Best Game Mechanics

[YorkNecromancer]

Simple enough.

What are the best (or simply your favourite) tabletop boardgame/wargame mechanics that you've used in a game?

I'm a huge fan of White Wolf's Storyteller RPG system. It uses a D10 based 'successes' system, where you roll a number of D10s equal to one trait representing you innate ability, and another trait representing your training. (So, in weightlifting, you might roll two dice for your Strength, and four for your Athletics). Every 8+ is a 'success'; one success means you did okay, five means you did amazingly well. Tens 'explode' and allow you another roll (where another ten means another re-roll and so on).

It's a great system for almost anything that isn't combat, which has never really been a problem for the games I run. (In one five year campaign, gaming for five hours every Friday night, there was exactly one fight. My games don't really involve fighting all that much).

I also like 40Ks 'AP' system; I know a lot of people seem to prefer a modifier, but I remember playing with those back in the old Rogue Trader days, and all it meant in practise was that no-one got a save, ever. I like how the current AP rules make each special weapon so specifically tactical - there's a real difference between flamer, plasma and melta, for example. I'm of the opinion that more rules = slower, more boring games, so anything which streamlines play is always a good thing in my book.

What about other people? What game mechanics do you really like?

[Denzark]

Blip tokens in Space Crusade. Especially the blank decoy ones. Ratchets up the tension.

[Mr Mystery]

White wolf for me too. Especially as you can add stunt dice if you get a particularly cool description from the player.

Other than that, Warhammer 8th Ed. Tickles all my special places!

[Psychosplodge]

Other than that, Warhammer 8th Ed. Tickles all my special places!

I don't think it's supposed to that

[Kirsten]

two game mechanics that I am very keen on lately for Infinity and Bolt Action. they each work for their system really well.

In Infinity it is the ability to react to the opponent, so if your character sees an enemy sticking his head out of cover, you can take a pot shot for example. makes the whole game feel really alive and action packed.

For Bolt Action, there are six different orders you can give. each order is on one face of a six sided order die. take a die for each of your units, put it in a bag with your opponent's order dice, draw one at random. whoever it belongs to assigns it to one of their units, with the order they are being given face up beside the unit, and carry it out. then draw again. very very simply handles a lot of options, and keeps you guessing.

[40kGamer]

In Infinity it is the ability to react to the opponent, so if your character sees an enemy sticking his head out of cover, you can take a pot shot for example. makes the whole game feel really alive and action packed.

I love this mechanic! Pretty cool how they bill it as 'always your turn' in the videos.

Plus there's something so satisfying when your opponent has a smug look after hitting on 4 dice only to have it all go away when you roll a single critical. :p

[Psychosplodge]

I like the flux card games mechanics the randomness makes the game rather interesting

[Kirsten]

I have only had a few games, but it was awesome when I got my band into the perfect positions and my opponent had to try and wade through a hail of reactions shots to get anywhere

[DarkLink]

I love this mechanic! Pretty cool how they bill it as 'always your turn' in the videos.

Plus there's something so satisfying when your opponent has a smug look after hitting on 4 dice only to have it all go away when you roll a single critical. :p

Yeah, Infinity's whole face-to-face mechanic is brilliant. There's a lot of tactical depth in deciding what actions and reactions to take all wrapped up in something that's incredibly easy to play.

[daboarder]

Yeah, Infinity's whole face-to-face mechanic is brilliant. There's a lot of tactical depth in deciding what actions and reactions to take all wrapped up in something that's incredibly easy to play.

the elegance of that ruleset goes even further in that pretty much EVERYTHING you do is just a basic stat check, and it is all inherent to the rules themselves, there are no "super secret special awesomesauce" exceptions because the core mechanic handles everything from pg1. Wonderful game system

[Morgrim]

While there are some nasty issues in other areas, I love Dark Heresy/Rogue Trader's critical damage tables. 20 pages of truly entertaining ways of suffering severe injury, all based on the body part struck and method of damage. It's characterful, grimdark and funny all at the same time. The psychic tables in general for a similar atmospheric reason. I specialised in playing psykers and after experiencing how things can go wrong even when they go right, and the horrifying effects of the perils of the warp when it isn't being abstracted to 'take one wound', you better understand why everyone is scared of them.

[Darren Richardson]

Blip tokens in Space Crusade. Especially the blank decoy ones. Ratchets up the tension.

ohh yes, the blank blips really do add to the game.

- - - Updated - - -

for me, it's the core basic D20 system, at it's most basic, it's a great system for RPG's and Skirmish games, it's only when you added tons of OGL extras that it get's bogged down.

It's why they have been able to recreate old school RPG's such as OSRIC.

[CoffeeGrunt]

I like the Order system for Imperial Guard, it really adds to some narrative moments during the game. In addition to that, Malifaux's Death Marshals are fun to play because of the ability to lock your opponent in a coffin and carry him away. Stole my opponent's leader in a demo game and ran away, cheating the cards so that he stayed in the box until I'd carried him out of the fight.

