Kathleen Mmmmmmmmmmmmmercury!
7th Grade Apogee
Mechanics determine the function of the game, i.e. what players actually
do to play the physical game.
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We are going to choose a practice theme.
 As we discuss each mechanic, brainstorm how to apply
that mechanic to our practice theme.
 Write that in the space provided.
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Then, draw a symbol or write a keyword in the
space provided to help you remember the
mechanic.
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The number of actions a
player may take during a
turn (or possibly a game)
is limited by a pool of
points.
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How many points do
players get? Can they
gain or lose points? What
do actions costs in
relation to each other?
Babel
Cogno
 Hey That’s My Fish!
 Survive!
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Players score points or
gain abilities by having
more of their units in
an area than another
player.
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How do you define the
area? How many
areas? What
captures/blocks an
area? Can an area be
shared?
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Enemy Chocolatier
Finca
Fjords
Kahuna
Rattus
Risk
Tower of Babel
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Players attempt to
enclose the largest
playing region.
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How do they mark the
boundaries of their
region? How do they
expand/how are they
limited?
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Blokus
Carcassonne
Go
Oasis
Othello
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Players move pieces
(whether they be
cavalry, infantry or
dinosaurs) across
discrete, divided regions
across the board.
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How do you determine
how players will move?
Can they move on only
their territory, open
common space, or
enemy territory?
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Panic Station
Red November
Risk
Stratego Legends
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Players use resources of
one kind to obtain
different resources in
direct rivalry with other
players.
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What is the base price?
How much can items
increase, by what
increments ? How do
players bid—in order,
openly, secretly? Is it
mandatory or optional to
bid?
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Billionaire
Detroit Cleveland
Grand Prix
Hollywood Blockbuster
Modern Art
Monopoly
Oasis
Shazamm!
Tower of Babel
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Players speculate or
gamble on the
outcome of something
over which they may or
may not have direct
control.
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Are bids public or
secret? Do players
keep or lose
money/tokens in lost
bids?
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Cloud 9
Crunch
Igloo Pop
Liar’s Dice
Power Puff Girls:
Saving the World
Before Bedtime
Renfield
Shogun
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The outcome or
occurrence of some
events is driven by a
card deck.
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Castle Panic
Great Brain Robbery
Powerpuff Girls: Mojo
Jojo Attacks Townsville
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A selection of options
(cards, tiles, etc.) are
chosen by the player.
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How many cards may be
taken? Is there a
maximum or a
minimum? How do you
get new cards? How
many at a time? Can the
hand size ever increase
or decrease?
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Alhambra
King of Tokyo
Ticket to Ride
Ticket to Ride: Europe
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Random elements are
introduced into a game
by drawing from a bag
or other device.

How many chits are
pulled? Can you pull
chits and put them
back? What are on the
chits?
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Castle Panic
Neuroshima Hex!
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Players are usually
fighting against the
game system itself as a
team, rather than each
other.
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How do players win?
Lose? How do you
balance the strength of
the players on the
board?
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Castle Panic
Forbidden Island
Lomby Zombie
Pandemic
Scotland Yard
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The value of resources
changes during the
game and players
typically buy and sell in
order to take
advantage of these
changes.
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Acquire
Huzzah!
Modern Art
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Players form
conclusions based on
available premises and
if these conclusions are
valid, that will lead
players faster towards
their aims.
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Chrononauts
Clue
Coda
Da Vinci Code
Loch Ness
Mr. Jack
Pow Wow
Scotland Yard
The Resistance
Werewolf
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Players' physical
reflexes and
coordination
determine overall
success.
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Hula Hippos
Igloo Pop
Inner Circle
Leverage
Nacht Der Magier
Rattlesnake
Stack Market
Vampires of the Night
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Outcomes are
determined solely or
mainly by rolling dice.
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Battleship Express
Carcassonne (Dice
game)
Catch the Mice
HP: Sorcerer’s Stone
Jamaica
King of Tokyo
Lucky Loop
Masons
Ninja vs. Ninja
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Risk
Risk Express
Roll Through the Ages
Stack Market
Survive
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Resources (usually
cards) are held in a
player's hand, and
generally determine
the particular tactics or
strategies a player
takes.
Alhambra
Apples to Apples
Cartagena
Castle Panic
Clue
Cosmic Encounter
Detroit Cleveland
Grand Prix
 Dracula
 Hare and Tortoise
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Kahuna
Kill Dr. Lucky
LOTR: The Duel
Modern Art
Neuroshima Hex!
Oasis
Pandemic
Surf’s Up Dude
Ticket to Ride
Tsuro
Wasabi
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Players are required to
recall information
without being able to
refer to external
sources.
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Codebreaker
Cogno
Dracula
Enemy Chocolatier
Magic Labyrinth
Mastermind
Snorta
Stratego Legends
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The game board is not
fixed but comprises
discrete units that are
either laid out in a
pattern from the start
or develops over time.
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aMAZEing Labyrinth
Cartagena
Dragonriders
Forbidden Island
Hey That’s My Fish
LOTR: The Search
Ricochet Robots
Stratego Legends
Survive
Tongiaki
Zombie in My Pocket
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Players record
information about the
game state on paper
rather than on a board.
