EXPERIMENT 02 / THE MECHANIC INDEX
NAME THE
DECISION.
Search the vocabulary of tabletop play. These are broad explanations; a particular game’s official rules always define its own version.
Read a mechanism
at three scales.
The move
What does a player physically choose or change on a normal turn? Start with the observable action.
The round
How does the available set of options change as other people act? Look for things that refill, pass around or become unavailable.
The game
Which decisions affect later turns or final scoring? A small immediate effect can have a longer consequence.
Compare two mechanisms ↗