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
inexpensive and free actions before anyone else.
-Bid for turn order. This can be BRUTAL. For games where turn order really matters (and not necessarily going first), this can be an effective way to determine turn order. Players bid to place their marker in the position they want. The caveat here is that turn order must really make a difference, or it is chaff instead of potential chrome.
-Random turn order every turn. More for lighter games, randomly determining turn order every time can create more than a little chaos. Be mindful, though, that this can be a fiddly mechanic if the rounds are short. A good example of how this is done well is Cutthroat Caverns. Every room, turn order is dealt out to each player for the encounter. It's quick and not too fiddly.
-Points determine turn order. Either the leading player goes first, or the trailing player goes first. This mechanic is often used as balance to combat runaway leader; the leading player goes first if it is detrimental to do so, the trailing player if it is advantagous.
-Determined by 'faction'. This is more for a game with variable start conditions between players. The less set up player (or more set up in play), often goes first in an attempt to prepare for a meatgrinder or to capitalize on a blitz attempt. The best example of this is Axis and Allies. Germany goes early to run rampant with its tanks and to try to press the advantage while Russia goes late as a thematic element and because they start in Stalingrad with HELLA DOODS.
That's all I have today. Keep on designing, yo!
Phil
Comments
Here are several other
Here are several other alternatives to play order going clockwise around the table:
Simultaneous play, with all player actions resolved (in effect) simultaneously.
Real time play: Falling, Fight Ball. Light Speed (the placement part of the game)
Turn order typically goes clockwise, but game play can allow you to jump in: In Give Me The Brain, for example, getting the brain makes it your turn next.
Turn order depends on role: In Citadels, turn order is determined by what character card you have for that turn.
Turn order depends on the the card you played & ties are resolved simultaneously: Light Speed (the combat resolution part)
Turn order depends on the card you played & ties are impossible: In RoboRally, program cards are revealed simultaneously, but they are resolved in order of speed. No two cards have the same speed.
Turn order depends on the the card you played & ties make you lose your turn: In Starbase Jeff, each station section has a speed number on it. Two players who play sections with the same number wait until a later turn to place those sections.
...OK, I just started writing this with the intention of mentioning Citadels and RoboRally. There's more, I'm sure, but I'll stop now.
As an aside, your posts might prompt more discussion is there weren't a new one every day.
fecundity wrote:As an aside,
Why would that be? Anyone could go back and check out previous mechanics I've done and comment on them... Is it a time constraint thing?
Regards,
Phil
Yeah, that's all I meant.
Yeah, that's all I meant. I've only replied to two of your mechanic threads, because that's when I've been by and had time.
Thanks for the input...
Io. Thanks for the input. I've heard this from a few other people, as well. I just have so many ideas and one a week would feel so slow... Do you think gathering them together once a week in 'highlight' form aid in discussion of the various mechanics?
Regards,
Phil
And thanks for the added ways to do turn order... awesome.