My Top Five Favorite Game Mechanics

My brother Ryan is engaged! Happy Engagement Ryan!

My Top Five Favorite Game Mechanics

(5) Little to No Downtime (such as Simultaneous Action Selection)
Downtime is the drag on all games. Nobody likes to wait around the table doing nothing and waiting for it to be their turn so that they can finally do something. When I design a game, I often think about downtime and strive to eliminate it. In games like 7 Wonders and Sushi Go, however, all players take their turns at the same time, so there is very little downtime. Adding something you can do when it's not your turn, such as trading in Settlers of Catan, can also eliminate downtime. Any game that eliminates excessive sitting around waiting for your turn again has marks for them in my eyes.

(4) Variable Player Powers
I love it when games have variable player powers, or something that you can do that the other players can't. It feels as if you are better at something or more powerful at something. For example, in TZolkin Tribes and Prophecies, a player could be able to treat two wheels as the same wheel, or treat a spot as if it were empty, or pay a corn to do an action right in front of them, basically a turn early. In co-op games such as Pandemic and Forbidden Island the player powers really shine, as it makes you feel like an important member of the team, doing what only you can do.

(3) Deck Building
Dominion is my all time favorite game. I love the idea of deck building, of playing your turn not just for your turn but also setting up what you can do on future turns! If I want to be able to do something on a future turn, I can take this turn to set it up. Something else that is so awesome to me is the idea that at the end of the game your system and another player's system can be completely different, even when you started with the same stuff. And which system to build and how leads to all sorts of awesome things involving my number 1 favorite game mechanic, explained in greater detail below.

(2) Worker Placement
For some reason, the idea of putting a guy in an area to take an action is just so awesome to me. Maybe that's why my game Somerset had a Worker Placement style mechanism. I love the fact that there are only so many things you can do, but they're all there in front of you, and you have to decide which order to do them in, and which ones, adn on top of that it's a race to get to them first becasue in most worker placement games if someone else goes there first you can't go there, so there's a race element to it too.

(1) Multiple Pathways to Victory
I love games that force you to think about which of the multiple pathways you could go down to win. For example, in Village, do you win by sending people on journeys, or getting stuff for the market, or killing people off the fastest, or putting them in the church, etc. etc. In TZolkin, do you go for resources or corn or skulls and which technology track do you focus on? In Dominion, there could be anywhere from 10-15 different paths you could try and take based off of the combos the cards give you. Which combo would work better? Which cards can supplement those? In 7 Wonders, do you go for green, or try blue, or get a lot of brown and grey so that people pay you, or build your Wonder? I love games where there isn't a clear answer on this and you have to choose and hope that for this particular game your choice was the best. It's way better than knowing you have one thing you have to do and then you do it. So, Multiple Pathways to Victory is my favorite game mechanic.

Viticulture and Legacy games

Viticulture is one of the best games ever. If it weren't for the fact that Dominion is my favorite game ever, Viticulture would probably be number one. (Speaking of which, I need to update my Favorite Games list, mine only has three, whereas Alex's has over 50). I don't even know what it is about Viticulture that is so awesome to me. I've been thinking about it, and I guess I really really like worker placement games. Viticulture, Caverna, Village, TZolkin, I don't know, there's something about them that I just really like. With Viticulture there's also the fact that every year your wines age and your crushed grapes in your vats age, and I really like that for some reason. I like being able to construct different buildings that give you certain stuff, but some of them seem to be essential, like you have to get them every game or else you'll lose, like the extensions for your wine storage. Others are just super important but you don't have to have them if you have the right cards, such as the buildings that allow you to plant certain types of grapes in your vineyards. One game I totally got around that by playing a visiter card that allowed me to plant without needing the required buildings. That's another thing: the visitor cards are so rich and varied, and the game automatically gives you one every year, so you don't even have to go out of your way to get one. Although once again there is a building you can buy that will get you two.

Stuff from the Tuscany expansion, I guess, that I love: the mamas and papas at the beginning are super cool. The fact that you can sell some of your starting three fields is really neat, and a lot of visitor cards are from that expansion too I think. Alex said that we didn't need Tuscany because all of the good stuff was already put into the essential edition of Viticulture, and after watching reviews I can see what he means. While some people may think the separation of Summer and Winter worker placement is cool, to me it's just alright, and in Tuscany they even have spots for Spring and Fall workers, which once again I don't think really make the game. And there's an option to make cheese? Which the reviewers were just like, what? Why did you add this to a game about making wine? You're just taking away from its simplicity and goodness. So yeah, I guess we don't need the Tuscany expansion.