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Roll Through the Ages
Lomby Zombie
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Two or more players
work as a team.
Knights of
Charlemagne
 The Resistance
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Players use game
components to form
required shapes.
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Ingenious
Fits
Othello
Pentago
Pente
Shear Panic
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Players are competing
to identify matching
types.
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Monkey Madness
Othello
Pente
Pentago
Set
Tip the Scale
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Something needs to
be transported in some
fashion to a different
location on the board,
often to earn other
resources.
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Empire Builder
Niagara
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Pieces are moved from
a specific location to
another specific
location in a defined
fashion.
Hey That’s My Fish
Ice Flow
Kill Dr. Lucky
Pandemic
PPG: Mojo Jojo Attacks
Townsville
 Royal Masquerade
 Tongiaki
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Players may repeat an
action (or part of an
action) until he/she
decides to stop due to
increased (or not) risk
of losing points or a
turn.
Aquadukt
 Can’t Stop
 Cloud 9
 Roll Through the Ages
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Every player must secretly choose a series of
actions, and then each player plays their turns out
according to the choices made.
 This can be similar to Simultaneous Action
Selection except usually multiple choices must be
programmed at once.
 Duck Duck Go, RoboRally, Jamaica (possibly)
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There is a circular
hierarchy for which
pieces win/capture
others. That is, while A
might beat B, and B
beat C, C beats A.
 Rock-Paper-Scissors is
a subcategory of
Simultaneous Action
Selection or Trick
Taking.
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Hoity Toity
Stratego Legends
Rock Paper Scissors
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Players move tokens of
some kind according to
the roll of a die or dice.
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Clue
Da Vinci Code
Easy Money
Great Brain Robbery
Kitty Chaos
Marrakech
Ninja vs. Ninja
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Players connect points
or areas on the board
by playing their pieces
on intervening areas or
spaces.
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Empire Builder
Expedition
Kahuna
Ticket to Ride
Trans Europa
Tsuro
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Players place their
pieces secretly and
they are only revealed
when encountered by
other pieces.
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Scotland Yard
Stratego
Survive
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Players attempt to
assemble collections of
resources.
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Alhambra
Babel
California
Finca
Forbidden Island
Fossil
Hare and Tortoise
Hoity Toity
Hollywood Blockbuster
Niagara
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Pandemic
Save Dr. Lucky
Spy Alley
Ticket to Ride
Tip the Scale
Tower of Babel
Zooloretto
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The thematic element
overrides all other
concerns in an attempt
to simulate a particular
environment as
accurately as possible
with the constraints of
a board game.
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Jamaica, Techno
Witches
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Players select or play
their action or choice at
the same time.
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Apples to Apples
Hoity Toity
Labyrinth Treasure
Hunt
Niagara
PPG: Saving the Day
Before Bedtime
The Target
Shazamm!
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A unique, innovative
mechanic not widely
seen in other games
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Niagara
Ice Flow
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Companies operate
and are controlled or
influenced by the
actions of the players,
with the majority stock
holder determining the
action.
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Acquire
Bull Market
Imperial*
Stock Exchange
A large amount of text
via printed resource or
with the players
themselves is used
during the game to
shape the action.
 Mostly used in Role
Playing Games (RPGs)
 Dixit
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The game board is
created, rather than
existing in a fixed form.
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Acquire
Alhambra
aMAZEing Labyrinth
Aquadukt
Blokus
California
Carcassonne
Dante’s Inferno
Fjords
Ice Flow
Ingenious
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Maori
Marrakech
Neuroshima Hex!
Oasis
Tsuro
Wasabi!
Zooloretto
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A game mechanic in
which players
exchange resources
between one another
or with the game
system to advance
their position.
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Bull Market
Castle Panic
Monopoly
Pandemic
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All players play a card
(or cards) and one of
the cards then wins
according to the game
rules.
24 Countdown Game
PPG: Saving the World
Before Bedtime
 Renfield
 Tip the Scale
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A turn comprises a
number of phases but
these phases do not
necessarily occur in the
same order each turn
(or sometimes not
every turn.)
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Ice Flow
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Players have access to
different abilities to
each other.
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Bacchus’ Banquest
Cosmic Encounter
Forbidden Island
Mr. Jack
Neuroshima Hex!
Pandemic
Rattus
Stratego Legends
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The outcome of certain
game events is
determined by the joint
decision of all players.
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Lifeboats
The Resistance
Werewolf
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Players draft individual actions from a set
that is available to all players.
 Drafting is done one-at-a-time and in turn order.
 Once drafted, an action can no longer be taken
until a subsequent turn or until the action space is
no longer occupied by a worker.
 Usually, each player has a limited number of
pieces with which to participate in the process.
 In other words, they "place workers" to show
which actions have been drafted by which players.
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Stone Age
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Questions: How many
workers do you get?
Can you gain or lose
workers? How many
choices are available?
How often do you
place workers?

After you have chosen your game’s theme,
think about...
 How each mechanic can help players achieve the
goals of your theme
 The benefits and limitations of a particular
mechanic
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You will choose 2 or so mechanics, so think
about the important elements of your theme
and how the mechanics can fit them.