How Mage Wars Solves the Tutoring Problem
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
Ergonomics
To play a game, there is a certain amount of non-fun work that must be done. Players must perform both physical tasks, like shuffling cards, and mental tasks, like arithmetic. The goal of ergonomics is to restructure gameplay to minimize the amount of upkeep players need to perform.
Nertz Understands the Ergonomics of Real-Time Card Play
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
Why Chess Isn’t on a Hex Grid
Square grids are perhaps the most iconic type of board in board games, due to classics like chess. While hex grids are a more recent innovation, the success of Catan has made them
Don’t Ask Defenders to Roll Dice
Effort in games should be balanced by reward. When players perform work for no reward, the game seems long, tedious, and not worth the setup. Rolling dice is work, and rolling attack dice