So, yeah, Viticulture. Love that game. I've also been thinking a lot about recently, ever since Alex's post about Pandemic Legacy, is legacy games. I've only ever played one, SeaFall, which was awesome, but it apparently is the worst legacy game out there according to some reviewers? Well if that's the worst dude, and I loved it, I can't wait to see what the heck other legacy games are like. And Pandemic Legacy is supposed to be just as good as the first, which is super hard to pull off. (The sequel to anything is hard to pull off.) But they do recommend playing the first one before playing the second one because there are minor spoilers to the first one in the second one. But man, I have no one to play with.

See, that's the main problem. I'd absolutely love to play all these legacy games with people, but with who? Eric and Ryan live at BYU-I, and Alex is still back in Fallon fighting back adulthood as long as he can, and the only time we've had to play a legacy game was during the two week Christmas break. The closet so far since then is Jacob and Brandon suggesting we start a game of Risk Legacy, but once again, when are we going to have time to play it? Getting together once a month? It's super hard for all us of since we all have kids (well, I have kid, soon to be kids) and they are young and need our time and attention and it's really hard to go out and do anything like a legacy game for us. Maybe I'll talk to some fellow teachers and see if they want to do something after school? Besides, you know, work?

Even if I did have a group to play with and a time to play, the next question is: which Legacy game? Jacob suggested Risk Legacy, so if it with that group we could do that, and Alex suggested Pandemic Legacy Season 1, so if it was with that group we could do that. I've already played SeaFall. It's suggested that I play season 1 before I play Pandemic Legacy Season 2. There's a legacy game coming out soon (like, it's already come out? or it will very soon? one of those) called Charterstone, and get this: Charterstone is created by the exact same guy that created, wait for it, Viticulture. The same designer of one of my favorite games created a worker placement legacy game. So that one is definitely on my radar. So which would I play if given the option to play any legacy game I wanted? Well, once again, it would depend on who I played with, but my first pick would be Pandemic Legacy Season 1, followed by Charterstone, followed by Pandemic Legacy Season 2, followed by Risk Legacy. If playing with Alex and Eric, who have already played Season 1, it's a toss up between Season 1 and Charterstone, because they already know everything that happens in Season 1, and Charterstone would be a fresh experience. But, of course, all of this is only hypothetical at this point.

The Shipwreck Arcana

Trapped in a drowned world, you and your allies are doomed -- or are you? Using a mystical deck and a healthy dose of logic, you can predict each others' fates and escape unscathed.

And that is how we are introduced to Mesomorph's newest game, "The Shipwreck Arcana," a cooperative game of deduction and logic. It was on Kickstarter and I found it on Thursday. It seemed interesting, and I considered backing it, but wanted more time to think before I did anything. Unfortunately, I didn't have more time, due to the fact that by the time I found it it had 3 hours left in its campaign. 

Here's the thing with me and Kickstarter: I've only backed three projects, each for $5 or less. The first, "Steampunk Rally," I backed with $5 to get the print and play files, which I then printed off, cut out and formulated, and then gave to my mom for mother's day. The next, "Book of Mormon Heros: The Servant of Helaman," was a computer game created by a member of the church. By pledging $1, I was emailed a link to where I could download the game. I never did download it, come to think of it. Hold on a sec.     . . .     Okay I'm back. So the link I was given: bookofmormongames.com leads me to another page which has a whole bunch of other links to it, and I'm too lazy to try to search for it. Plus, right now it looks like one of those sites that could give you viruses. Anyway, it only cost a dollar and supported him, so all's good. The third project I backed, "Anachrony," was also a $5 pledge to get the print and play version. The difference between this and Steampunk Rally, however, was the fact that Anachrony is huge. Like, really big. Like, it's over 100 pages for just the base game, not including all the expansion stuff I also got. So I never did have the time or money to print it all off. But I still have the files.

So I have never really gotten a game through Kickstarter, just files to print off at home to make my own version. And I'm thinking, it's about time I got one. With Steampunk Rally and Anachrony, to actually get the game would have cost $55 and $59, respectfully. I just don't have that kind of money to spend on games. (Unfortunately. Maybe some day...) But with Shipwreck Arcana, not only did it seem like a really interesting game, it was also only $15 for the entire game, plus all unlocked stretch goals. I got a $25 gift card that I could use for whatever I wanted (read: games) so I decided to go for it. 

