Are numbers bad? Here’s a great post from Paul Gestwicki about Grok?! and Crown and Skull, two recent tabletop games where taking damage removes player abilities rather than reducing hit points. This is a powerful emotional design choice: Losing an ability somehow feels more real than losing hit points, creating hard choices and compelling story beats. It’s also practical: Without hit points there’s one less annoying little number players need to track. ...

What makes unrepeatable games possible? Should tabletop games be replayable? I think this question is a trap. Maybe it’s better to ask: What makes unrepeatable games possible? The most popular games are highly replayable: If someone “plays Chess,” they probably have a competitive streak hundreds or thousands of plays deep. Gentler regional favorites like Hearts and Euchre are also heavily replayed, but for different reasons: Each play is an opportunity to connect with friends and family, a diversion to wash away the stress of everyday life. And then there are gambling games, like Poker, replayable brain worms that compel their victims to return over and over to the thrill of profit and the trauma of loss. ...