I also liked Firestorm Armada's means of dealing damage, 4s inflict a Hit, 6s Explode and the re-rolls also Explode on 6s. Nice and simple, and lets you concentrate on your positioning and flanking. I'm looking forward to seeing what Spartan Games does with the Halo IP they've acquired based on this.

I never played much Dark Heresy, but one session involved us raiding an Ork camp and hiding behind a Pile O' Gunz. The Orks saw us and swarmed over the pile, we retreated and I fired my Hand Flamer at the pile of loose ammunition. I love the rule where you get a Crit when you roll a 1 on the D100, can't remember the name of it right now. We sent most of a Mob of Boyz up in flame and it was my only decent kill the whole time I played the character. He was otherwise a Priest who healed the injured and didn't love fighting other humans, only the Xenos and the Mutant.

[Kirsten]

I am very pleased with my game mechanics so far :D

[JMichael]

+1 for Infinity!
The 'always your turn' bit and d20's has me hooked. I also really like opposed rolls (Warmachine/Hordes does this too) where to hit it is your Ballistic Skill vs the target's agility/size/defense, etc.
I love having to really pay attention during your opponent's turn for your reactionary shooting.

Also X-Wing for alternating Pilot and Skill activation.
I love me some 40k (been playing since '89) but I also really appreciate games that try and get away from the 'your turn, my turn' mechanic.

[Alex Knight]

Malifaux's got a few I like. And since I am a fan of lists:
- Cheating fate. Need a symbol to trigger an ability? Drop the card that has it.
- Schemes. Wait, with the right scheme, I can get wiped and still win? Sure!

I agree on the WW/ TOP Storyteller mechanic.

I also like Fate's character creation. It forces (ish) you to create your character's concept before their "build", since that generates your "Aspects" which will benefit you for acting within the character's idiom.

Pathfinder Adventure Card Game. And really, any card game in that vein where your deck also represents your "Hit Points." (Dragonball Z was the first TCG that I know of that did that.)

Speaking of card games. I think Fantasy Flight's Star Wars LCG has an interesting deck building mechanic. Pick your objectives, and that's where your decklist comes from. Makes the question of agonizing over two copies of a card, or three of them moot.

I love asymmetrical game play. Netrunner comes to mind. Any game in which my means to win are entirely different from yours, I like. I rather liked the personal victory conditions of Dead of Winter as well. Collectively we won, but because I succeeded in my own personal goal, I win more. HAHAHAHAHA!

Finally, hidden loyalty games are fun to me as well. I love that double-guessing paranoia.

[Deadlift]

My own experience says X-Wing. When two kids 5 and 7 can learn the simple rules and happily play a game and have as much fun as me in a Tournament, I think it's hard to argue that the games mechanics are anything but great.

[YorkNecromancer]

Malifaux's 'Control deck' system is awesome as well; the fact you have what is a essentially a hand of dice you can use to influence any 'roll' in the game is a great one. never managed to play a game of it, but the rules just seem really fun.


My own experience says X-Wing. When two kids 5 and 7 can learn the simple rules and happily play a game and have as much fun as me in a Tournament, I think it's hard to argue that the games mechanics are anything but great.

Thinking about it, this really should be the acid test of a game's core systems; the expansions should be the thing that take a game into the realms of 'mature/adult' play.

[40kGamer]

If we are throwing in Board Games as well... the second edition War of the Ring from ARES games has amazing asymmetrical thematic play and really cool game mechanics. Especially the dice mechanic where you roll to see what actions are available to you.

And if you want awesome historical game mechanics it's hard to beat those found in PIQUET Field of Battle Second Edition. (same mechanics are in FOB WW2 and Pulse of Battle Ancients) The mixture of dice & card deck mechanics ensure that even in a period of linear warfare, no two games play the same. Hands down my favorite game mechanics for Horse & Musket.

[Al Shut]

Malifaux's got a few I like. And since I am a fan of lists:
- Cheating fate. Need a symbol to trigger an ability? Drop the card that has it.


Malifaux's 'Control deck' system is awesome as well; the fact you have what is a essentially a hand of dice you can use to influence any 'roll' in the game is a great one. never managed to play a game of it, but the rules just seem really fun.

I like how the control deck is used not only for cheating fate but also for a lot of other aqbilities, like avoiding instant kill abilities or the Defense value of Void Wretches or the Nothing Beast.

[Darren Richardson]

While there are some nasty issues in other areas, I love Dark Heresy/Rogue Trader's critical damage tables. 20 pages of truly entertaining ways of suffering severe injury, all based on the body part struck and method of damage. It's characterful, grimdark and funny all at the same time. The psychic tables in general for a similar atmospheric reason. I specialised in playing psykers and after experiencing how things can go wrong even when they go right, and the horrifying effects of the perils of the warp when it isn't being abstracted to 'take one wound', you better understand why everyone is scared of them.

Iron Crown Enterprises's Middle Earth Role Playing game (and it's Rolemaster game as well) had a similar thing, with results such as every bone in your body shatters and you turn into a pile of jelly like goo, and such :D