© BENEFITS OF THE JUDGE MECHANIC + Highly Interactive + The outcome is entirely based on other players choices + Little Downtime + Action selection is usually taken simultaneously + During the judgement, all players at the table are engaged in hearing the judge's reasoning and the winner + Opportunity for Creative Expression + Lateral thinking, unusual choices, and choices made for comedy sake can be rewarded by a like-minded Judge + You are able to take actions that express your own personal preferences as both player and judge + Rewards Personal Connection + The skill the game rewards most is being able to predict the preferences of the judge + Playing helps players get to know the other people at the table even more so than most games © PITFALLS OF THE JUDGE MECHANIC + Arbitrariness or Unfairness + The choices of the Judge are subjective so not all players may agree with them + If the Judge can determine who did what, they can award points based on the score of the game instead of the strength of the cards played or actions taken + Depends on strong player engagement to work + Most of the “fun” in this mechanic is derived from the personalities of and social interactions between players + If even one player is disengaged, the game may break down + Repetition + Repeating just one action again and again (action selection/judgement) can become repetitive if care is not taken to vary roundsAPPLES TO APPLES Apples to Apples was released by Out of the Box Games in 1999 and is now produced by Mattel. It is a member of the Party Game Genre, but spawned an entire subgenre of games itself based on its central mechanic: the judge mechanic. HOW APPLES TO APPLES USES THE JUDGE MECHANIC In Apples to Apples, each player has a hand full of Red Apple cards. Each Red Apple card is a noun (person, place, or thing). Examples: Gandhi, West Berlin 1949, Your Sock Drawer. A random card is flipped off the top of a separate Green Apple deck that has a descriptive word, such as “Happy, Scary, Funny, or Amazing.” One player acts as the Judge while all other players secretly select a Red Apple Card from their hand that they believe best fits the description on the Green Apple Card. For example, if the word was “Funny,” you might play “A Clown.” Or if the word was “Scary” you might also play “A Clown.” It depends on your (and the judge's) interpretation of the cards. The Judge reads all the cards without knowing who played each one, and then decides which best fits the description. The player who played that card gets to keep a card as a point in their score pile. The most fun moments in Apples to Apples comes when a card fits the description in an unexpected way. ®2. AUCTION MECHANIC (3 Crate CR Mate Ieee CMe Ce of the action. Typically each player has equal starting resources and then bid for a Poe oe ue sue ree et Cn ee ech Yeeeah ag writing bids down or putting their bid under a cup or behind a screen). In trick-taking Po eee ee ear a eee cay cee aca eee Re ae cies ° + Little Downtime Players must be attentive during auctions Each bidding action is relevant to all players + Easy to Understand The concept of bidding for something is familiar to most players since the practice of auctions is very common in real life + High Tension The risk of overbidding, or underbidding is a tense one A bid is almost always a meaningful decision + Fair, skill-based ie. not random ° + Mistakes are punishing It is easy for inexperienced players to make huge mistakes in auctions by drastically over bidding + Requires strong ability to plan Actions early in auction games can ruin strategy in the late game, especially if resources are limited + Slow pace Auctions take longer than players simply spending a resource to buy things, letting players select things in turn, or using random chance This means turn length and the unit of play increasesGOING GOING GONE Going Going Gone is an auction game designed by Scott Nicholson and published by Stronghold Games in 2013. It combines strategy and set collection with a fast-paced real time bidding mechanic How GOING GOING GONE USES THE AUCTION MECHANIC In Going Going Gone, players participate in three rounds of auctions to try and acquire collectors items such as toys, memorabilia, and automobiles, all represented on cards. Players earn points for making matching sets of cards that are of the same category (represented by a picture) or from the same country of origin (represented by a flag on the card). Unlike most auction games, the auctions in Going Going Gone take place in real time. There are cups placed next to each card that can be bought in the auction, and players simultaneously add colored cubes to the cups until one player has spent all their cubes. They then place a large card over the cups to end the auction. Going Going Gone captures the skill of auction games (planning, tense decisions on how much to bid etc.) but solves the