MY FAVOURITE GAME

Saashi gets Imperial

Ilike maps. It’s been that way since I was young. I enjoyed viewing maps of places that I knew well, and I also liked looking at maps of places I’ve never been and wondered what it was like there. I would draw maps of imaginary places that I’d dreamt up, and I naturally began playing in that world. I mostly played alone, but when I was about 10, during recess I began making up rules to play with classmates in those maps. This was the beginning of my path as a game designer.

When thinking of a game I’d really like to share, Mac Gerdts’ Imperial came to mind. Of course that game features a map. On the pre-World War One map six countries, Austria-Hungary, Italy, France, Great Britain, the German Empire and Russia, were drawn and coloured in, and other land and ocean areas were also delimited. As you would imagine from a game with such a theme, there are conflicts between countries included. However the reason I especially like this game is while on the surface portraying a battle of military might between countries, behind the scenes investors are quietly trading in government bonds, and this is, in actuality, the real game, creating a double layer structure to the game.

Because of the fascinating map and the game’s theme, players inevitably focus on the superficial battles of military might. The soldiers, represented with tanks pieces, and the navy, shaped as battleships, are created and they run back and forth, heading West, heading East, all over the map. Union Pacific is another game with a similar double layer structure and railroad theme. However Imperial’s surface layer of war creates a stronger impression and stands out better. I believe the main reason is mostly due to the fact that for each country the player holding the most government bonds of that country temporarily takes charge of that country’s administration. It’s only natural for each player to want to help the countries they are in charge of as much as possible to create an advantageous position on the map for that country, so players concentrate mostly on the surface layer. In fact, the game’s structure naturally encourages this.

However, this game’s winner is not determined by who occupies the most areas from war, but who got the best returns as an investor on their government bonds. Even though expanding the number of occupied zones, and reinforcing the country’s strength is the trigger for ending the game, it does not factor in when determining the winner.

Often events in the world that people observe, can’t be understood by only the visible components. Occasionally the parts under the surface are the most important things. Attempting to express that aspect of the real world in a game itself may not be that uncommon, but a game like Imperial’s clearcut double layer structure that teaches players that through such an experience is pretty rare, I believe.

From a game design perspective, while the rondel is an ingenious mechanism, the thing to really notice is the double layer structure. Even while understanding that what is going on behind the scenes is the important part, players still pour all their energy into the surface layer. It’s the excellently-designed game structure, which encourages such play, that has kept Imperial in its spot as one of my favourite games for such a long time.

Often events in the world that people observe, can’t be understood by only the visible components