WHAT IS A TREASURE? Most people who play games have at some time played "Dungeons and Dragons". In D+D players seek out treasures of gold, gems and magic items. This is the easiest explanation of a treasure but it is not the best. A treasure can also be a one of a kind piece of art or a beautiful palace, a productive mine/factory/plantation, a relationship with a significant other, or even a personal quality that one has. In other words a treasure is something valuable, that someone can have or own. WHAT GOOD ARE TREASURES? If a treasure is something valuable, something that can be owned, then they will become a magnet for players. Players can vie for control of the treasures. In this way the presence of treasures adds structure to games. Players run characters who have goals. One way of measuring a goal is is the object of the goal is acquired. That object is a treasure. It doesn't matter that it may be unreal - like maintaining one's reputation or learning a secret. The object of a goals is one way of operationalizing what treasures are for that game. WHY CALL THEM TREASURES AND NOT GOALS/OBJECTIVES? Chris Engle Matrix Games call desirable objects treasures and not goals/objectives because treasure is the more poetic word. "Goals/objectives" is loaded with military connotations. It would fit for wargames and political campaigns but would not fit with a group of dungeon crawlers out to steal gold from the monsters. It would even less fit a game that centered on a love story! Treasure on the other hand is poetic. Gaining the treasure can mean winning the presidency or capturing the enemy capital or winning the ladies heart. It is not as technical as alternative words but since I would like to see Matrix Games seen as a game that can do a wide range of games rather than just be a wargame, a more wide ranging word is in order. WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A CHRIS ENGLE MG AND SOMEONE ELSE'S? I'm Chris Engle. As a writer I follow a certain vision. From it I make decisions that lead to particular outcomes. When you play one of my games you are coming along for a ride that I hope you will enjoy. But I know very well that my vision is not the only vision out there. Inevitably other people will do their own take of the Matrix Game and change terminology, dice rolling schemes and structure of game. That is good. I encourage that. I will do everything in my power to support that. Because we are all enriched when other visions are spread. CAPTURING TREASURES If a treasure exists, it suggests to the players that they can take it. This will lead to arguments in which players create different ways to separate fools from their gold. At the same time once players "own" treasures they will want to protect them from the others. This will lead to arguments in which layers of defense are thrown up around valuable things to keep the unworthy out. SO WHAT? YOU OWN A PALACE. AM I SUPPOSE TO CARE? Treasures may produce wealth, but often they don't. Secret plans and other preparation arguments just work to make you more ready to act in the future. But how can a palace help? The fact is that prestige items/treasures do impress people. Would a king incognito be given preferential treatment in getting a seat in a restaurant? No! But just watch the preference given to royals who come in openly. Popular kids in highschool seem to have an easier time getting dates than the average gamer nerd. While people with bad reputations who dress in rags are not even allowed into the restaurant the royal frequents. If there is such a thing as guilt by association then there must also be favor by association. In US politics we call it riding coat tails. It happens when a wildly popular president comes into office - it leads to other politicians of the presidents party to be elected as well. For instance, when FDR was elected president in 1932, Indiana, a notoriously Republican state elected a Democratic governor. Success breed success. Another example of this is the use of sports heroes to sell soap. The endorsement is a treasure tha leads to big sales for the company. So a treasure not only looks pretty in the corner, it also increases the likelihood of player's arguments to happen. And that is a treasure beyond price. CAN TREASURES BE MEASURED IN DOLLARS AND CENTS? The oddest idea about treasures that comes directly from D+D is that all items can be valued in terms of money. This is a very capitalistic view, but is also maddening. Price lists for treasure miss the mark because an item is only valued when it is sold – so each price is unique - it is what the buyer was willing to pay. For truly unique treasures (which are what MGs focus on) a sales price makes no sense. Treasures have value by being owned or not owned. Money has no place here. In fact, I do not view money as a treasure. A steady income from a position or ownership of a business is a treasure, but a pile of cash isn't because people have a way of frittering away lose cash as though it were nothing. USING UP A TREASURE Treasures exist to make us look good, but they also exist to be used/destroyed. For instance, say one has a secret plan. When the proper situation arises the plan is put into effect. This destroys it as a secret. Like wise a player has a fabulous treasure and "spends" it to get a title and estates (a different treasure). The first treasure is used up to increase the strength of the argument to acquire the second. Never be afraid to use up a treasure. Invariably, treasures are destroyed. Nothing lasts forever. But once you've destroyed always be certain to begin making new treasure for later generations to destroy. Like the Taoists say, things come and go and are replaced by more things. AFTERWARD So what is a treasure? Practically anything! All games have them (no matter what they are called) and the are what players squabble over. They are a very important part of the matrix of any Matrix Game. Back to Table of Contents -- Matrix Gamer #4 To Matrix Gamer List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1999 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