Depending on how broad you define “snowball” games, I would find them to be the ones I enjoy most.  I described something similar recently as “tending a garden”, after my love of gardening and raising food.  The actual work is so-so, but seeing the results is what make it fun.

For instance: I enjoy Goa, Puerto Rico, and Settlers primarily because I can slowly build up my “empire” and construct things that make me better what what I choose to specialize in… (I enjoy having options, rather than everyone having one thing they have to do… it makes my “garden” more unique.) I think this is also why I enjoy role playing games as I like to see how characters develop and grow.

As for princess bride games, we were just playing For Sale! last night with a family we were introducing to games and they commented on how the auction of houses at the end is very much like the princess bride.  (If I wait to play my 30 for the second $15,000 check, it will throw a wrench into the works of whoever owns the 29.  Of course, they know I’ll do this and will play their 29 on the first $15,000, so I should instead play my 30 on this one! etc...)

I’m not sure how I feel about “princess bride” games, but I know I don’t mind them if they’re lightwieght.  Games designed to be very complex and planning-heavy would get more on my nerves I suppose.

Valerie,

Quite the coincidence that you write about this now, as just this past weekend I learned how to play das Zepter von Zavandor.  Even though I finished in 4th place out of 5, I loved the way the gameplay built on itself.

I think “snowball” is a great term for this sort of game mechanic.  St. Petersburg is another game that I enjoy in part because of its’ snowball effect.

I’ll stand behind your attempt at getting BGG to add this term to their mechanic list.

Scott

The problem with adding a mechanic entitled “Snowball” would be coming up with a generally accepted definition. Does Monopoly have a “snowball” mechanic? 

In one respect, yes as income increases dramaticly as the game progresses.  However, players don’t really increase their abilities in any other respect.  Sword and Skull would be even closer to a snowball effect as one’s abilities grow in two areas (power and income in a sense.) But once again, I would rather reserve the term “snowball” to a smaller, more distinct set of games.

Perhaps some requirement that players gain or improve abilities in several possible areas as the game progresses.  (various sources of income in standard Settlers would be on the edge of the category, but Goa or Puerto Rico would clearly qualify).

I forsee a general problem in that so many games attempt to have at least some sort of climactic ending with the last few turns resulting in far larger scoring (or action) opportunities than earlier turns.

Unfortunately, for me this is still in the foggily defined area of “I know it when I see it.” I love Goa, Puerto Rico, and Caylus for the complexity of strategy and game development.  But for me snowball games have a more linear development.  I start the game with A.  I use A to make B (while continuing to produce A).  I then take A and B together to make C.  With B and C I can make D, and so on.  Of my original examples, Power Grid is probably the least like my exemplar (I included it because of the progressively more efficient power plants used to run more and more cities).  Usually the game has multiple ways to get to a stage--one is quick to achieve with low but steady output and one is more involved to start up but produces more efficient returns.  I’d love to hear other suggestions of games I should try that might fit this description.

I really like your two categories, but I think that’s partly because I agree with your tastes. 

I wasn’t sure what to call the two groups either, but I have described Puerto Rico before as “riding the wave” Everyone catches the tiny wave out at sea and the momentum slowly builds.  Each person needs to improve their position in the game to be able to keep a head of the others and ride out the storm.  If you fall behind you get dropped as everyone else speeds towards their goal.  You can claw your way up the back of that wave and get back in the game but it can be extremely challenging.  When you’re in the zone, nothing anyone can do can prevent the well oiled machine you’ve created from riding right onto the beach.

As for the Princes Bride games, I think that’s a good name for the collection of games (an mechanic) I don’t really like very much. Thank you.

Hmm, I’ll have to try out more of the games you listed as snowball games.  Of the ones you listed, I only know the details of Power Grid and Age of Steam.

As for “I know it when I see it”, that would be precisely why I don’t think it would ever make it as a mechanic listed on BGG.  You mention Goa, Puerto Rico, and Caylus all are not linear enough to qualify, but then talk about how games usually have multiple ways to get to a stage.

So to understand what you’re going to call a snowball game, it is one where everyone goes from a specific stage A to a specific stage B, etc… in a very linear pattern.  (ie. everyone hits all the stages along the way - A through D) but there are varying ways to achieve each stage.

In this respect, Goa and Puerto Rico don’t qualify since they have broad enough victory conditions that people can finish (and win) without ever hitting the same “stage” as it were.  (ie. I go for shipping and you build build buildings, etc...)

I’m right there with you, Valerie.  I enjoy snowball games (aka ‘system’ games or ‘positive feedback’ games) and generally detest princess bride games (which I most often consider RPS games - rock paper scissors).

However the RPS element can be introduced into a game successfully if it isn’t all the game is about.  Lord of the Rings: Confrontation, for example, features several key battles that can hinge upon the result of a second-guessing wrought RPS scenario - the key to LotR:C’s success is that you’ve often played an entire game up to that point that decides how crucial that particular RPS scenario is to you.  If you’ve played very well you could win any one of three RPS situations in the endgame and still win.  This is second-guessing at its best as it introduces a way for someone to get lucky, but the odds are determined by play up to that point.

Other RPS type games are helped by the fact that you have at least some information about what others might do.  Citadels, for example, is one that gets around the problem well enough by virtue of the fact that everyone has info of what benefits everyone else, so you can make some educated guesses.  But, for me, even Citadels overstays its welcome and overuses the mechanic a bit much for my tastes.  And I’d be fine with never seeing Pirate’s Cove ever again.

-MMM

Matt,
You’ve caused me to change my mind about an earlier statement.  Puerto Rico and Goa may be closer to snowball games than I originally considered.  I still think that snowball games are fairly linear for individual players, but we might take different paths.  And we often make minor progress on other paths to victory, but if we decided to change strategies mid-game, we’d find ourselves pretty much starting from scratch.  In fact, I think this is the reason that I lose Goa more often than I win.  I get too interested in participating in a little bit of everything and I don’t specialize enough in anything to do it particularly efficiently.  I’ll have to think about it some more. 

Thanks for the feedback, everyone.  I really appreciate it!

Clever but clueless,
Valerie Putman

Matthew,

For me, RPS isn’t as bad as Princess Bride moments.  The more information you have about my best play, the more frustrating the guessing game becomes for me.  If I feel the need to purposefully pick a dumb move just because I don’t want to get attacked, then the game has lost all value for me.  At least in RPS I don’t think that any one move is dumber than any other.  (Though Sotheby’s might disagree--they lost a 10 million dollar art collection to Christys after the seller made the auction houses play rock paper scissors to decide who would get the collection.  Christys chose scissors, Sotheby’s chose paper.)

Though frankly, I would take any Snowball game (or any of the ones suggested) over any Princess Bride game or RPS game.

Valerie

I like snowball games and princess bride games.  Snowball games tend to be heavy brain burners, which are some of my favorite games.  However, princess bride games are usually lighter.  Their defining factor, aside from the guessing game, is that they don’t reward extreme analysis.  I don’t put as much thought into them and I enjoy them for their social aspects.