Randomization

Mechanism · VI – Risk & Uncertainty immediate · irreversible · open / concealed / dynamic · solo / competitive

Randomization introduces chance: a defined probability space yields an uncertain outcome via a random event – the question is how much control the agents retain.

Design question – How is chance introduced in your game – and how much control do the agents keep over the consequences?

Reference example – Yahtzee: three rolls, keeping dice in between – chance is steered. Tetris: the game decides which piece falls next. Ludo: only a six brings a piece into play. Grand Austria Hotel (Dice Placement) · Quacks Of Quedlinburg (Bag Building) · Ganz Schoen Clever (Roll-and-Write)

Structural pattern

Input -> transformation -> output: a defined probability space (dice, cards, generator) becomes an uncertain outcome (game state changed) via a random event (random draw).

Regulated in permitting mode (re-roll, keep dice, modify the result), constraining mode (how often re-rolls are allowed) and conditioning mode (when dice are rolled or cards drawn and what follows from the result). In a game, the values (faces of the dice, composition of the deck, probability distribution) become specifications.

Design parameters

• Timing – input randomness (before decision) ↔ output randomness (after decision)
• Mitigability – not mitigable ↔ selectable
• Variance – low (uniform) ↔ high (extreme values possible)
• Frequency – one-off ↔ constant
• Affected – all equally ↔ individual/shared
• Source – physical (dice) ↔ digital (RNG)

Related Mechanisms

• Selection (MEC-07) – Frequently combined: chance as input for a decision.
• Investment (MEC-21) – Frequently combined: chance as risk.
• Revelation (MEC-18) – Frequently combined: chance as a reveal.
• Construction (MEC-05) – Frequently combined: random availability.

Ludic Organisational Structures

Evolution / Adaptation · Ecosystem · Combat System · Exploration System · Market · Banking / Credit · Survival System (dynamic)