Retention Layers in Board Games

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I’ve focused on the Retention Layer in video games, but we are also seeing it emerge in board games. Beasts of Balance is a hybrid digital/ physical game. The physical game is a “balance things on top of other things” game, a variant of Jenga with odd-shaped animal objects. Each object contains a radio frequency identification (RFID) chip that is scanned before you place it. This enables the physical Base Layer to interface with an iPad app, unlocking a digital Retention Layer. Players can unlock new animal hybrids, explore their bestiary and earn Achievements.

Board game designer Matt Leacock has added a Retention Layer to his board game, Pandemic. In Pandemic Legacy, players open a one-use card each time they play the game. This permanently changes the ruleset for the game. This can involve writing on cards, ripping them up or marking a character as eliminated from the game. The game can now be played as a “season” which can involve as many as 24 separate play-throughs of the main game.

This is an extract from Nicholas’s new book, The Pyramid of Game Design – get your copy here!