Do you know the “Draw-Forward” Formula?

It’s one of the most useful tools for helping players 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐭.

You can use it in almost any genre where players make build, gear, or loadout choices. It works extra-well in Roguelikes.

When we make strategic choices in games, we’re looking for the best value. However, we’re bad at assigning precise values to choices.

It’s why we love free stuff. “Free samples”, “Buy 1 get 1 free”, etc feel so good, because they’re all upside. A bigger reward with a minor cost doesn’t feel as good, even if it’s technically a better deal.

Dan Ariely talks about this in Predictably Irrational: where he notes that people were evenly split when offered a Lindt Truffle (higher value chocolate) for 27 cents vs a Hershey’s Kiss for 2 cents.

Lower the price by 1 cent each, making a Lindt Truffle still 25 cents more than the kiss, and the behavior stayed stable.

However, when offered a Lindt Truffle for 25 cents, or a hershey’s kiss for free, over 90% of the participants went with the free option. Even though the price difference was the same, free feels SO good.

As designers, we deal with costs all the time… And we can use this to our advantage.

The Draw-Forward combo works because it presents something with a cost, then introduces a way to turn that cost into an advantage.

The value swing is massive. The combo feels 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫-𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧-𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞.

Our brains LOVE this feeling.

Here’s an example:

In “Magic: The Gathering”, the card Lightning Axe does massive damage for low cost, which is balanced by a drawback: you also have to discard a card.

However, Roar of the Wurm has a special ability when it’s in your discard pile.

You can pay 7 mana to get it there (playing the card normally sends it from your hand to your discard pile)… Or you can skip that huge cost entirely by discarding it to pay for Lightning Axe’s extra effect.

Roar of the Wurm turns Lightning Axe’s drawback into an advantage.

When a player realizes this potential, they feel like a genius.

Use the 𝐃𝐫𝐚𝐰-𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐚. It works.