Bookkeeping Tokens

Game elements that do not represent diegetic objects in the game world but instead uphold abstract parts of the game state.

Game states that at least partially represent abstract values require that games have some way to store the information. This can be done by using computers or humans that have to remember the information, but when computers are not available many games have Book-Keeping Tokens to let players focus on the gameplay rather than the manipulating objects to keep track of the game state.

Examples

Puerto Rico has the role of governor that is passed among players. To help players keep track of their roles a small governor card is past to the player who currently is the governor. Given that players of Carolus Magnus have a turn order based upon which turn discs they have played rather the way they physically sit around the game board, the game provides Bookkeeping Tokens to help players keep track of this order.

Many games, e.g. Amun-Re, Balderdash, Caylus, Inca Empire, and Pictionary, make use of score tracks so that players know the current positions of each other. Both Egizia and Ursuppe also have score tracks but in these cases they are also used to determine turn order. Puerto Rico and Race for the Galaxy are instead examples of games that make use of chips as Bookkeeping Tokens to keep track of victory points.

Agricola and Stone Age are examples of board games that have many types of Bookkeeping Tokens to keep track of which resources players have. Origins: How We Became Human provides each player with a limit number of Bookkeeping Tokens that are used for many different purposes, e.g. as units on the game board, or levels of elders and innovation in civilizations. High Frontier does the same, but in this case for rockets, bases, factories, and claiming glory sites. In contrast, the board game Android makes use of many different types of tokens to keep track of both the overall and and individual players' stories.

Using the pattern

Book-Keeping Tokens allow more complex game states in Self-Facilitated Games without having to do Memorizing. However, they require players to do Extra-Game Actions that resemble Resource Management but without any Freedom of Choice. As this requires Attention Swapping from the actual gameplay, Book-Keeping Tokens can negatively affect all kinds of Immersion, except Cognitive Immersion.

Book-Keeping Tokens can be the Focus Loci of actions not associated with game elements in Game Worlds.

Resources Money

Victory Points

First Player Tokens Current Player Tokens

Consequences

The values of the game state dictate most of the design requirements of Book-Keeping Tokens. However, game designers have options if the Book-Keeping Tokens should be used to provide the players with Imperfect Information, typically by Cards, or if they should be Public Information and give players a Game State Overview. The latter can support Cognitive Immersion as it gives Stimulated Planning.

Excise when Bookkeeping Tokens are used

Can Instantiate

Extra Chances, Geospatial Game Widgets, Tokens

Can Modulate

Stimulated Planning, Action Programming, Self-Facilitated Games, Memorizing

Relations

Can Instantiate

Extra Chances, Geospatial Game Widgets, Tokens

Can Modulate

Action Programming, Memorizing, Money, Resources, Self-Facilitated Games, Stimulated Planning, Victory Points

Can Be Instantiated By

Current Player Tokens, First Player Tokens

Potentially Conflicting With

Excise when Bookkeeping Tokens are used

History

An updated version of the pattern Book-Keeping Tokens that was part of the original collection in the book Patterns in Game Design.

Acknowledgements

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