What is a strategy?
I love talking strategy and the theory of it, and today I heard a new line that has once again changed everything. So, for those of you interested enough to still be reading (surely nobody quits after only 2 lines, do they?), I’ll describe what strategies are good for in the way it was described to me… through analogies, my favourite!
Imagine this…
You’re playing the popular board game Settlers of Catan. Your objective is to earn enough victory points to win, and the primary means of doing so is building settlements and cities. These settlements and cities take certain resources to build; resources that you’ll need to collect and save up for.
If your strategy to win is building the most cities (worth the most points), then any other thing you can buy or build that does not directly lead to that outcome is, in so many words, a distraction.
For example, development cards provide some good bonuses, actions, and luck of the draw victory points – these cards could be a great way to fill in any resource and point gaps. However, 2 of the 3 resources you need for a development card are also what you’d need for a city…
So, if your strategy to win is anchored on rapid city construction, no matter how tempting it might be to spend the resources in your hand on a development card (like loose cash “burning a hole in your pocket”), you’re reminded to stick to your long-term game plan and prioritise the more lucrative opportunities.
Said more simply, strategy is the lens to distinguish opportunity from distraction.