Leveling up

Want to level up? You have to see the ladder, which is roughly:

1. The rules — You’re learning the rules but haven’t fully grasped the game yet. Remembering everything is still a struggle.
2. The game — You know the rules now. You’re testing your ideas, finding what works, avoiding common mistakes, and building efficiency. Some players stall here, never reaching higher.
3. The competition — You see the whole landscape. You’re watching opponents, protecting your own plans while disrupting theirs. Good play guards and intrudes.

There’s nothing mean about it—it’s just the game.

Don’t lose sight of the big idea, that—

Every game is a system within systems. The best players spot how actions connect, and see (and anticipate) downstream effects. Since you can’t do everything equally, in choosing one path you’ll let go of others.

Cause and effect

Strong players draw connections. Their moves interfere with yours. Players making fewer connections reveal it in their choices. Observing them helps you assess that.

Of course, you might think you see the whole game, but miss something critical another player has noticed.

A game isn’t just what move to make but why. It’s valuing options, weighing probabilities, and navigating a path minding rules, scoring, and endgame triggers.

Connections are everything. A game is a machine of levers and buttons. Not everyone sees them all. The more clearly you see that, the better you perform—at least, in theory.

Some games I see quickly; others not so much. Either way, discovering that framework and figuring out how to shape that mental model is what keeps me coming back. It’s chasing that—not mastery itself—that makes play fun.