thread: 2006-07-27 : 10 Observations from my Berlin trip
On 2006-08-01, Valamir wrote:
***I do not see anything "Gamer" specific in my point.***
I don't want to argue with you on Vincent's blog, but I will point out that EVERY single one of your objections is absolutely "gamer" specific...and completely the reason why the game isn't being marketed to gamers through the usual gamer channels.
That's not a criticism, just an observation. I too typically hate overly random mechanics. For me the saving grace in Spione is that the mechanic so perfectly fulfills the purpose of what it was designed to do. If it were an RPG resolution system it would suck...I agree. But its not. And for what it is, its nearly perfect.
You say you want to have influence as a player...you do...tremendous amounts of influence. You just need to look for it somewhere OTHER than the card mechanics. Looking for it in the card mechanics is traditional gamer think, right there. "How do I exert my influence in the game as a player? I'll check out the resolution system."—gamer thinking.
Not in Spione. The accordian mechanics are more akin to a random event generator than a traditional resolution mechanic. Its like playing Monopoly and asking "how do I exert my influence on the result of the die roll". You don't, what you land on is what you land on. In Spione, the cards that come up, are the cards that come up. In Monopoly you exert your influence by what deals you make and when you choose to buy or sell. You have no influence on the dice. In Spione you exert your influence through the narrations and scenes. You have no influence on the cards. This is why I said you're looking in the wrong place.
So your response to my post simply shows that you're still looking in the wrong place. That's not criticism, just a helpful hint...you're right...you're not going to find what you're looking for where you're looking...you have to look elsewhere for it.
As for the total randomness of the mechanic being a downer, again that's completely gamer think. Most non gamers are TOTALLY comfortable with very random game mechanics. Monopoly, Parcheesi, Snakes and Ladders...all games that have sold more copies than all RPGs combined. All games that are mostly (or purely) random. Point being that for the majority of folks out there, a game mechanic which is entirely arbitrary...is normal. Its only us gamers who find them unusual.
Now, as for HOW to look elsewhere to find what's needed in Spione...that's where the whole "hand holding" and "training wheels" discussion comes in. There is no way (for me anyway) to figure out the "how" part from the game text. I had the benefit of playing a 3 player game directly with Ron. I just watched what Ron did and figured out how it was supposed to work. Hopefully some of the videos of actual play on the Spione site will fulfill a little bit of the "learn to play by watching play" aspect. And hopefully the final text will include some additional training wheels.
