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Is there a technical term for games that are identical apart from player actions each time? No variability at all? Games like Chess and Go, as well as more modern games like the Gipf project games? But the term would need to exclude variable set up games like Mapmaker, variable player power/setup like Santorini or random draw games like Dominoes, Bridge or Ingenious

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  • Perfect Information is likely what you're looking for: the top result from a Google search on "open information games".
    – Forget I was ever here
    Commented Mar 26, 2023 at 18:28
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    I’m voting to close this question because it's far too basic, being answered by the most obvious Google search of the question terms.
    – Forget I was ever here
    Commented Mar 26, 2023 at 18:29
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    @ForgetIwaseverhere except perfect information does include variable set up games like Santorini or Mapmaker.
    – Jontia
    Commented Mar 26, 2023 at 18:34
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    @ForgetIwaseverhere well nothing. Except it is not very concise. Looking down you link it would have to be Fixed setup, complete and perfect information games. As perfect does not have to be complete.
    – Jontia
    Commented Mar 26, 2023 at 18:41
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    Symmetric Perfect Information Game should cover it. But it looks like it's up to you to coin a new term for this phrase. (good question, btw)
    – L. Scott Johnson
    Commented Mar 27, 2023 at 11:21

2 Answers 2

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In mathematics, the terminology perfect information game refers to a game in which no information is hidden from any player. Chess and Go, for example, are perfect information games.

Note that perfect information just means that no player knows anything that another player does not. Hence games with an element of randomness may have perfect information (for example, Backgammon or Sorry! might be considered perfect information games with a great deal of randomness). Of course, this depends a bit on what one is trying to prove or describe—there are papers which exclude randomness from perfect information games.

I don't know of any standardized language in mathematics to describe perfect information games without any randomness (either in setup or gameplay). However, it seems reasonable to add an adjective. I would describe a game like chess as a non-stochastic perfect information game, in contrast to stochastic games. The phrase "non-stochastic perfect information game" only appears twice on the internet, as far as I can tell, so I guess it is up to you to popularize it. :D

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Abstract Strategy Game

From BGG:

Abstract Strategy games are often (but not always):

theme-less (without storyline)
built on simple and/or straightforward design and mechanics.
perfect information games. games that promote one player overtaking their opponent(s)
little to no elements of luck, chance, or random occurrence

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  • This is probably where I started with my attempt to find a simple term. But the category includes things like Azul (randomised draws), War Chest (variable player power and setup) and Mapmaker as mentioned in the question. Maybe the multi-term approach from the comments is the way to go.
    – Jontia
    Commented Mar 27, 2023 at 8:02

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