My Top 10 Favorite Game Mechanisms of 2024

[@redstachegames]

For me I think my favorite was Faraway. Playing your cards but then revealing them in reverse order to actually score them. The added element of the ruins for playing a higher card than the last is a fun twist too.

[@Ian-R-Wilz]

This is a cool way to kind of wrap up your favorite mechanism series for the year. I like that it was focusing on one single things in each game. I was thinking the video was going to be general mechanisms. I hope you do this yearly. Blue Prince looks so interesting. I don't play things on digital like that but I might have to look into it. I remember you talking about earlier this year. For some reason I have not been able to figure out how to use Steam in the past. I love the highlight of the day in Let's Go! To Japan. Just an FYI but that mic muffling occurred during this video several times. I don't know when this was recorded but it was the first time I've heard this during a pre-recorded video and not just on a live one.

[@jameystegmaier]

Thanks for the heads up about the mic!

[@Breyfunk]

For Stonemaier games, I adore the dragon guild in Wyrmspan. Whether you use it as a means to gain great in-game benefits, or as a way to drive your goals for the rest of the game. Stamp Swap is an absolute delight. I love how the first player token is a part of the Split, and how much it impacts gameplay. My favorite mechanisms for new to me games in 2024 are the ultra powerful cards in Guild of Merchant Explorers and The Gang turning Texas Hold ‘em into a cooperative game!

[@jameystegmaier]

Thank you! I enjoy those mechanisms too. I just introduced The Gang to family this week. :)

[@jasonmosley6157]

I think a cool game that I played this year was compile. I like the shuffle deck building and lane battling. Two mechanisms that I haven’t seen done well in a while.

[@skilernorton7552]

I really enjoyed this video! Thanks for sharing! I like the idea of the health cards in Flame and Fang; I will have to check it out! A mechanism I enjoyed this year is the combination of dice to create different traits in The Fox Experiment!

[@jameystegmaier]

Thanks Skiler! I like that mechanism too. :)

[@21VN]

I wouldn’t call this a mechanism but one thing in games that I’ve really enjoyed this year is variable boards such as in Shackleton Base or SETI. In Shackleton Base you choose 3 out of 7 corporation boards to use in the game. Each board introduces unique components and/or different ways to interact with game and score points. They all share common mechanisms that are part of the general rules though; so when you play with a new board you don’t have to learn an entire new set of rules. But they add enough variety that games can play out very differently depending on the combination of corporations. And in SETI (which I believe you’ve played?), you choose 2 out of 5 alien species to use in the game. But they don’t show up until they are discovered through in-game actions. So you don’t really know when or what species is actually in the game until they’re revealed. And each species introduces new cards and new goals etc. It’s always an exciting little surprise. So yea, love how much variability and replay value can be added to a game by simply including a bunch of different sets of boards/cards/etc from which you only choose a few of to use in each game.

[@jameystegmaier]

Indeed! In fact, I mentiond SETI in this very video. :) (See text mention in the description: "SETI: asymmetric pairing for the entire game")

[@afriday11]

I enjoyed the choose your action mechanism from the game Spots

[@bretecollins74]

I'm not aware of any game using this but I had an idea for binary dice (a 0 or a 1 on every face). 2 dice would give you 4 options (0-3), 3 dice would give you 8 options (0-7). Take a board like Apiary where there are multiple locations, but strength also matters. If you rolled 5 dice, you could divide them into two groups, 1 group of 2 and 1 of 3. That would allow you to choose a location and give you a strength for that location as well. A single "1" in the group of 3 could be a 4, a 2 or a 1 depending on where you put the zeros. Probably prone to AP but if you rolled at the end of your turn like you do in River of Gold, it could help offset that. It would offer so many choices with just a few dice.

[@jameystegmaier]

That's an interesting idea! I think the key for a system like that is numerical parity: There should be just as much utility for a heavy 0 roll as there is for a heavy 1 roll.

[@McDavitt_Publishing]

I really love this style of video, Jamey! It's a great way to get a recap on some of the videos I've missed this year on the channel, and it had me pull up and save some of those to watch/listen to in the future. I hope this type of top 10 becomes a year-end staple! Happy New Year!

[@jameystegmaier]

Thanks Sam! I appreciate the input, and I'll make this a yearly tradition. :)

[@brennansmith8085]

This is a great idea and love your thoughts on all these games

[@ntarmstrong1]

Hey Jamie, great video! When you spoke about Belatro, you mentioned you don't like damage in games. My wife is the same way, but have you gone into this in more detail? I'd love to know why, as I always have thought that 50 health per player vs race to 50 victory points aren't actually that different. Is it just the "feel bad" nature of damaging someone vs scoring points for yourself? Would love to hear your perspective!

[@jameystegmaier]

Great question! There are times where I don't mind damage--it certainly works for the theme of some games, and victory points are arguably less thematic. However, I like the unlimited range of VP (counting up instead of counting down), and there is the "feel bad" nature you mentioned.

[@maleficmax]

There is a problem with this way of presenting health too @jameystegmaier @ntarmstrong1. Usually with health comes healing. Anf if we will change reducing enemie's health to acquiring own VP, that would mean that healing must be replaced with removing enemie's VP 😢

[@andysiegel725]

Daybreak - card stacking in this game is so satisfying Arcs - having to weaken the number value of your lead card when declaring an ambition (scoring conditions) is a very juicy decision Nocturne - spatial bidding is very fun, especially when you can force a corner cast or bluff opponents Kavango - research cards let you “cash out” early based on your monetary needs

[@jameystegmaier]

Thanks for your list, Andy! I enjoyed the spatial bidding in Skyrise, so I need to try that in Nocturne too.

[@bn5055]

Thank you for using 'mechanism' and not 'mechanic'!

[@jasonmosley6157]

You’re a mechanism.😂

[@jasonmosley6157]

Vale of Eternity has been a hit with my family.