Anyone who has already played board games will surely have an idea of what is meant by resources. Generally, a player associates with this concept the components that may be handled during the game. For example, cards, pawns, cubes, or tokens that represent raw materials which fuel the game. While this definition may sound fine for a player, for the designer it is slightly limited and should be explored extensively. In order to understand various aspects of the game better, it is necessary to expand this concept.
First of all, resources should not be associated with only physical components in the game since this could lead you astray. A resource is actually an element of the game with which participants interact to achieve a determined effect. Therefore, even the most abstract elements may be considered resources. For example, player turns, information in investigative games, squares on a board, or the time that remains until the end of the game.
There are thus two fundamental aspects that define a resource. The first is that it must be an element with which players can interact. For example, a resource may be acquired, spent, modified, converted or used in some other way. The second aspect is that when it gets used, the resource must produce an effect that helps the game evolve so as to lead it closer to the end.
For example, imagine a game where using a piece of wood and a stone lets you erect a building on a free space on the board. The concerned resources in this case are the piece of wood, the stone, the free space on the board, the game turn which allows the action to be carried out, as well as the building to be erected.
Some may doubt that abstract elements such as game turns can be considered resources. Imagine if, in the previous example, there was a rule that allowed a player to make their opponent miss a turn. In that case, the fact of having all other resources would not guarantee being able to erect the building since without the chance to make the move, the resources could not be spent. From this perspective, it is clear that the possibility to play your turn is a resource like any other.
To be continued… In the second part of this article, we will explore what the characteristics of the resources are.
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My Book
This topic is also addressed in my book. Within it, you can find in-depth discussions on this and other subjects related to board game design.
Designing Board Games: Game Structure
For more information about this book, you can refer to this story.
