Simulation games are a powerful tool to communicate ideas. Duke (74) went so far as to suggest that they constitute a "future language" capable of teaching people gestalts in ways lectures and reading fail to do. Certainly the addition of computer computational speed and visual graphics have gone a long way to make this a reality. One of the stumbling blocks preventing simulations from achieving more of their potential is the very nature of what Duke (74) described as "game specific language". Often this means numerical algorithms. If such algorithms are too complicated then many people can not follow them. But even when simple many people are lost due to math anxiety. Computers can of course hide underlying algorithms but only at the cost of cutting off player feedback on the basic assumptions of the game. Science has a bias in favor of numbers even though mathematical models often fail to adequately simulate rapidly changing situations like health care management ( 74) and weather. This article explores a non-mathematical method for running games which promises to move simulation and gaming one step closer to its potential as a universal future language. HOW THE RULES WORK The Matrix Game rules are built with the objective of being so obvious that players will understand the basics after one turn of play. Figure 1. Shows the process of play. Players come to games with a pre-existing mental map of the world. This matrix is supplemented by information about the scenario. Such game briefings help players decide on a vision of what they want to have happen in the game. Each turn players make an argument for what they want to happen next. Arguments can be as simple as a single sentence (which a child can do) up to a detailed multi-page position paper. The length of arguments depends on the sophistication of the audience and the needs of the scenario. Successful arguments are added to the matrix of the world. All such information is described by the game specific term "status". The term has many different meanings. To some it means social status. Others think of a machines status. "Is it a green light?" Still others think of the status quo or even a statistic. All the meanings can be important and suggest how a verbal matrix works. Perspective matters in assessing what the matrix means and small changes in status can make big differences in the world. Players have complete freedom to make what ever argument they want but in practice arguments fall into three categories. PLANNING ARGUMENTS: These are arguments that set the scene for future actions. CONFLICT ARGUMENTS: These are arguments that force a show down between two or more players over control of vital resources. TROUBLE ARGUMENTS: These are arguments that cause other players to experience some kind of difficulty that must be solved or leave the player with a negative status. Conflict and trouble arguments cause additional rounds of arguments each turn to see how they are resolved. Such extra arguments only include those directly involved in the matter. In addition to the three argument types, arguments are also judged on whither they compete with one another due to being logically inconsistent or otherwise incompatible. Each game is run by a referee who does the following actions. Decide how strong each argument is. Decide which arguments cause conflict and trouble. Decide who is involved with each conflict and who is affected by each trouble. Decide who is in the strongest position in conflicts. Record changes to the matrix and communicate those changes to the players. The players responsibilities include the following: Make one argument a turn causing something to happen to further their objective. Roll the die for the success of their own argument. Make any additional arguments required each turn by conflict and trouble. Conflict is another term that is full of meanings. In the narrow military definition, it refers to combat but conflict also applies to families, social classes and the struggle between animals and nature. For Matrix Games, conflict is when two or more player both want to control a vital position, relationship or item. The rule of thumb with conflict is that the best prepared generally win. This is reflected by having the player in the strongest position argue first about the outcome of the conflict. Less well prepared players only get to argue if the first player fails. Trouble is different from conflict in that it looks at situations where one or more players individually face a situation that if not immediately dealt with will be a black mark against the person. Each affected player gets one free argument to solve the trouble. If they fail then they will have to use one of their regular arguments to solve it or live with the consequences. GAME SPECIFIC TERMS Matrix Games use the following terms to track significant changes in the matrix. STATUS: As previously described, this refers to any changes made to the matrix. All of the terms used below are statuses. HIERARCHY: Refers to a player position on an imaginary pyramid. It is a simple short hand to show positions of relative power. POSITION: Refers to a special office or position of responsibility in a game world. RELATIONSHIP: Refers to a short description of the nature of a connection between two characters. CONTROL: Refers to which player has primary power over which characters and treasures. TREASURE: Refers to any item that players may vie for control of. BARRIER: Refers to anything that blocks the free and open flow of people or information. Barriers can include: distance, defense, anonymity or even mental barriers. MOVEMENT: Refers to the ability of player to move their characters at the beginning of each turn to anywhere they like as long as they do not cross a barrier. NEGOTIATION: Refers to the