In this article, we will continue the discussion exploring what the characteristics of the resources are. If you missed the first part of the article, you can find it here.
Resources are rather complex elements that a designer must fully understand in order to be able to use them consciously in their projects. Depending on design requirements, they may make use of resources that have the most suitable characteristics.
Depending on which perspective you look at it from, resources may be classified in different ways. Below, some of the main classifications are laid out so you may familiarise yourself with some of the most important characteristics.
The first classification can be made based on who has possession of the resource. This criterion allows three different cases to be identified: exclusive resources, shared resources, and neutral resources.
An exclusive resource is one that is held by a single player. In this case, the moment in which it is acquired takes away the chance for other players to obtain it. It should be noted that an exclusive resource does not have to belong to one player for the entire game. In fact, it can be spent or change owners after a certain period of time. Furthermore, possession should not be confused with right to use.
A shared resource may belong to several players at once in a given moment. The sharing of the resource may take place in one of two ways. In the first case, all owners may benefit 100% from the advantage proposed. You can imagine, for example, an area on a map that generates an income for all players who have placed their pawn on it. In the second case, each player may obtain an advantage based on the part of the resource they hold. Think about, for example, a stock game where players collect a proportion of dividends based on the percentage of shares they hold.
A neutral resource is one that no player possesses. This may lead to two different possibilities. In the first example, despite the resources not having an owner, everyone can use it by paying a fee. In the second example, the resource is controlled by the game and cannot be used or controlled by players.
A second classification of resources may be done based on how long they remain in players’ possession. This criterion allows four different cases to be identified: instantaneous resources, consumable resources, permanent resources, and volatile resources.
An instantaneous resource is one that is used immediately after being acquired. Some examples may include cards that are played immediately after being drawn or the right to play a new turn, which must be used immediately after being acquired.
A consumable resource is one that is conserved until a player deems it useful and then plays it. In this case it is lost, but allows the gain of an advantage. An example could be a card that is drawn and kept in a hand for a few turns before it is played.
A permanent resource is one that remains in possession of a player until the end of a game and may be used several times. An example could be a building that, once erected, guarantees an income at the start of every turn and remains in the player’s possession until the end.
A volatile resource is one that remains in the player’s possession for some time and can be used several times. Unlike permanent resources, a volatile resource can be lost or change owner at some point. An example might be a territory on a map that provides an income to the player that holds the control. It may be conquered at any moment by an opponent.
A third classification may be made based on the type of stock from which players acquire resources. This criterion allows two different cases to be identified: resources that derive from a personal stock and resources that derive from a common stock.
In the case of resources deriving from a personal stock, each player has their own private reserve from which they take resources. Most of the time, the contents of this reserve are a finite number. An example might be a game in which personal railway routes are created and each player uses tokens of their colour taken from their private reserve.
In the case of resources deriving from a common stock, there is a shared reserve from which all players obtain their resources. An example might be a reserve of coins from which all participants receive an income at the start of every turn.
A game can also be seen as a succession of resource transformations that leads to an objective being accomplished. From this perspective, a fourth classification can be made based on the position they occupy in the logical chain of transformation within the game. This criterion allows three different cases to be identified: primary resources, intermediate resources, and final resources.
A primary resource is one that is provided by the game at regular intervals, like at the beginning of a turn or round. They may be tangible elements such as coins, cubes, cards, pawns, or more abstract elements such as the right to play your turn or the revelation of secret information.
An intermediate resource is one that is obtained through the transformation of other resources. They may derive from the conversion of primary resources or other intermediate resources. Their purpose is to be transformed into other resources that can be used to achieve victory.
A final resource is one that contributes to reaching victory. They are obtained through the transformation of other resources and are not transformed into anything else themselves. They are simply accumulated. The most common example is victory points.
A final classification can be made based on how distinguishable a resource’s components are. This criterion allows two different cases to be identified: indistinct resources and valorised resources.
An indistinct resource is one whose components are identical to each other. An example might be classic resources that represent raw materials like wood, stone, or coal.
A valorised resource is one that is provided with one or more attributes that allow components to be differentiated from each other. It is possible to specify properties that define, for example, the value, cost, or strength of each individual specimen.
To be continued… In the third part of this article, we will examine what the life cycle of resources is.
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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.