The Shipwreck Arcana is a real game about a fictional deck of cards. The deck exists in a world which is described only as "sunken" or "drowned." The world's history is unknown -- but it is hinted at by the fictional illustrator of the tarot deck, providing a glimpse of the history that surrounds it. The Shipwreck Arcana is a compact, cooperative game of deduction, evaluation, and logic, combining simple, speedy play with incredibly deep strategy. Players take turns playing tokens according to rules found on an ever-changing tableau of cards, in order to convey information to the rest of the group before their doom arrives. 2-5 players, 20 minutes, recommended ages 10+.

Although I was kind of rushed with my decision, I still think that it was a good one. In reality, I wasn't that rushed with my decision. I decided to support it, and gave the credit card information for my $25 gift card. A day later I got a notice telling me it was declined because it couldn't accept that kind of card, so I had a week to fix it or just drop out. So I had a week to really decide whether or not to get it, and in the end I decided that it would be a great enjoyable game.

Some reasons I backed it: (1) It is a short game. My favorite type of games are the ones where there's tons of different ways to score points and it's strategy driven and there are multiple paths to victory. For example: T'Zolkin: The Mayan Calendar. Great game, for those very reasons. Also, I'm really looking into a new game called Merlin that fits this exact style. My game Somerset was structured after these ideas. However, sometimes you just need a quick, light game. Timeline, for example. The Shipwreck Arcana lasts only about 20 minutes, and is a filler, which will be a nice breath of air after all the heavy strategy games.

(2) The game is like a series of difficult logic puzzles. You can read the rules and learn more about the game here, but basically every turn a person is using logic to get to to figure out what he has, and you are using logic to figure out what he has. With 30 cards that give a variety of different situations, and 49 (seven times seven) different tile sets you could be given to work the puzzle with, the variety of logic puzzles to solve is near endless.

(3) It supports adding and dropping out players super easily. Have you ever had a game where when you were in the middle of it someone came in and wanted to join, or somebody playing had to leave? This game allows that flexibility without messing up the flow of the game at all.

(4) It has a super quick set up time. One of the reasons why I love Splendor.

So all in all I'm excited for March 2018 to come, when I'll be getting my copy. Yes, in six months. That's about the amount of time it takes to get a game when you back it on Kickstarter after it has been successfully funded.

Games I plan on playing over Christmas break

Okay, so Christmas is in a little less than three weeks. This Christmas Heather, Henry and I are headed down to Fallon to visit my parents this year. Eric, Ryan, and Hannah will also be there. With Alex too, of course, but he lives there so that's a given. My hope is that we'll end up playing a lot of games. Therefore, I have made up a list of games that I plan on playing this Christmas break. Note: In this list if I include a game, I assume all expansions as well, but I'm not going to list them because that would take too much time. So if I say "Dominion" just assume that it includes all of the expansions as well.

I have attached a video to each game from youtube. This video either explains that game, gives a brief overview, gives a run-through or part of a run-through, or reviews it. Or more than one of the above. If you notice a lot of videos come from The Dice Tower, and that's because I like their videos: in their videos they both give a brief overview of how to play and give a review in the same video. Also, I almost never listen to youtube videos on normal speed anymore. There's an option in the bottom right that allows you to adjust the speed, and I almost always watch videos at double speed, or a little less if I can't understand the speaking in them at double speed. Just a hint if you want to watch a video but don't have 15 minutes (or whatever the length is) to spare.

Okay, here we go:

7 Wonders: My second favorite game of all time, right after Dominion. I love this game because there's no downtime, and yet what your neighbors do still affects what you do.

7 Wonders Duel: I have not yet played this game, but I am looking forward to it. The two-player rules of the original 7 Wonders weren't that great, so this game will fill that gap.

Agricola: This was the #1 game on board game geek for a long time. A classic worker placement game that my cousins own. Caverna is even better, but I don't think anyone owns that in my family.

Ashes: Rise of the Phoenixborn: Alex's favorite game, and one which I look forward to playing for the first time on Christmas break. I'll probably start with a pre-set deck.

Avalon: The Resistance: When we first played this years ago, it was me telling everyone the rules, and we used normal playing cards as the cards. Last year my family got the actual game.

The Castles of Burgundy: Another game I have not yet played but am really looking forward to. It is currently #10 on boardgamegeek.com, and I can't wait to try it.