pacing problem by having all players bid at once. It also adds a dexterity element, since players have to get the cubes into the correct cups quickly.3. CHANCE MECHANIC & SS Cone UU See CR EUnet ec ea am ey eeu emacs ON ete Ce emer ecu acs Decne Soe eee ce ete as ee ke Ore C Mca mcerces Sete ee ORCS ite eee Sue ey require players to take randomness into account to make the right decisions. ° + Adds uncertainty, excitement, and suspense + Allows players of various skill levels to compete The greater the level of randomness in a game, the more likely it is for the weaker player to win + Forces players to adapt to circumstances ‘Making changes to strategy on the fly due to unforeseen events can be very engaging ° + Can cause a sense of “unfairness” When a player makes the right move, but loses anyway due to random chance, this can seem unfair + Can disempower players If players sense that their actions have less influence than random chance, they may feel the entire game is pointlessBACKGAMMON Backgammon is a board game of ancient origin first found in Rome and the Byzantine empire. It spread to Egypt around 3500 BCE and is now one of the most widely played games in the world. It is one of the oldest two-player games in existence. HOw BACKGAMMON USES THE CHANCE MECHANIC Players start Backgammon with an equal number of pieces in the same arrangement that they must move from one side of the board to the other. Each turn, players roll two dice which they may spend to move their pieces that far along the board. Although the die rolls are random, there is a good deal of skill in selecting which pieces to move when. Rolling doubles has the special effect of letting the player use each dice twice. In fact, they must use each dice twice. This is a powerful effect that occurs roughly 1/6th of the time, and allows players to move farther faster. This can let a player who is behind catch up, or let weaker players take advantage of luck to overcome a better opponent.4. HIDDEN ROLES &&, RC CORO CoE CR Dy ete ees Neca random card which only they can look at. This role might give them a special ability, eee Cut eC Rue cue Vere See etc kta aS the other players have, while keeping your own role secret. ° + Adds Uncertainty The element of random chance means you can never be certain who has what role + Good Social Interaction Since you need to figure out other players’ roles, interacting with them is important + Lets players bluff Some players greatly enjoy deceiving each other and making risky bluffs + Memorable moments and surprises All of the above leads to many memorable moments and surprises when it is revealed who had which role ° + Requires specific skills + Deception doesn’t appeal to all players + Can lead to arguments and disputes If players become very invested in these games, real feelings of betrayal can emergeWEREWOLF Originally designed in the Soviet Union in the 1986 by Dimitry Davidoff, Werewolf (or ‘Mafia, as itis often also called) is a popular social party game. Variants of Werewolf and Mafia have been published by a number of companies, but the rules are available online. HOW WEREWOLF USES THE HIDDEN ROLES MECHANIC Werewolf pits two teams against each other (villagers vs. werewolves). At the start of the game, everyone is assigned randomly to one team or the other. There are always more villagers than werewolves The villagers do not know who is on what team, but the werewolves know who else is a werewolf. The goal of the villagers is to kill all the werewolves. The goal of the werewolves is to kill enough villagers so there are an equal number of villagers and werewolf players The game is played in two phases, Day and Night. Each day, the villagers must publically vote to “kill” one player (hopefully a werewolf). At night, the werewolves secretly select one villager to kill. The bulk of the game is spent trying to convince the other players of one’s innocence, and to try and determine which players are the real werewolves (or if you are a werewolf, pointing the blame at someone else). it {Coren ]Cee TRU aa Tomi *| CM eR Cee ea ee Ck Cae Ce Reena eS ne RUE ea eens a ac RL Deiat oe ee ee ek eeu ce pretending to have a strong and when they have a weak hand, or vice-versa. ec erie mae om Ce eee RLY Pasian eae eo ae een) RO Ue Rune eck ue cana ° + Adds an element of skill to chance-based games + Reward the ability to “read” other players + Increases the tension brought on by uncertainty + Can cause exciting swings in momentum when they work 2 + Requires specific skills + Deception doesn’t appeal to all players + Can lead to arguments and disputes If players become very invested in these games, real feelings of betrayal can emergePOKER Made popular in 19th century America, Poker is one of the most widely played games of chance in the world. Unlike many other gambling games (such as craps, roulette, and slot machines) poker has a strong