Board Game Designers Forum

Get out there and vote, fellow designers! The Mechanic should start back up shortly...

I motion that this Mechanic of the Day be about voting. Voting
encourages player interaction in hopes of each player convincing the
other players to vote their way. While not for every game (partly due
to voting needing at least 4 players usually), it can add a kick to
your game if used properly... and shouting matches.

-Victory Point Distribution. Players vote how victory points are
distributed. Mostly for party games (Nanofictionary), this would be an

Hello, fellow designers. Due to the need of a massive rewrite of my personal rulebook, I am going to put the Mechanic of the Day feature on hold until I get things in order. True, BGG and BGDF are on about a 15 day buffer, but even the time to re-format the posts is too time consuming. My apologies and thanks for your understanding.

Regards,
Phil

Oh, I've been thinking of mecha-nics, all the live long da---y. I've been thinking of mecha-nics, just to throw some stuff your way... Can't you hear my gears a-turn-in, even so early in the morn; nowit's time for you to jo-in me, as you read this post.

Today's mechanic is lines of supply, be it militarily or rail road-ily. Line of supply typically is used to convey the simulation of the need of connectedness for your pieces to do their job, be it railroads, power lines, food wagons, whatever. Lets have a look at a few ways to do that, hm?

Lets get this underway with Spacial Relations.

No, not friendship in space. I mean utilizing space on the board and sides of pieces in novel ways. When used properly, a mechanic that might otherwise be fiddly actually has a good tactile feel and creates an emotional connection to the action. Which is what we want, right?

Oio. Today we shall focus on the 'Upkeep' phase of a game and how to keep it interesting instead of tedeous. Upkeep is typically the payment of resources to maintain army forces, buildings, etc in empire
building games. Not paying upkeep when required usually involves something being discarded.

Oio, peoples. Negotiation is the name of the game today. This can be another mechanic that is difficult to utilize, as it does require players to reach an agreement in order for the game to continue. However, with proper safeguards to ensure eventual agreement, it can create a rewarding, if tense, play experience. I'll address both possible ways to use negotiation and possible safeguards to assurenegotiation.

Possible Uses

Today's mechanic is another that is oft overlooked: end game triggers. They can be straightforward (Candyland), or allow random game length (Palazzo). Lets has a look...

-First to victory. In a game where is victory is a pre-set thing, such crossing the finish line in a race game, the game can end when one player wins. It is straightforward and can cause much jostling in close games. It can also be utilized as 'first to X points'. When one player starts getting close to winning, there will usually
be a desperate grab for points in an attempt to outdo the leader. Good stuff.

Lets has a looks at some auction mechanics for this one, ya?

-High Bid. Most straightforward auction mechanic. Players bid higher and higher until no one is willing to pass the previous bid. The winning player then either pays the bank or the auctioning player.

Hey-o! Stop! Mechanic time! This time: end game scoring.

End game scoring is a good way to add an element of uncertainty to a game that might otherwise have it clear-cut who is winning (or is going to win). It provides a sub-strategy for players to get those last points to squeak out a win that is talked about for weeks afterword.

-Set collection. One way is set collection. In a game of archeology, for example, you may get points for finding that ancient crown; but you get additional bonus points at the end of the game for getting the scepter and ring that go with it.

Oio, designeroonies. Here's another overlooked mechanic for today: turn order. Often times, simply going around the board to the left (or right) is just fine. Every once in a while, though, you need to shake things up...

-Money determines play order. For a particular phase, money could be what allows players to act first. For a stock market (or 'rich people' game), the player with the most dough gets first crack. Or, if an action costs progressively more for each player to use it on their turn, the poorest player could go first to have access to