A common complaint heard from playtesters is that they were given a tool they never got to use. Often, this is a tool that they have and their opponents do not, such as a unique player power or a tool they bought. Since they never got to use it, they feel like it didn’t impact the game at all. Let’s dive into why that’s not true.

The Problem at Hand

Let’s define the problem. First, a player is given something. Perhaps they start with it (such as a player power in Cosmic Encounter), or perhaps they pay for it (like a development card in Catan). Either way, it is something that they feel the need to take advantage of. If one player starts the game with an extra stone no matter what, then the player who can build a castle cheaper feels like they’re at a disadvantage if they don’t use it. To them, if they don’t use it, then it’s as if they didn’t even have it.

Sending a Message

The term “threat of activation” is used in some parts of the Magic: The Gathering community to refer to a subset of situations in the game. Here’s a simple example: Let’s say Alice has a card in play that says “At the start of your turn, destroy any one creature.” Over the course of the game, however, Alice’s opponent, Bob, never plays any creatures! After the game is over, Alice might think that her card ended up doing absolutely nothing. What Alice doesn’t know, though, is that Bob had creatures, but just never played them, because he knew if he did, they would die as soon as he did. If Alice had never played that card, she would have lost the game for sure, even though the card effectively didn’t do anything.

What Alice had was a “threat of activation.” Even though she never “activated” her card, she had the ability to every turn. Bob, because he’s a smart player, never played a creature he knew would die.

The When and Where

So if a playtester is complaining about not having an impact on the game, how do you determine if it’s a threat of activation situation? They are most common in all-or-nothing situations, where until a certain event occurs, nothing is different. For example, the alien power from Cosmic encounter called “The Masochist” has an ability that says if every single one of their troops dies, they win the game. That means that player can go the whole game without it being relevant except for the very last round. That’s another way to recognize these situations: it usually results a player conceding. If a player knows that their opponent is prepared to stop them, they’re more willing to give up.

An important distinction is that “threat of activation” is reactive. If a player is simply choosing to not take an action, then it might just be an action they don’t like. If a player is unable to take that action, then ask the other players if they are purposely avoiding letting that player take that action. If so, then they are threatened by the activation.

Finding a Solution

These situations can get worrisome as a designer. One player is left feeling like they aren’t making an impact on the game, and the other player feels trapped into making a bad decision or no decision.

To fix the action, make it so that activating it isn’t easy. If it costs the player time, resources, or is a one-time use, then their opponents may be more willing to play into it. This might also give the opponent a window to get through the activation when its cost can’t be paid. This might make the player even MORE upset that their action wasn’t used, but can also help them realize that their opponent is playing around it.

You can also change the environment around the action. Give players something that can’t be threatened. If creatures can be destroyed, then make an indestructible creature. Cosmic encounter has cards in the game that directly turn off player powers. Once again, some players will feel like this makes their power more useless, but being targeted at least makes them feel like they were impacting the game.

On the Other Hand

Sometimes the threat of activation is the best part of a game. It can be used as a sort of ticking clock for the table. As I said earlier, this is most common with all-or-nothing effects, so you might as well make it ALL or nothing. Make it something that can win the game if it goes unchecked. This can keep the game tense, and make the player seem like a sort of evil mastermind biding their time. The inverse is true as well: if a player is given a one-time use of invincibility, a way to not lose the game for a turn, then as the game progresses, their ability feels less and less useless, and ending the game without using it can feel more like an accomplishment than a waste.

Conclusion

Beware of making your players more powerful than they know. If a player ends up feeling weak, at least make sure that another player is feeling strong because of it. If something has the chance of feeling useless, make sure your players know it isn’t.