a,b,c? b a c a
Description
Players ask and answer questions in a manner constrained by rules.
Discussion
Questions and answers appear in many different game genres. Broadly, we can group these games into a few functional categories. Games can use questions to obtain information and resources useful to winning the game, questions can directly be worth points, and questions can be prompts to encourage player-generated content. Questions for information are broadly covered in Deduction (UNC-12) and Induction (UNC-13). This mechanism can also appear in games, which otherwise do not feature deduction, in the form of special power or ability that allows players to look at another player’s hand or to inquire about a particular piece of hidden information or even future action. These games almost always require closed-ended questions with very clear directions about how questions may be structured and how they must be answered. Ideally, no ambiguity should exist in whether a question can be asked, and what the answer must be. In practice, the more complex or abstract a deduction game becomes, the more players are likely to be confused or to make mistakes about how to answer a question properly. Because it is often impossible for
players to ask clarifying questions without spoiling the game, the onus is on the designer to make sure the rules are crystal clear and definitive. Some information games feature questions as both information and demands for resources. In Go Fish, players must answer honestly if they hold cards of some given rank, but they must also surrender them. Along similar lines, trades can be seen through the lens of questions and answers too but are probably better described as negotiation. Trivia games offer points or earned progress for answering questions. Sometimes a question is reserved for one player or team, sometimes players race to “buzz in” and answer the questions, and yet other times, all players answer the question simultaneously and reveal their answers. In Wits & Wagers, players reveal their answers and then bet on which answer is closest to the correct answer—a conceit that depends on all questions being answered in numerical form. Party games show how player-generated content can be inspired by questions. Common variations on the theme call for players to answer unusual questions as in Loaded Questions or to take a set of answers and apply them to existing questions like in Bed, Wed, Dead: A Game of Dirty Decisions (which is based on the public domain game sometimes known as Kiss, Marry, Kill). A similar approach can be seen in Who in the Room, which asks players who in the room would survive some situation, or be most likely to perform some act, and similar questions. Just as designers need to structure questions and answers carefully in deduction and hidden information games, they should take great caution with this mechanism in the party game space as well. The dangers here are less from ambiguity and more from potentially creating uncomfortable or dangerous environments. The rules, packaging, and accompanying material should clearly signal to players the types of questions and content they are likely to encounter, and ensure that players consent to playing a game of this kind.
Sample Games
Bed, Wed, Dead: A Game of Dirty Decisions (Murray, 2016) Go Fish (Unknown) Loaded Questions (Poses, 1997) Who in the Room (Uncredited, 2018) Wits & Wagers (Crapuchettes, 2005)
a,b,c? b a c a
描述
玩家在受规则限制的方式下提问并回答问题（Questions and Answers）。
讨论
问答出现在许多不同的游戏类型中。从广义上讲，我们可以将这些游戏分为几个功能类别。游戏可以使用问题来获取对赢得游戏有用的信息和资源，问题可以直接值得分数，问题可以是鼓励玩家生成内容的提示。为了获取信息的问题在演绎（UNC-12）和归纳（UNC-13）中得到了广泛覆盖。这种机制也可能出现在其他不以演绎为特色的游戏中，形式是允许玩家查看其他玩家手牌或询问特定隐藏信息甚至未来行动的特殊权力或能力。这些游戏几乎总是要求封闭式问题，并对如何构建问题以及必须如何回答问题有非常明确的指导。理想情况下，在是否可以提出问题以及答案必须是什么方面不应存在歧义。在实践中，演绎游戏变得越复杂或抽象，玩家越容易感到困惑或在如何正确回答问题上犯错。因为玩家通常不可能
在不破坏游戏的情况下提出澄清性问题，这就要求设计师确保规则非常清晰和明确。一些信息游戏将问题既作为信息又作为对资源的需求。在《Go Fish》中，如果玩家持有某种等级的牌，他们必须诚实回答，但他们也必须交出这些牌。同样地，交易也可以通过问答的视角来看待，但也可能更好地被描述为谈判。问答游戏为回答问题提供分数或赚取进度。有时问题是为一个玩家或团队保留的，有时玩家竞相“抢答”回答问题，还有其他时候，所有玩家同时回答问题并揭示他们的答案。在《Wits & Wagers》中，玩家揭示他们的答案，然后下注哪个答案最接近正确答案——这一构想取决于所有问题都以数字形式回答。聚会游戏展示了玩家生成的内容如何受到问题的启发。该主题的常见变体要求玩家回答不寻常的问题，如在《Loaded Questions》中，或者采用一组答案并将其应用于现有问题，如在《Bed, Wed, Dead: A Game of Dirty Decisions》（它是基于有时被称为Kiss, Marry, Kill的公共领域游戏）中。类似的方法可见于《Who in the Room》，它询问玩家房间里谁会在某种情况下幸存，或者最有可能执行某种行为，以及类似的问题。正如设计师需要在演绎和隐藏信息游戏中仔细构建问答一样，他们在聚会游戏领域也应该非常谨慎地对待这种机制。这里的危险较少来自歧义，更多来自可能创造不舒服或危险的环境。规则、包装和随附材料应清楚地向玩家发出信号，表明他们可能会遇到什么类型的问题和内容，并确保玩家同意玩这种类型的游戏。
游戏范例
Bed, Wed, Dead: A Game of Dirty Decisions (Murray, 2016) - 《Bed, Wed, Dead: A Game of Dirty Decisions》 Go Fish (Unknown) - 《钓鱼》 Loaded Questions (Poses, 1997) - 《Loaded Questions》 Who in the Room (Uncredited, 2018) - 《Who in the Room》 Wits & Wagers (Crapuchettes, 2005) - 《Wits & Wagers》