How to capture the game mechanics of ANY game!

#gamedesign, #gamedevelopment, #boardgames
Building up a library of game mechanics that you can reference later is an awesome way to help inspire your next game idea.

In this video I share what I am doing to ensure I capture all the key elements of a game so that I can call upon them when needed!

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[donaldkehler]

These people putting wine glasses near their Jenga game at 5:50 are really living on the edge!

[HeyRamy]

Supporting my favourite BoardGame Channel with this comment to feed the all-mighty algorithm.

[KeithWheelerBooks]

Another great video, Ali. One of my favorite player turn order mechanisms that has been used quite a bit, as of late, is the player behind goes first. When used strategically, a player can set it up so that they can have multiple turns in a row. (Like in Glasgow)

As for player actions, I also like to record how many actions a player can take. While most games have a player take only one action per turn, there are quite a few that allow you to take 3 or 4 actions per turn. Some of those actions can only be done once per turn, while others can be repeated within the same turn. All great information for drawing inspiration.

When it comes to Game end, I also record if the round continues after the end game trigger is met or if it’s immediate. I tend to prefer games where everyone gets 1 last turn after end game trigger.

For luck vs skill, is this where you would record catch-up mechanisms that are in the game?

Sorry for the long comment. When I’m passionate about something, I tend to ramble.

[GamingIndoors]

HI all. I'm pretty sure all designers have a little notebook somewhere - be it digital or old school.... what do you guys use ?

[Pobman]

I tend to write ideas down on my phone on google drive, or preferably my PC. But I also have a white board in my home office which I find invaluable. The large area means I can write, draw diagrams etc.

[boazdror]

Very helpful video, appreciate you sharing your insights! I'm also wondering if analyzing how theme has specifically been integrated into mechanisms might be a valuable question towards discovering hidden designs that may not be readily apparent.

[talktalestudio]

can you make a video for the educational theme board games such as science or history related

[Erynus]

In recent playtests i think i began to see a pattern of "las player advantage" i looked for a while and i didn't saw any video about First Player advantage. Is there any? if not it would be great to know your thoughts on it and a couple of tips on how to manage it.