Greekonomy

Instructions:
Local  multiplayer, so grab a friend. On your turn, click on a neighboring tile to take it over or click on your tile to reinforce it. Each tile produces marble, for defending or expanding to empty tiles, or bronze, for attacking. Wipe out your opponent to win

Pattern: Sharing Isn't Always Caring

Problems:

1.  When creating games with zero-sum resource systems, what mechanics systems can designers implement to control the steepness of positive feedback curves?

and

2. How can designers control match length in competitive games where resources have a positive feedback loop?

Pattern Description:

In competitive games with positive feedback resource loops, making resources finite but unclaimed leads to dampening the effect of the feedback loop in the early game, while enhancing it in the late game.

If resources are zero sum, then the effect of positive feedback loops is magnified, because any resource gained by one player is lost by another, doubling the difference between them compared to a positive sum resource. Providing resources that are unclaimed at the beginning of the game makes them initially positive-sum, which dampens the effect of a positive feedback loop leading to less make-or-break early game. Once all resources are claimed then they become zero sum (or negative sum depending on game sinks), and the resulting stronger positive feedback loop will cause the game to end more quickly. The amount of neutral resources can be changed to calibrate the length of a match.