15 Ways to Increase a Game's Replayability

In today’s video I talk about replayability in games, including these core opinions:

1. The first play of any game is by far the most important, in my opinion, as there are so many games that will only ever be played once. For that first game, replayability doesn't matter at all. In other words, replayability isn’t an asset unless players have a great first-game experience.

2. I think replayability is important as a design consideration, particularly in that players can't just do the exact same thing every game. I try to avoid replayability elements that require laborious setup--it's okay for some things to remain static from game to game, like the achievements in Tapestry (especially when there are a number of other variable elements). It's in those static elements that players can develop a long-term strategy that can vary from game to game.

Ambassador picks: Aeon's End, 7 Wonders Duel, Ark Nova, Brass Birmingham, Cartographers, Dominion, Everdell, Five Tribes, Scythe, Wingspan, Nemesis, Patchwork, Quacks, Rolling Realms, Dune Imperium, Spirit Island, Terraforming Mars, Twilight Imperium

• Variable Map: Clans of Caledonia (also Expeditions)
• Global Setup: The Quacks of Quedlinberg (also Libertalia: Winds of Galecrest)
• Player Asymmetry: Terra Mystica (also Tapestry, Roll Player, Root)
• Player-Controlled Variability: Planet Unknown (also Viticulture, 7 Wonders, Castles of Mad King Ludwig, Lords of Waterdeep)
• Uncontrolled-but-Shared Variability: The Guild of Merchant Explorers (also Rolling Realms, Tiny Towns)
• Huge Card Variety: Ark Nova (also Wingspan, Terraforming Mars, Everdell)
• Card/Tile Randomness: Skull King (also Between Two Cities/Castles, Patchwork)
• Paths to Victory: Outer Rim (also Scythe)
• Variable Shared Goals: Cartographers (also Cascadia, Isle of Skye)
• Deckbuilding: Clank (also Shards of Infinity, Dune Imperium, Orleans)
• Order of Operations and Engine Building: Tzolk’in (also Pendulum)
• Sheer Variety of Options: A Feast for Odin (also Charterstone)
• Combos: Fantasy Realms (also Red Rising)
• Limited Control and Skill Progression: Crokinole (also Smitten, Flipships, any sport)
• Dice: Sushi Roll (also Euphoria, My Little Scythe, and Space Base)

Video about asymmetry:    • Asymmetry in Games (Sunday Sitdown)  
Video about replayability in Expeditions:    • Expeditions: Replayability and Variab...  

00:00 - Introduction
04:40 - Ambassador Picks
05:00 - Replayability Methods

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podcast link: https://stonemaiergames.com/about/pod...

Intro animation by Jeff Payne https://vimeo.com/jaaronpayne and video proofing by Cody Simonsen