Description
Turn order is set at the start of the game and never varies. Each player takes a turn in the same sequence until the end of the game.
Discussion
A Fixed Turn Order is the most basic turn order, one that we are introduced to from the first games we play at a young age. In Western games, play generally proceeds from a starting player clockwise around the table; however, Asian games often proceed counter-clockwise. In this book, we will assume that games proceed clockwise (Progressive or Become First Player Action, for example). We recommend that the direction chosen by the designer match the cultural norm to reduce the cognitive load on players and to consider reversing turn order in localized editions of a game as appropriate. Fixed Turn Order will often result in an imbalance favoring one of the player positions (typically the first player, but sometimes the last). To compensate, the designer may give a bonus to the other players. This can be extra or better resources, as in Century: Spice Road, bonus victory points, as in Go, or other advantages. Another concern is ensuring players will have an equal number of turns. A common means for addressing this is using a token or indication of which player went first. When the game-ending condition is triggered, the round continues, the marker serving as a reminder of which players should still take a turn so that all players will have the same number of turns. Century: Spice Road uses this system, for example.
These systems may introduce additional complexity and design considerations, however. For example, some players may play their final turn not knowing it is their last turn, while others will know it is their last turn and will be able to optimize their play. Let’s say there are five players: A through E, with A being the first player. If player C triggers the end of the game, D and E will get one final turn, then the game will end. This may give D and E an advantage over A and B, as D and E know this is their final turn and can execute accordingly. Trough the Ages uses a Fixed Turn structure, and keeps track of the first player. However, to help counteract the issue that some, but not all, players know what their last turn is, the game sometimes extends an extra round, depending on when the end is triggered. If game-end is triggered on the first player’s turn, the current round would be the final round. If game-end is triggered on any other player’s turn, the game goes on for another full round. This helps mitigate the situation, but it does add additional complexity to the rules.
Sample Games
Candyland (Abbot, 1949) Century: Spice Road (Matsuuchi, 2017) The Expanse Board Game (Engelstein, 2017) Go (Unknown, 2200 BCE) Monopoly (Darrow and Magie, 1933) Parcheesi (Unknown, 400) Snakes & Ladders (Unknown, ∼200 bce) Splendor (André, 2014) Trough the Ages: A Story of Civilization (Chvátil, 2006)
描述
回合顺序在游戏开始时设定，且永不改变。每个玩家按相同的顺序轮流，直到游戏结束（Fixed Turn Order）。
讨论
固定回合顺序（Fixed Turn Order）是最基本的回合顺序，我们从小玩的第一个游戏就开始接触它。在西方游戏中，游戏通常从起始玩家开始顺时针绕桌子进行；然而，亚洲游戏通常逆时针进行。在本书中，我们将假设游戏顺时针进行（例如，渐进式或成为首位玩家行动）。我们建议设计师选择的方向符合文化规范，以减少玩家的认知负荷，并考虑在游戏的本地化版本中适当地反转回合顺序。固定回合顺序通常会导致有利于其中一个玩家位置的不平衡（通常是第一个玩家，但有时是最后一个）。为了补偿，设计师可能会给予其他玩家奖励。这可以是额外或更好的资源，如在《Century: Spice Road》中，额外的胜利点数，如在《围棋》中，或其他优势。另一个担忧是确保玩家拥有相同数量的回合。解决此问题的一种常用方法是使用代币或指示哪个玩家先走。当触发游戏结束条件时，回合继续，标记作为提醒哪些玩家仍应采取回合，以便所有玩家都将拥有相同数量的回合。《Century: Spice Road》使用了这个系统。
然而，这些系统可能会引入额外的复杂性和设计考虑因素。例如，有些玩家可能会在不知道这是他们最后一次回合的情况下进行最后一次回合，而其他人会知道这是他们最后一次回合，并且能够优化他们的游戏。假设有五个玩家：A到E，A是第一个玩家。如果玩家C触发游戏结束，D和E将获得最后一次回合，然后游戏结束。这可能会给D和E比A和B带来优势，因为D和E知道这是他们最后一次回合，并可以以此执行。《历史巨轮》（Through the Ages）使用了固定回合结构，并跟踪第一个玩家。然而，为了帮助抵消部分（但并非所有）玩家知道什么是他们最后一次回合的问题，游戏有时会延长额外的一轮，具体取决于何时触发结束。如果在第一个玩家的回合触发游戏结束，则当前回合将是最后一轮。如果在任何其他玩家的回合触发游戏结束，游戏将再进行一整轮。这有助于缓解这种情况，但确实增加了规则的额外复杂性。
游戏范例
Candyland (Abbot, 1949) - 《糖果乐园》 Century: Spice Road (Matsuuchi, 2017) - 《世纪：香料之路》 The Expanse Board Game (Engelstein, 2017) - 《苍穹浩瀚》 Go (Unknown, 2200 BCE) - 《围棋》 Monopoly (Darrow and Magie, 1933) - 《大富翁》 Parcheesi (Unknown, 400) - 《印度十字戏》 Snakes & Ladders (Unknown, ∼200 bce) - 《蛇梯棋》 Splendor (André, 2014) - 《璀璨宝石》 Trough the Ages: A Story of Civilization (Chvátil, 2006) - 《历史巨轮》