World building—games

As many serious sci-fi fans know, having a complex world that people can immerse themselves in can be a lot of fun.  Harry Potter fans have Quidditch, Star Trek fans have Tri-D chess, and Star Wars fans have versions of Holochess and the card game Sabacc they can play.

Fans have been known to extrapolate rules for games based on a few descriptions by the writers and then find a way to play the game.  For instance, fans of Star Wars came up with a way to play Sabacc using a Tarot card deck rather than the “electronic chits” described in the books, Tri-D chess boards now exist, and computers provide a way for Harry Potter fans to play Quiddich.

So if you are going to include a game in your universe, you should know some basic things about it:

1.  The name of the game and any specialized pieces or moves used in it.

2.  Is your game a card game, board game, other type of game, or a sport?
3.  If it’s a card game, does it require a custom deck of cards?
4.  If it’s a board game, is it a race game or strategy game?
5.  How many players can play your game?
6.  If it’s a sport, is there a specialized arena it’s played in?  If so, how is it laid out?
7.  Is betting allowed?

Once you’ve answered all these questions, I recommend that you try and play some hypothetical games, either by yourself, or more preferably with a trusted friend or group of friends if it’s a multiplayer game to see if there are any errors in your descriptions that would prevent the game from being playable.  It sounds complicated but doesn't take very long if you already have the concept for your game in mind, and with a fixed set of rules written down, you can describe game play that isn't contradicting in multiple scenes without having to have your character (and thus readers) learn the game with a detailed description that may detract from your plot.