element of skill, mostly in the form of bluffing and reading other players. There are many popular variants of poker, including Five-Card Draw, Seven-Card Stud, and Texas Hold ‘Em, each of which deals the cards ina different way. Although gambling is not accepted in all societies, the mechanics that make poker a good game should be studied and appreciated HOW POKER USES THE BLUFFING MECHANIC In poker, each player is dealt a hand of cards (how many depends on which version you are played). Players make opening bets based on the strength of their hands, and then get to add more cards to improve them. After each round of hand improvement, players may raise the stakes, pass, or fold (quit the game) If at least two players do not fold, hands are revealed and the player with the best hand wins all the money that was bet (i.e. the pot). There are many opportunities to bluff in poker. For instance, you may have a great hand, but you do not want your opponents to fold -- in fact, you want them to raise the stakes -- so you represent a bad hand. The opposite is just as often the case; a player has a bad hand, but they make a large raise to get their opponents to fold The better players become at this bluffing game, the deeper the bluff goes. Maybe you make a huge raise in the hopes that your opponent will think you are bluffing, but in actuality you really do have a great hand. These double bluffs can get quitenn 6. TACTICAL CARDS OS\ Ree cue ecu ee Ou Rae ea ena hae Cet incur gue CAT eu a cards you think you'll need and discarding the rest), but mostly refers to acting and ete Cua Takes Prete Oca a Meee RRS enMeekukcr emer ° + Adds an element of chance by random draw + Replayability Because every time you play, you will draw different cards, tactical card games are highly replayable + Highly skill-based Even though the cards you draw are random, knowing when and how to use them is dependant on player skill + Meaningful Choice With many cards in hand, choices can be very complex and mean the difference between defeat and victory ° + Can lead to analysis paralysis Players might have trouble deciding between the many cards in their hands unless the benefits of each are clear + Complex Can become overly complex if care is not given to intuitive design + Intimidating ‘Managing a hand can be intimidating for beginning playersLOVE LETTER Love Letter was designed by Seiji Kanai and published by AEG in 2012 as part of their “Tempest” series of games. Because it is fast and light, but deep, it quickly became one of the best selling games of that year, and continues to be a bestseller for AEG. It received multiple honors, including the Origins Award for Best Traditional Game, the Diana Jones Award for Excellence in Gaming, and was nominated for the Spiel de Jahres (German Game of the Year) in 2014. How LOVE LETTER USES THE TACTICAL CARDS MECHANIC Love Letter is one of the simplest tactical card games of its era. Players take turns playing cards, attempting to eliminate their opponents, until just one player remains. Players have a hand of one card. Each turn they draw a second card, and decide which one to play. Even though players must choose between these two cards, the game is surprisingly deep, especially because you must choose which other player to target and which card to save for a more opportune moment. The game also incorporates bluffing and memory, since the cards reference one another, and you often are required to guess your opponents’ hand7. RESTRICTED COMMUNICATION © Dee eed cane eat rad cect ncn ecu ke ae ce ec eee ea Ly eer eee Rn Ta SOS Cae eS Rte Recta Ue Rage eat RCE UR Ra Rec AU eee but obscure to others. Other games that rely on hidden information don't allow you to directly tell your teammates, for example, what cards are in your hand, but allow you OnE tt ° + Can be a source of humor + Challenges the social part of players’ brai s + Rewards a different skill set than many other games + Makes games “fun” and “light” 3 + Relies on engaged players to supply the fun + Can turn off shy playersCHARADES Charades is a common party game popular in the U.S. and Europe. It is easy to play because it requires no components, and the rules are simple and well known. Versions of Charades have been adapted into game shows on a number of TV networks. HOw CHARADES USES THE RESTRI COMMUNICATION MECHANIC In Charades, players are divided into two teams. A list of words are generated (often commonly known movies, books, actors, and so on). In turn, each player is given a word, and must act out that word for their team without speaking or writing. If the player's team guesses the word within a time limit (often a minute), that team wins a point. A system of charades sign languages has been developed to help communicate ideas for common words such as “Movie” “TV” and “Book.” Additionally it is common to hold up fingers to show how many words are in the secret