Input and Output Randomness

The fundamental difference between randomness that support strategy and randomness that under cuts strategy, input randomness allows the player to build the strategy output randomness undercuts it and limits your ability to plan ahead. For example let's look at Pandemic this is a great example of input randomness flicking the cards is certainly random, create a situation that the players need to react to that reaction is completely deterministic. If for example you have to roll dies if you remove the cue from the board rather than simply taking office action that would make it a much less strategic and satisfying affair in my opinion. Time Stories in contrast is strictly scripted there really is no input randomness of events will always happen as the court dictates when you do multiple runs. The designers introduced output randomness there are challenges you have to overcome by rolling dice in trying to get hits. This is probably a necessary design element to add tension and prevent perfect plans. I am not a fan of this element finding it frustrating, a switch from output to input randomness as a design technique really was a hallmark of euro games and from the nineties onwards has firmly established itself as a preferred technique were possible.

Input randomness is a random initial state for a game, while output randomness is rolling dice or drawing cards during the game. The second removes strategy from the game.