players discussions during the game. Player are encouraged to hold discussions at any point during play. THE STRUCTURE OF MATRIX GAME RUNS Each run of a Matrix Game is different, even when the same scenario material is used. This is due to the players. They never make exactly the same arguments in the same order twice. When the players try to do that the random element (the die roll) intervenes. Which allows the players to see how different sequences of events makes for a very different story. Game sessions are tailor made to fit each educational situation. When players have two or three hours to play, they can do games where they freely argue for events to carry out their goals. If less time is available then games can be focused on a series of trouble situations which the players must solve. BRIEFING SESSIONS Long play game sessions begin with a briefing that includes an introduction to the situation at hand, a brief overview of the characters involved and a broad suggestion about what the players may want to do in the game. The players are then given several minutes to talk among themselves and form visions about what to do. Short game sessions are used to illustrate a particular point in a presentation. They are streamlined so as not to detract from the flow of the speech. In this case the players are told about a situation and that they will be asked to come up with solutions to the problem. These games move from trouble to trouble. The referee is free to modify the list of trouble to reflect a groups last solution. Players then see how trouble can flow from the answers they made up. No mater what length the game will last game sessions should start immediately. Players quickly pick up on the main points of Matrix Games as they play them. Player learn by doing in a way that people just reading about Matrix Games seldom pick up on. DEBRIEFING SESSIONS Games lasting several hours or days need to be followed up with debriefing to achieve closure to the game. Players each get a chance to say who they were in the game, what their vision was and how they went about making that vision a reality. Once all the players have spoken they then hold a discussion of how their many voices interfered with and complemented one another. Throughout, the rules of the game are open to discussion as to how they impacted on the course of the game. Short game sessions use the remainder of the speakers presentation to sum up the message of the game. Players listen as the speaker summarizes the actions taken and how they illustrate the speakers point. POSSIBILITY VERSUS PROBABILITY: LESSONS LEARNED FROM PLAYING MATRIX GAMES Game that focus on rigid algorithms have a built in limit on the range of activity in the game from the very beginning. They rate the importance of one action over another and teach the player to learn what the "correct" plan is. Algorithmic simulations are a very powerful tool and within the limits of their sphere they are superior to other approaches. Unfortunately they teach a potentially false idea. Namely, that there is always one best solution and that that solution has the highest probability of success. Algorithmic games often fall short when faced with rapidly changing fluid situations. Rigid algorithms are balanced to create an accurate picture of the world. Changing the basic structure of the algorithm around to take into account newly emerging trends can throw the balance of a game completely off. The game then presents an inaccurate, even distorted view of the world. Matrix Games make no attempt to create a single over arching algorithm or theory about they world. Instead they focus on the pragmatic question "What happened?" and "How does that effect what will happen next?" As players engage in game sessions they slowly let go of the old idea of finding out what solution has the greatest probability of success and begin instead to begin to see possibilities suggested by emerging information. The mental shift from probability think to possibility thinking is enjoyable for most. It is especially powerful for people who do not see themselves as strategic thinkers, often the people most plagued by math anxiety. At least part of the enjoyment comes from a feeling of empowerment fostered by the game. This may be the single greatest lesson this game teaches. Facilitating possibility thinking helps players see how problems can be broken down into small steps. Each step literally creates the pathway for the next step. So that almost any action can work if the ground work is laid for it. Whither the planning is how to cope with alcoholic cravings or how to conduct a peace keeping mission in the Balkans the utility of the world view is clear. FURTHER INFORMATION ON MATRIX GAMES As of the time of this writing there is no academic forum on Matrix Gaming. Type Matrix Game in a standard search engine and it is unlikely one will find one of the growing number of hobbyist web pages on the subject. Two web pages stand out as including extensive information on Matrix Games. Hamster Press – Chris Engle's small press game company. Http://www.io.com/~hamster Wargame Developments – An English based group founded by professors at Sandhurst dedicated to imporving the state of the art of wargames. Hamster Press puts out a monthly newsletter called "The Matrix Gamer" that is distributed by email and available for view at Magweb.com (a web page dedicated to amateur game magazines). Magweb.com also features back issues of the "Experimental Game Group" newsletter, published from 1989 to 1994, where much of the early development work of the Matrix Game was done. Back to Table of Contents -- Matrix Gamer #17 To Matrix Gamer List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 2000 by Chris Engle. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com