phrase, and to direct the team which word and which syllable of the word the acting player is addressing. A common start to a Charades round might be a rapid set of signals like “Movie. Three Words... First word, First syllable sounds like..” From there, the skill is in coming up with evocative gestures to communicate ideas and sounds as quickly as possible.Yoh aT Cc ‘Many games incorporate voting as a mechanic when decisions need to be made by a group. Players each select an option, and then preferences are revealed and tallied, PUP Oe ema eae ec ca NO ut ears ree cu ae tur cass Pee eee a ates ieee er mea ey CURE CCR RU RR RU ROR UL RU me Ree Cron ee ° + Widely Known Voting is a common activity in civic life, most people already understand it + Allows players to use social skills strategically The ability to explain your position proves useful when voting comes up in games + Skill-based, not luck-based Because the outcome is determined totally by players, voting is a skill-based way to settle uncertain outcomes ° + Situational Voting mechanics only work in specific types of games where players have shared interests + Ties If you use voting, you must figure out how (or if) ties are broken + Arguing ‘Sometimes vote-based games can break down into long arguments that ruin the pace of the gameTHE RESISTANCE The resistance is a social, hidden-role based game designed by Don Eskridge and published by Indie Board and Cards in 2009. It bares a similarity to Werewolf and other hidden-role games, but became very popular because of its compact box, exciting theme, and tense mechanics. Notable variants include Resistance Avalon, which is set in King Arthur's court. How THE RESISTANCE USES THE VOTING MECHANIC The Resistance pits two teams (the Resistance and the Spies). Like Werewolf, the spies know who one another are, but the resistance starts the game with no information about who is who. Each turn, a new players is selected as “leader” and that leader makes a “team” to go on a “mission.” Before the team can go on the mission, everyone at the table must vote on whether or not the team is acceptable. The vote begins with a public debate, then everyone secretly selects Yes or No and reveals it simultaneously. This voting round is one of the primary sources of information for the resistance to determine who is on their side. If a player votes no, why not? If they voted yes, why? The missions in resistance are the voting mechanic in another form - secret ballot Everyone on the current team plays one face down card to the center of the table. The card is either a “Pass” card or a “Fail” card. The Resistance must play a pass card, but the Spies can play either pass or fail. The cards are mixed together to obscure who played which card, and then revealed. If even one Fail card appears, the mission fails. The object of the game for the Resistance is to figure out who is a spy, and keep them off of teams by voting. The object of the team for the Spies is to convince the Resistance that they are on their side, and then get on teams to play Fail cards in the secret ballot9. PRESS YOUR LUCK *@ en tea eee Ie Ce a Reece uy for players. First, a player take an action that results in some reward (usually points or in-game currency). Then they are given an opportunity to risk what they've won to earn a greater reward. Game shows such as Let's Make A Deal, Deal or No Deal, and Press Serre Se ee eee ee ee nec eae a ee a Sd as the turn progresses. ° + Adds an element of skill to random chance Players can try to figure out what their odds are, and weigh the risk vs. the reward before they decide to continue + Appeals to different player types Conservative players can play safe and earn steady rewards, while adventurous players can continue to take big risks for greater payouts. + High Tension The risk of overbidding, or underbidding is a tense one A bid is almost always a meaningful decision + Tense The moment before a press your luck action is resolved is very suspenseful, and the resolution is exciting no matter what the results are. Either it’s a big, odds-defying win, or a colossal failure. There is no in-between. + Mistakes are punishing Big risks can often mean big crashes, which leads to unbalanced games where players are mathematically eliminated + Negative Feedback Loop if a player does poorly, they must take greater risks to catch up The greater risks they take, the more likely they are to continue to failZombie Dice was designed by Steve Jackson and published by Steve Jackson Games in 2010. It is a simple, dice-based game with an appealing theme, and it won the 2010 Origins Award for best Children’s and Family Game. Press your luck is the central mechanic of Zombie Dice. Each round, the active player rolls three dice. The dice can either show be Brains (good), Bullets (bad), or footprints (nothing). The dice are color coded by danger level, so the dice