Secret Goals

Goals that players have which at least some other players do not have knowledge about.

This pattern is a still a stub.

Examples

Secret Goals are most commonly used in Board Games and then to provide either victories if they are fulfilled or bonus points for determining winners. Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game and Dead of Winter: A Crossroads Game are examples of the former in cooperative games and have the added twist that some players may be working against the other players. Examples of games where players can earn bonus points by reaching their Secret Goals include

Settlers of Catan have development cards, of which some give victory points that can be revealed at any time as a Secret Scoring Mechanism. There are many example of other Board Games that have secret cards which give points to players if they have met some specific requirements. Examples of such games include Amun-Re, Egizia, Murano, Ticket to Ride, and Lords of Waterdeep.

Anti-Examples

Chess and Go are examples of classic games which have public goals. Settlers of Catan have development cards that give bonus points, but these are fixed and do not provide goals so this is not an example of Secret Goals.

Using the pattern

Secret Goals are typically introduced in Multiplayer Games to introduce Player Unpredictability and Tension, and by doing so make it more difficult to perceive a Predictable Winner. This in turn makes it less likely that players will try to Beat the Leader or begin Surrendering due to feeling that they cannot win or have meaningful gameplay any longer.

Secret Goals can be used to create or strengthen Internal Conflicts as well as make players become Traitors.

Can Be Instantiated By

Dedicated Game Facilitators, Secret Scoring Mechanisms

Can Be Modulated By

Turn Taking

Consequences

Secret Goals make it difficult to perceive a Predictable Winner in Multiplayer Games, thereby both adding Tension and making it difficult to Beat the Leader and consider Surrendering.

The use of Secret Goals tend to affect gameplay on a general level. Since it is beneficial for players to know what the other players' goals are, the pattern gives rise to Gain Information goals and to counter this players may engage in Bluffing and Roleplaying to hide their true goals. This makes for more Player Unpredictability and Complex Gameplay in games that have Secret Goals.

Relations

Can Instantiate

Bluffing, Complex Gameplay, Gain Information, Player Unpredictability, Roleplaying, Tension, Traitors

Can Modulate

Internal Conflicts, Multiplayer Games

Can Be Instantiated By

Dedicated Game Facilitators, Secret Scoring Mechanisms

Can Be Modulated By

Turn Taking

Possible Closure Effects

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Potentially Conflicting With

Beat the Leader, Predictable Winner, Surrendering

History

New pattern created in this wiki.

References

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Acknowledgements

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