Players need to feel that a game is moving towards a resolution. Framing your victory condition as a tug-of-war undermines this because one player's progress erases the other's. If

Brandon Sanderson, an author famous for his magic systems, came up with three laws for writing a magic system. They are, in order: 1. Your ability to solve problems with magic is proportional

One of the most disruptive common mechanics in card-based games is "tutoring": searching a deck or discard pile for a card to add to your hand. Tutoring interrupts the flow of

Table talk does not always improve a party game. Meaningful discussion requires players to make claims supported by evidence. As any improv performer can tell you, when the only response is "no&

Playing cards present challenges for real-time gameplay. They take time to parse, can be difficult to pick up from the table, and are impractical to shuffle under time constraints. The game Nertz (and