Auction mechanics risk creating degenerate gameplay when the item bid on is so valuable that players are forced to bid it up. Generally, you want situations where players are comfortable losing an auction.
Players expect games to move forward. This creates a problem for conflict-heavy gameplay: if an attacker's goal is sabotage, their progress erases the defender's progress. But then, how
In Heat: Pedal to the Metal, players race their cards around a racetrack by playing cards and shifting gears. Throughout the race, they have opportunities to add heat cards from their engine to
Players need goals. Without them, gameplay loses its meaning. But they also prefer to choose their own objectives. Telling players what to do next robs them of agency and makes games feel like
The first decision players are confronted with in many games is "who goes first?". But the value of going first differs wildly depending on the game, with few common heuristics to