levels, those with integrated theme are what really engages my imagination and gets me fired up. But let's look at my top 30 games and see if that's really true:
Abstract theme - There is a theme but it does not really relate to the mechanics at all. Any number of themes could easily be placed on top of the mechanics and it would work equally well. Many games fall into this category, especially designer Euro-style games like Ra and Puerto Rico. The theme is generally irrelevant and does not impact one's thoughts on the game.
Applied theme - Here the theme makes sense in terms of mechanics and probably helps contribute towards your thoughts of the game. Ticket to Ride is a great example; building a network of links works perfectly with a railroad theme and people may very well have their feelings about the game influenced by the rail theme. At the same time it could easily be themed differently and work just as well.
Integrated theme - This is all about the theme; the game really would not function without it. Most war games probably fall into this category as the game is about that specific war. The theme often contributes equally with mechanics - if not more - when it comes to your enjoyment of the game.
Pure theme - You play this for the theme and experience, not the mechanics or depth of play. I think many classic children's games fall into this grouping as well as something like Tales of the Arabian Nights or comedy-heavy games like Munchkin. Even thought there may not be much in the way of mechanics, the theme can often be enough to make these games highly enjoyable.
1) The Princes of Florence - Applied
2) Pandemic - Applied/Integrated
3) Tigris & Euphrates - Applied
4) 1960: The Making of the President - Integrated
5) Tribune: Primus Inter Pares - Applied/Abstract
6) Fury of Dracula -Integrated
7) Steam -Applied
8) Shadows Over Camelot - Applied
9) Arkadia - Abstract
10) Agricola -Applied
11) Ra -Abstract
12) Struggle of Empires - Integrated
13) China/Web of Power - Abstract
14) Descent - Integrated
15) PitchCar - Applied
16) BattleLore - Applied/Integrated
17) Metropolys - Abstract
18) Warrior Knights - Integrated
19) Acquire - Abstract
20) Ghost Stories - Applied/Integrated
21) Chicago Express - Applied
22) Cosmic Encounter - Integrated/Pure
23) Race for the Galaxy -Applied
24) Shogun/Wallenstein -Applied
25) Mission: Red Planet - Applied
26) War of the Ring - Integrated
27) Citadels - Abstract
28) Balderdash - No Theme
29) Witch's Brew - Abstract
30) Small World - Applied
Based on the evidence, it appears that my gut feeling about my preferences is not really true. Specifically, my tally showed 15 games with Applied theme, 7 with Abstract theme, 7 with Integrated theme, and just one more with no theme at all. So while I continue to have a romantic yet unfounded idea about theme being most important to me (probably because of my long-term RPG background), reality shows that mechanics appear to be far more important to me these days.
Of course, another factor to consider is the sheer number of games that fall into each category. Of my whole collection, I have a feeling that there are far more Applied and Abstract levels of theme represented than there are Integrated or Pure theme. And if you were to look at the number of each type of game released each year, I have a feeling that most would also fall into these mid-levels of theme as well. Maybe the lack of Integrated themes in my top games is more because of the lack of quality games with Integrated themes in general...
So, what do y'all think? Did I make any mistakes in evaluating my top 30 games? What about the importance of theme vs. mechanics? And what about Mike's taxonomy of theme? Speak up!
As always I'm impressed with your brief yet thoughtful posts.
I personally have no trouble telling that I am an "Applied Theme" gamer. I've always found games with a highly integrated theme a bit busy and stressful to play. I love 1960 and Pandemic and I actually have a huge overlap with your top 30 but those games, especially the former are prime examples of games that I do not find relaxing to play. I am definitely willing to accept a game that sacrifices a good bit of theme integration for simplicity and elegance. I also tend to dislike abstract games so I guess I have a pretty narrow focus. If you know of any highly integrated games that you think maintain an elegance and simplicity about them I'd love to hear about them. I guess Pandemic comes closest in your top 30.
On another topic, I noticed you have two games in your list that I've been intrigued by and waffling on buying for a long time: Warrior Knights and Descent. The factor that scares me off of these games is the play time. I also don't have any real access to be able to try the games before I buy them. Having read my blog would you suggest I take the plunge?
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Thanks, Matt!
Yeah, after playing so many "Euro" games in the last few years, I think that I've definitely become spoiled when it comes to needing streamlined mechanics and a shorter play time. I'm not opposed to longer play times, but there had better be one heck of a lot of fun that lasts the whole time, or it will leave me pretty unsatisfied. All of the Integrated theme games in my top 30 are definitely intense, elegant, and fun enough to hold my attention despite being on the longer side.
Personally, I think that both Descent and Warrior Knights are "worth it", but to be honest, the play time still keeps them from hitting the table very often. It's been over a year since I've played Descent, and almost 2 since I've played Warrior Knights. Anything longer than 2 hours is almost unplayable at a weeknight game group, and since that's where most of my gaming happens, most of my longer games go unplayed.
More specifically, though, buying either of those games comes down mostly to how much you and your play group love the theme. If you have a D&D background and would like a really good, adversarial dungeon crawl game, then Descent is pretty much the best there is. But you have to be willing to dedicate 3-ish hours to it every so often in order to play through a scenario. If you use the campaign rules (Road to Legend or the upcoming Sea of Blood), then individual sessions can be as short as 90-120 minutes, but you'll need to play with a lot more consistency to get the full benefit.
Warrior Knights is a really cool conquest game that does a great job of integrating combat, resource management, and politics. It feels a lot like Twilight Imperium 3 to me (with a different theme, of course), but it's half the time (again, about 3 hours) and is a lot more elegant. With the expansion, it even feels a bit like a civ-lite with technology advances and such. I wish I could play it more, but my time is pretty limited on weekends, and it's hard to schedule a session just to play one or two specific games.
And as far as other Integrated-theme games, I would definitely recommend any of the ones on my top 30. They are all well-designed and have a nice "fun density", but your experience will, again, be mostly driven by how much you like their themes.
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