Christmas Present #1: Hey, That's my Fish!?: Okay, so I don't know if I'll get this for Christmas, but I mentioned to my wife in Toys R Us that I wanted it. Brandon has a copy we played, and while it might seem simple on the surface, you can also put some deep strategy into it if you wanted to.

Christmas Present #2: Mystic Vale?: Another game which I'm not sure I'll get but I asked Ryan for it for Christmas so there's a good probability that I'll be unwrapping it Christmas morning.

Christmas Presents other than those, as well as any other games I forgot to put on this list: Any other games we get for Christmas, or that the Jamiesons get for Christmas, or that I forgot to put on this list that I want to play. In other words, this is my misc. category.

Dead of Winter: A semi-cooperative game which I have never got around to playing yet, even though the option has been available to me. Hopefully knowing how to play from this video will help.

Dominion: My favorite game of all time. Plus, for Christmas I asked for some new cards, some of which not even Alex has played with. I hope he still knows where The Card is.

Eldritch Horror: Another game that has been available to play but I've never gotten around to it, but am planning on this trip. Assuming that my family hasn't finished all the modules for it yet.

Elysium: A great game I bought about six months ago. This game and Istanbul I let Eric and Ryan borrow so that they could play at Thanksgiving. If they're reading this: bring it for Christmas, too!

Five Tribes: I haven't yet played with the expansion "that introduces a sixth color of meeple and they're purple" so I'll definitely give that a go this Christmas season.

Istanbul: I really love this game. It's simple and quick and fun. My mom also really loves this game, so much so that I'm making a prediction right now that she'll get it for herself for Christmas.

King of Tokyo: Thus game is really fun. This is a lighter game, a good filler when your brain is tired from all the deep strategy games you've been playing all day. Plus, it's fun to beat up other monsters.

Kingsburg: A worker placement game using dice. I first played this years ago back in Campus Plaza at BYU. So when my family got it for Christmas a few years back I already knew how to play.

Love Letter: So much fun for having so few cards. And it is also very thematic. A quick little card game that is a nice little filler game to pass the time between larger games.

Magic: The Gathering: I haven't played this yet. This is the game that introduced (I think) manna as a resource, as well as tapping cards, which I need to be more familiar with as a game designer.

Monopoly (with Hannah): I have to play at least one game of Monopoly with Hannah this Christmas break. It doesn't even have to be regular Monopoly, it can be dad's Fallonopoly or something.

Oltre Mare: The more goods you can store the smaller your hand limit, but the larger your hand limit the less goods you can store. This is an awesome little mechanic that I quite enjoy.

Pandemic: The first major cooperative game. Pandemic went on to get a Legacy version, which is now #1 on board game geek, but which was already played by my family.

SeaFall: Speaking of Legacy games, I get to play this one! And I'll actually matter in the game; unlike Pandemic Legacy where people can come and go in between games in the campaign and it doesn't really matter, this one suggests having the same people play the same characters the whole time.

Small World: With all the factions, powers, and additional stuff you can add, you can never play the same game twice. But the base game itself is still really fun.

Somerset: I'll be bringing my game so that Alex can play it (he likes games where you collect resources) and so that we can playtest it a little bit as well. No video here, but here's a picture:

Steampunk Rally: I bought the print and play from Kickstarter for $5, then printed everything out and cut it all out and after a lot of time finally got the finished project ready to play.

Summoner Wars: Another one of Alex's favorites. Plus I think since the last time I've played he's gotten even more races/armies that he's told me about.

Terra Mystica: I've only gotten to play this a few times, and I am still majorly working on my strategy (in other words, I'm not very good). But this Christmas break will be a great time to improve.

Ticket to Ride: Any version of this, really. I even got Sarah an LDS version for her birthday a few years ago which they still have in their games closet. In my opinion Europe is better than the original.

Timeline: Another quick, fast game to play if your brain is worn out by heavy strategy games. Even if you remember the dates on the cards to give you edge in future games, you're still learning: win-win.

TZolk'in: The Mayan Calendar: This game is super deep and strategic. The expansion makes it even more fun. You can win in a variety of ways, even if you just go the Corn Strategy the entire time.

Village: A worker placement game where your workers can die. I've only played with the Inn expansion once but won with it, and haven't tried the Port expansion yet.

Zooloretto: A game my family got a little bit ago. I haven't played it yet. One time Hannah woke everybody up in the middle of the night to play it, and they did, so it must be a pretty good game.