09-24, 11:00–12:30 (Europe/London), Room B
Simulating a complex tabletop game using the Monte Carlo method can calculate complex probabilities just random numbers. This workshop will work through an example game, explain the maths behind the simulation, and how this can be expanded to other domains such as event or capacity planning.
Monte Carlo simulations are a valuable tool for calculating probabilities, relying on the law of large numbers to prove that the odds of a complex random event can be estimated by doing the random thing hundreds of thousands of times and finding the average result.
In this workshop, we will work to build a simulation in basic python for an example fictional tabletop board game and explain how the results can be used to inform further development, as well as discussing how the same techniques can be applied to other fields such as capacity planning. No understanding of mathematics beyond GCSE Maths is required to follow this tutorial.
Connor is a software developer and wargame designer living in Nottingham, England. They work for 345, building software for retailers to manage, plan and understand their stores. In their spare time, they make tabletop wargames and help run Break My Game, a tabletop game playtesting organisation.