Micro strategy and Macro strategy in Games

Nearly every strategic game has two levels of strategy; the micro level and the macro level.

The Micro strategy is the most readily apparent – it is the turn-by-turn, hand-by-hand decisions.  In Hearts it is the ability to avoid taking points, and to manipulate the course of the queen.  In chess it is understanding the direct advantages and dangers of a single move – a single change in the playing field.  Most players in most games play only the micro strategy.  Micro strategies can be easily learned and there is something comfortable in repeating them.  Without a macro strategy, when every player in the game understands the micro strategy completely, the game becomes one of chance.

The Macro strategy is much more difficult to understand and pursue.  Macro strategies involve the course of many turns and many decisions and are always dynamic to the activities of the other players.  Macro strategies may sometimes go against the micro strategy in order to fulfill a greater goal.  In Hearts, the macro strategy is the ability to ‘shoot the moon’ – the complete reversal of micro strategy makes this a difficult strategy to transition to.  To shoot the moon, a player must be able to gauge the suspicion of other players, the strengths of their hands, and determine when to commit.  In chess, macro strategy is the ability to plan multiple moves into the future.  The sheer branching complexity implicit in every level of prediction means that the macro strategy of chess is nearly infinitely deep.

A ‘good’ game has both a micro strategy and a macro strategy and can be enjoyed by players of a variety of skill sets.  Ideally the macro strategy is only marginally better and slopes exponentially in difficulty – this should help ensure that even weak players might still enjoy a game with strong players but that strong players are rewarded for their dedication.

Other examples:

In Clue, the micro strategy is to end as many turns as possible in rooms you either have in your hand or you suspect and to systematically eliminate suspects while keeping your own cards hidden as long as possible.  The macro strategy involves noting which players hold which cards as well as taking notes of every hidden transaction and cross-referencing the data to eliminate cards you never even see.

In Diplomacy, the micro strategy is tricking your enemies into trusting you and convincing your allies to help you while you attack supply centers.  The macro strategy involves predicting which players will become strongest, stifling them prematurely and secretly feeding information to the weaker players, all without drawing suspicion to one’s self. The macro strategist realizes that his own growth is only an advantage if it is faster than the growth of both his enemies and his allies.

In the Settlers of Catan, the macro strategy is only present in the pre-game setup.  Throughout the setup process the macro strategist will predict where cities will be placed, what the enemy strategies will be – including trade monopolies, directions of expansion and rate of expansion.  The most consummate macro strategist may well be able to say, with near certainty, who will win before even a single turn has been taken.