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Mark Schlatter
United States
Shreveport
Louisiana
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I have been thinking recently about the pick up and delivery games I play with a focus on the determined and undetermined parts of each game. Let me show you what I mean:
First example: Railroad Tycoon. In RT, the topography is determined --- you know where all the cities, mountains, rivers, etc... are. The routes are not yet determined, but will be set by the players. The demand structure (who wants what where) is basically set at the beginning of the game by drawing cubes. You might have some cubes drawn later depending on cards or actions, but roughly 80-90% of the demand structure is set. So, overall, a lot is known. In some ways, RT is the closest (of the pick up and delivery games I play) to a perfect information game. Sure, you have hidden rail barons and random cards, but most of the game is open to all.
Second example: crayon rail games. I play Martian Rails and Iron Dragon (cause apparently I don't do crayola without a genre). Like RT, the topography is set, except for some random events. (I'm looking at you, space elevator!) The routes are not yet determined, but will be built by the players. The demand structure, however, is not nearly as open as in RT. While everyone knows who makes what where, who wants what where is randomly determined and segregated among the players. What I know has to be delivered may have no influence on what you do.
Third example: On the Underground. It's more route building than delivery, but you do have to move the passenger around. It's another game where the topography is set, but note that routes are much more determined by the map. You can't connect any station to any other station, and thus you don't have the same sense of freedom as in a crayon rail game. And the demand structure is open (we all see the cards), but changes quickly and randomly.
So all this leads me to Merchant of Venus. In MoV, the demand structure is set --- you know who wants which goods. The routes are set (except for telegates) and are not under the control of the players. But unlike the above games, the topography (who lives in each system) is not determined. What this means is that you have a pick up and delivery game with a strong exploration focus. You never explore in a crayon rail game, because the focus is on the route building stimulated by the asymmetric demand structure. But in MoV, you must explore first.
Now, there are some dangers to this mixing of mechanics. Because you have a random assignment of systems, it might be that one explorer might discover an ideal mix of systems to carry out deliveries. But, if that happens, everyone sees it. Moreover, the chit system for goods ensures that a highly profitable run can't be used forever.
But the example of MoV does prompt me to wonder: are there other pick up and delivery games where exploration has such a strong role? Can you leave even more of the game undetermined? Are there good pick up and delivery games which have undetermined topography and routes? And can you leave all three initially undetermined?
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