Moving First

Taking advantage of the situation

Most games have to deal with it – who goes first? Is it an advantage, or a disadvantage?

And how can you make the most of the situation?

It’s an element of games because it’s an element of life…
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One player, then the other…

Somebody’s got to bat first, kick the ball off, or otherwise start the game. In baseball we give the advantage to the “home” team and make the visiting team bat first. In football we leave the decision to chance. For hockey and lacrosse we let the teams battle it out to get the ball/puck.

These games have distinct offensive and defensive aspects. One side is pressing while the other is defending.

Table top games

Much of the game-play happening on dinning room tables is similarly constructed. Somebody gets to go first, and then we rotate around the table to give everyone their “fair” turn.

And that’s really the element that we’re modeling – which player (or team) can win a fair duel within the rules of the game. To do that we’ve got to provide an environment that offers equal opportunities to both sides.

If the first player to move wins 98% of the time, it isn’t much of a contest.

The fog of war

Compared to real life, this is the element of games that many players wish for.

If coming up with a great strategy is key to winning, it isn’t useful if the opponent can see everything – or most things that happen.

• “Sneaking” around behind the opponent is hard to do when everything is visible.
• Creating an advantage with resources is hard to do when your stockpile is evident.
• Cooperating with rivals is exposed when the plot’s target is sitting across the table from you.

And so many games restrict or discourage those sorts of tactics within the rules.

The unstoppable advantage

Within those elements of the game, the players try to build a significant advantage before the opponent can react.

• Score first so the other side is trying to catch up.
• Reveal a strategy and make enough gains that the opponent is handicapped.
• Establish a strong partnership that enables a convincing victory.

The other “side” has its work cut out.

But once a clear direction has been revealed, opponents can design and employ countermeasures and that’s a fair strategy too.

Real time and unrevealed

Today’s computer games and online play are very adept at simulating “fog of war” and clandestine strategies. (But it wasn’t always this way)

Since the computer is a fair and impartial judge of games, it can allow every participant to take action as they wish. Further, it can restrict information to those that have a right to view it.

It can create an environment with both the fog of war and simultaneous activity.

And that creates interesting wrinkles.

As fast as you can

So the first set of legal “tricks” within this sort of game world is to simply become adept at doing things quickly.

And if one is allowed to create as much as they can within the confines of  telling the system what to do, using a computer to enter commands faster (much faster) can hardly be seen as cheating…

So moving first and fast is once again a key strategy;-)

Once a minute

And so the game designer’s first reaction is to create a set of restrictions to allow certain activity only within some metered scale. It’s still an advantage to those that are efficient, but perhaps less of an overpowering item.

One per home

And if cooperative behavior is also allowed, what’s the difference between two friends sitting next to each other and one individual controlling two characters at a time with side-by-side computers?

(Or if you’re into that online poker thing consider four friends sitting at a table with one stranger. Clearly the goal is to fleece the stranger…)

Real life

But perhaps it isn’t as different as real life where individuals and companies are looking to corner the market, bring their product to consumers first, and adapt to the strategies of the successful.

I’ll go first

But me – even if there’s a disadvantage to going first, I’m still willing to get myself out there and in front of the curve to take that advantage.

Sure – I’ll do my best to withhold or disguise my strategy, but my bet is that you won’t be able to copy it or even respond competitively – even if you knew everything that I had in mind;-)

Because that’s just the way I am.