If theme is the “why,” mechanics are the “how.” They’re the systems that move your game from beginning to end. They give your game structure and guide players down various paths toward victory.
Contents
- Start Here
- Beginning and End
- Scoring
- Mechanics and Theme
- Economic
- Cooperative
- Worker Placement
- Drafting
- Deck Building
- Engine Building
- Take That
- Trick Taking
- Puzzles
- Legacy
- More Reading
Start Here
Mechanics, Dynamics, Aesthetics, and Board Games
Parallel Design – Main Mechanism VS the Rest of the Game
Euro and Ameritrash: Why Blanket Terminology Is Hurting Us
Beginning and End
Scoring
Fine-Tuning Scoring on Hundred Kings War
Should Games Have a Catch-Up Mechanic
Mechanics and Theme
What Comes First: Theme or Mechanic?
Translating the Controlling Idea Into Theme and Mechanics
Mechanics and Theme: The Best of Friends!
Theme VS Mechanics: The False Dichotomy
Mechanics Are More Important Than Theme
Theme Is More Important Than Mechanics
Avoiding the Trap of Theme VS Mechanics
Economic
Trade Mechanic Equilibrium in Board Games
Market Mechanic Lecture: Retrospective
Cooperative
Cooperative Games: Advice from the Experts
Lessons Learned from Co-op Games
Cooperative Games – The Very Definition of Multiplayer Solitaire?
Making Semi-Cooperative Games Work
Win Ratios in First Time Cooperative Play
Worker Placement
How to Design a Worker Placement Game Part 1
How to Design a Worker Placement Game Part 2
How to Design a Worker Placement Game Part 3
3 Blogs on All the Ins and Outs of Worker Placement
Drafting
Deck Building
4 Blogs on All the Ins and Outs of Deck/Pool Builders
Take That
When Take That Works and When It Fails (Audio)
Trick Taking
Legacy
Epic Game Night Interviews Rob Daviau on Legacy Games
5 Things I learned While Developing Seafall
More Reading
Game Mechanics That Prevent Ganging Up and Turtling