Fundamentals of Strategy Game Design

Core Mechanics

The core mechanics in strategy games consist chiefly of tactical maneuvering mechanics and internal economics. The combat models occasionally use physics for projectiles. The nature of the experience tends to be emergent—that is, the events of the game arise from these mechanics and the player’s choices—so progression mechanics are rare.

Note

Often single-player levels in strategy games will include scripted events that occur at certain times or under certain conditions; this is a limited form of progression mechanic.

Strategy games with simple rules, such as chess, don’t have an internal economy because they don’t deal in numeric quantities; either a piece is on the board or it isn’t. In war games, the internal economy centers ...