Other Players Hate Giving You Free Stuff

Many tabletop games feature mechanics that let one player benefit from another player’s choices. For example, in Scythe, the Enlist action grants a long-term bonus that triggers whenever a neighbor takes a specific action. I think of these sorts of abilities as observer bonuses because they give you a bonus when you observe something specific happening. Observer bonuses create positive interactions that encourage players to predict what their opponents will do. The main problem is that some players overreact to the idea that another player might benefit from their actions and sabotage themselves to avoid triggering the bonus. One way to mitigate this instinct is by attaching a cost.

In Terra Mystica, you receive power whenever an opponent builds adjacent to your buildings. Power is valuable, serving as a currency that lets you take many useful actions. The catch is you must sacrifice victory points to take advantage of the opportunity, depending on the power values of the buildings involved. This helps reduce the instinctive aversion to observer bonuses, as the player granting the bonus can focus on their opponent giving up victory points rather than the power gain. It is still beneficial, but the cost makes it seem less like someone else is coasting off their work.

One theory about the development of human language and intelligence is that, in part, it enabled us to exchange reputational information to maintain cooperation in larger groups. It should be unsurprising that people therefore might resent others freeloading off their work in a game. By presenting observer bonuses as opportunities that nevertheless require additional costs to pursue, you can make them more palatable to all players.