with the most bullets are red, and the fewest bullets are green. After you roll, you score all the Brains you rolled, and then decide to roll again with more dice, or keep what you've banked. Each time you roll a bullet, you must set it aside. If you ever get 3 bullets set aside, the round ends and you lose all the brains you scored> 10. NEGOTIATION/TRADING 4 Games that use trading let players swap resources with one another. Typically, the players that trade are opponents who are trying to make a deal that benefits both Pee ae AC ke el ah mee games (3+ players). Sometimes the trades are not made for resources, but for actions or assistance in game actions. Trading in this way is often referred to as negotiation. ° + Adds player interaction + Rewards deal-making ability It's good for games to reward more than one skill set + Helps distribute resources You don't have to worry as much about chance preventing players from acquiring needed resources if they can trade to obtain them. ° + Relies on players Some players just prefer not to trade, so they don't take that action. This can cause a game that relies on trades for resource distribution to break + Politics Players can make unfair deals to benefit friends Even players making fair, reasonable deals can shut out certain players This leads to a feeling of unfairness, or being targetedSETTLERS OF CATAN Settlers of Catan is the game credited with beginning the “euro game" revolution in America. It was designed by Klauss Tauber and published in 1995. The game has been produced by a wide variety of publishers, and remains one of the top selling hobby board games in the world. It won the Spiel De Jahres in 1995, and has been given many other awards and honors since then. HOW SETTLERS OF CATAN USES THE NEGOTIATION/TRADING MECHANIC ISettlers of Catan uses die rolls to determine which player receives resources. This is based on the position of players settlements on a board near various resource generating tiles (sheep, wood, brick, stone, and others). Each round, the dice are rolled and resource cards are awarded to players based on the outcome. Players then have the ability to trade resource cards among themselves to make sets that they can spend to build more settlements, roads, or special cards The trading in the game is primarily a method of fixing the randomness of resources, and enables the game to run smoothly even if players are unlucky.11. ACTION POOL Cee EE Re eh ee Maced Ler Rn etry ee aera et caesar mee ttc hy Cee eeu ee Cn iCuee This can take the form of tokens, an action track that is progressed, or in some cases no OREN Sun aC MCUs Cue ace ate eu ca aa Bee ie at aun eects a eure ee ee at) Ee eee ge ee ee eee ee ce ° + Allows players more freedom in how they play the game + Allows the game to have more complex actions + Allows many different strategies and tactics The concept of bidding for something is familiar to most players since the practice of auctions is very common in real life + Allows inclusion of situational actions Some actions are only useful in certain situations, but with action pools, you don't need to do an action unless you want to This gives players the option, and suggests that it might be strategically valuable, without making it an entire phase or step of the game ° + Can lead to analysis paralysis With many different actions and combinations of actions, players may get stuck figuring out what the best course of action is + Complex Beginners may be intimated by long lists of actions Long lists of actions are also difficult to remember + Pacing Having turns that include a string of multiple actions could lead to a slow pace and more downtime Simplifying turn structure (Move then Act, no pool) could solve this issueSTAR TREK FLEET CAPTAINS Star Trek Fleet Captains was designed by Mike Elliott, Bryan Kinsella, and Ethan Pasternack and published by WizKids in 2011. It uses miniatures to experience scenarios based on the Star Trek TV and film series. It was nominated for the International Gamers Award in 2012. HOw STAR TREK FLEET CAPTAINS USES THE ACTION POOL MECHANIC In Star Trek Fleet Captains, players each control a small fleet of ships (usually between one and five ships). Each ship is allowed to move once per turn. Additionally, players are allowed to take up to three special actions per turn, which could be attacking an enemy ship, scanning space, using the ship's systems to achieve an effect, gaining control of territory, or adjusting the abilities of the ship. Each ship may only act once, so if you have more than 3 ships, not all of them may take an action, and if you have fewer than three ships, you may not be able to use all your actions. Other actions in the game include repairing ships and adding new ships to your fleet. The wide variety of actions and combinations appeals to hobby gamers and fans of Star Trek, but has less appeal for casual gamers.