The Problem with Solid State Games

One of the things that I've really been enjoying as I've played through Super Mario Odyssey (and I'm not even that far in) is how the game changes constantly. But it raises important questions about other games that I feel I need to address as a game designer.

My other "go-to" game right now is Forza Horizon 4, which I think typifies what I mean when I say "solid state" games. Forza Horizon 4 is the same experience from first boot to finish; drive really fast cars in sometimes outlandish situations.

This is what I mean when I refer to as a "solid state" game; there are no moving parts or special mechanics to consider as you play.

The reason why this is interesting to me is that it's something that could be leveled toward a lot of tabletop RPGs, which is more my wheelhouse as a designer.

After all, if you took Hammercalled right now and looked at it, especially the stripped down version that's in Segira, you really don't have a whole lot of game mechanics and rules that are going to evolve over the course of play.

That's not to say it's necessary to have games be complex and mercurial. Forza Horizon 4, again, is a tremendous experience, and while I'm not sure exactly how much time I've spent on it (and I don't want to be), it's been quite a bit over the almost two months since it released. However, it's worth noting that FH4 provides a fairly large open world, very diverse skill challenges, and a lot of different vehicles to provide variety.

Theoretically, multiplayer also provides a safeguard against ennui by layering on a social experience and dynamic challenges that emerge from the skills and techniques of another player being pitted against a person, but that's not always even a surefire bet: how many "competitive" games have a clear meta with particular techniques being rewarded more often than not?

So, basically, the problem with these solid state games is ennui. People get bored of playing the same thing over and over. There's also a potential problem with complexity; if your rules are too much to learn at once and there's no way to move between different amounts of challenge, there's a chance you just overwhelm new players. A lot of tabletop roleplaying games do this too.

I think Hammercalled gets around boredom in the larger releases with a lot of custom gear and talents and other character options, but I'm concerned about the complexity.

One of the things I want to do after Segira/Genship Exiles/Hwaet, or perhaps on a good weekend during the development process, is to boil Hammercalled into a 1 page game and see how it works.