Tile-Laying

The act of placing game elements when their spatial relation to other such game elements affect gameplay.

Not all games use tiles as static parts of the game that define the game world from the beginning of the game. Instead, these games either use the tiles either to randomize the layout of the game world or make the construction of the game world into a player-driven activity.

Note: While the pattern name suggest only the laying of Tiles, it is also applicable to Cards and Tokens.

Examples

As the name suggests, Tile-Laying primarily occurs in Tile-Based Games. For example, players' turns in Carcassonne consist of drawing and laying a tile in connection to those already in play and then optionally placing a token. Samurai and Neuroshima Hex have similar gameplay structures to depict struggles over land areas. Acquire using Tile-Laying to abstractly represent competitions between hotel chains; Illuminati is a Card Game where its is instead used to abstractly represent power structures. Kingdoms is a math-oriented Tile-Laying game with a fantasy theme.

Weaker examples of Tile-Laying exist in games where the Tile-Laying is done before gameplay begins. Settlers of Catan is commonly played this way in order to ensure that the resources provided on its hexagonal tiles are randomized. Rogue and Angband, early Computer-based Roleplaying Games that used ASCII-based graphics, randomizes the layout of levels for each game session.

Using the pattern

Tile-Laying may be used either before game play begins as part of the setup phase of the game or as actions players perform. The design of the Tiles used in both cases is similar to the design of Cards, and in the later case may make use of Drawing Stacks and variants of Card Hands.

The Randomness of Game Worlds constructed through Tile-Laying allows the information about Tiles to Imperfect Information if the tiles are covered or placed upside down. By using a form of Fog of War this makes Exploration goals possible.

Consequences

Tile-Laying is a concrete way to allow Reconfigurable Game Worlds. By introducing Randomness of how the Game World is constructed, and possibly Imperfect Information about the layout of the Game World, it can promote Varied Gameplay. When players control the placement of the Tiles this makes them active game elements that are Focus Loci for players and creates Player Constructed Worlds. This allows them to perform Construction actions and have Exploration goals which may be the cause of Tension when the attributes on the Tiles are important for the players.

History

An updated version of the pattern Tile-Laying that was part of the original collection in the book Patterns in Game Design.

Acknowledgements

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