Free Options are Degenerate

An option is the right, but not the obligation, to do something. In the real world, having options is a superpower because they remove the need to make intelligent predictions about the world.

Symmetries Improve Learnability

One major barrier to playing a new game is learnability. It is easier to convince somebody to play if the game is easy to learn because deciphering its rules can otherwise feel like

Starting Resources Streamline Teaching

Explaining how to play a board game is a tricky skill to master. The order in which you explain things greatly impacts how well players absorb your explanation. Because game systems are interconnected,

Blind Auctions Are A Catch-Up Mechanism

In auction games, the rich tend to get richer. If one player has a lot of money (which I am using here to refer to the resource used to bid), they exert a

You Should Reward Topdecking

One common way to present cards to players is through a market. From a deck, a selection is placed face up, from which the player can draft the cards they want, then replace