For this week's post I will just leave you with a list. Everyone does top 10 lists; so, I will switch it up and do a top 7 list. Specifically this is my top 7 favorite game mechanics or design choices. These mechanics are in no particular order.
1) Laying out cards players can choose from
I choose this simple mechanic because I remember how it first struck me. I had grown up my whole life playing games where you always got your cards off of the top of the deck. Whether when initially dealt or later given more cards, I always got a random card off the top of the deck because that is how all of the games I knew played. Then I played Ticket To Ride for the first time and, while I could still draw off the top if I wanted, I also had a choice of 5 other cards to choose from. Moreover, they were laid out face up so I knew what they were. It was such a simple mechanic, but made so much sense to me. Now I know that other games have done things like this before Ticket To Ride. Heck, Texas Hold 'em has been around for a long time and it has cards laid out for people to see and use. Nevertheless, it is a great way to reduce the randomness without completely eliminating it, and (as I have mentioned in previous posts) a key to great game design is that balance of randomness in a game.
2) Two meters (or point trackers) one must balance
This is one that I haven't been able to write much about and will likely devote a whole post too soon. The game I know this mechanic from is Pillars of the Earth. In that game, you essentially have 2 meters you must balance. One is money and the other is victory points. Certainly, many games have money and victory points that you want to gather. Pillars of the Earth, like many other games, has you spend that money to get resources and workers that allow you to garner victory points. However, Pillars of the Earth really forces you to carefully balance the amount of money you spend against the number of victory points you accumulate for each round. No other game I have played makes it so important to keep that balance.
3) Allowing players to use different special abilities together
I feel like there is a better description for this mechanic, but I couldn't think of how else to say it, and I need to get to bed. (A 9 month old daughter will make you want to sleep a lot while preventing you from sleeping as well as you used to. :-) Pandemic is still my favorite game (as you can now see on boardgaming.com), and this is what it does very well. Each player role has their own special abilities. Working together in that cooperative game, it is imperative that players work together and use those special abilites as much as they can. For example, the Researcher and the Dispatcher really work beautifully together. The Dispatcher can move the Researcher to any city that another player is in. Then on the Researcher's turn, he/she can give cards to that player he was moved to (since they are now in the same city).
BTW, yes, I thought about having "roles" as a fav mechanic, but I have really seen some games that seem to just throw roles in for the fun of it. Shadows Over Camelot felt that way to me because the roles special abilities didn't seem to be useful enough to have a great impact that one would cause one to alter strategy greatly. If the roles don't impact the game greatly, I think they only complicate things.
4) Deck-building (but not collectable)
Deck-building really has become a category thanks to all the games trying to capitalize off of Dominion's success. Nevertheless, it is a mechanic that really dictates the game-play. Many gamers are probably getting sick of deck building with the seeming over saturation hitting the market right now. Once again, I must say nevertheless. Nevertheless, Dominion is a great game. Almost every one I have introduced to that game loves it until they have just played it too much. There is just something fun about grabbing cards in the middle that are available to everyone and then comboing those cards together later in the game to amass the most splendid and/or powerful dominion.
To explain the parenthesis above: I like deck building as seen in Dominion where you start out with almost nothing, have access to the same cards, and build as the game goes. I am not personally a fan of games like Magic where you bring your own deck to the table that you built outside of that game session.
5) A randomized board
When I played Settlers of Catan for the first time, there was one main thing that struck me: the board is different every time because it is made up of randomly placed hexes. I thought that was brilliant then, and I still think it is brilliant now. One instantly, greatly increases the replayability of the game when the board can change each time. There isn't much else to say. As long as it works for the game to have a randomly composed board (so that it doesn't cripple the game play or fun in some way), I think a design would want to implement such a board every time. Not only does it make each game session different, requiring interesting adjustments to strategy, but it also makes it easier to fit in a box for shipping.
6) The Back To The Future timeline
When I heard that the Back to the Future card game (and Chrononaughts before it) allowed people to travel back in time and change events, I was very curious and intrigued as to how it would accomplish that. As described in a previous post, the game is good but slightly disappointing. However, the mechanic for time travel and changing events did not disappoint. The cards are laid out in a set of rows with the linchpin cards flipping multiple other cards when they are flipped. That method is simple and effective.
7) Movement chips in Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard requires players to be able to move around the board. Movement is a significant design challenge for any game. Of course, all of the games I played as a child used, "roll and move" in which you roll a die and then move the number of squares that the die dictates. Of course, "roll and move" eliminates the ability to strategize. I thought Scotland Yard came up with a pretty interesting method for movement. Each player has a number of different chips, and there are 3 different types of chips. Those chips essentially allow players to move different distances. They have a limited number of the chips and must decide when to use what chip types. It provides a great way for players not to have unlimited range of movement but still have a good amount of control over how and where they move. While I wouldn't say Scotland Yard is a game I really love, I do think the movement is handled well.
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