Elden Ring – A Board Game Designer’s Perspective
Most of the computer games I play are either digital board or card games, or play very similar: Storybook Brawl, Magic: The Gathering Online, Wingspan, and of course, Tabletop Simulator.
But, even though I don’t have the time for it – I’ve wanted to explore the world of MMORPGs. I played a lot of Diablo II as a teen, dabbled in EverQuest, and have always had a soft spot for tabletop RPGs and dungeon crawlers.
Meet Filbert The Mage
So, after hearing about the world building, the ambition, and the fact that there are no micro-transactions, I decided to take the plunge in to the world of Elden Ring.
After a day of grinding dungeons, sneaking past baddies, and battling the occasional boss, I have some observations about the game from a design perspective.
Unapologetic
Almost immediately, Elden Ring kicks your butt. You first get stomped by a boss in the tutorial – which is fine - there is a cut scene and you’re supposed to (I think) lose. But then, upon entering the bigger world, one of the first enemies you meet is this guy.
And again, you probably get your butt kicked.
The game quickly teaches you two things:
How to run away, and
That you’ll have to get stronger – and better to get the most out of the game
I’ve been thinking and writing a lot about game subverting expectations and when games should and should not subvert expectations. I would assume that most video and computer games scale difficulty – so beginners can get a couple of wins under their belt before they delve too deep.
Elden Ring is a great example of a game being unapologetically challenging – and being stronger because of that.
Rune Mechanic
From a game design perspective the rune mechanic is probably the most interesting element of Elden Ring. Runes are spent leveling up your character, but they’re also used as in game currency, buying items, spirits and spells.
This branching use of runes alone would be interesting, but there’s more.
When you die – and you will – all of your unspent runes are lost, unless you can retrieve them from your corpse. If you die before retrieving them – then they are lost forever. And, your corpse is probably in a pretty tough location – which is why you died in the first place.
It is a really nicely balanced sub-game of rescuing your corpse, saving up for expensive items, but also trying to level.
The game has a couple of similar mechanics including your potions (to recoup health and mana) resetting when you rest – which is also when monsters respawn.
Social Focus
I haven’t played multiplayer (although I plan to) – but even in solo mode the game’s social focus shines. Afterimages of other players fill the world – tumbling and battling. And players can leave messages – so you never quite feel like you are in it on your own.
What video and computer games have inspired your board game designs?
