Couldn't agree more. We wanted to see more "I cut, you choose" games too so we made one! Sorry to shamelessly plug but this just felt serendipitous. We just launched 2 days ago and are already funded so I guess a lot of people out there agree with you. We're Lil' Guys on Kickstarter if anyone is curious. Also Guillotine rocks, that is all.
As soon as you announced I Cut You Choose as #1, I knew the example would be Hanamikoji. Such a strong game. Simple rules, few mechanics, a lot of mindgame potential.
At number 8 I thought it would be a cool idea to pair resource generation to the number of actions you didn't take last turn. So, have action tokens and as you spend actions, you cover resource generation. This way you have to choose between doing much this turn and probably not doing so much next turn. Tiletus does this to some degree using a die selection, but having two rows of resource squares on your player board and covering them with action tokens as you go from row to row on alternate turns might work well. You then get to decide when to stop taking actions and the uncovered resource spaces produce at the end of the turn. Feel free to use this idea, if you are designing games.
I really like set collection, it it tends to be used exclusively as the entirety of a small filler. I’d love to see more set collection as part of a larger beige-free experience.
Not quite I split, you choose but you might want to check out Flourish. It's a really good puzzle where you score off your tableau and your neighbours too. Simple gameplay, tough choices.
Gotta say... I never crave more "strategic resting" in games. I can understand it in the games where it exists, but I have never been like, "I need more of this!" lol When I do have to do it in a game, it drives me nuts. lol
Probably the easiest/most cost effective way to do the upgrade worker mechanic would be to have each worker’s powers be linked to the worker’s docking space rather than to that worker piece itself. So when you pick the worker up from their docking space you know everything it’s capable of because the cards/tiles/powers are right there. Darwin’s Journey does something similar to this.
Archon had a very simple way to do a worker upgrade system, and combined with clear cards you could have a pretty interesting worker construction system; although I think the lesson has been more learn by the slew of worker deck builders, which I don't generally find as interesting.
About worker construction - it's actually pretty easy to achieve it without changing a worker meeple. All you need to do is to mark possible uses for your workers - with technologies or something like that which can be represented by cards, tokens, etc. If you want to have distinguishable workers then you just need to add unique meeples like in Viticulture or Nanty Narking. Even if it's not a full boardgame Antihero does something very similar with technology tree. At start you only have two generic actions (workers). In time you can unlock possibility of damaging other characters and looting estates. Also you can upgrade the quality of your actions which is another nice mechanic that coresponds to Worker Construction.
I love Parade! Underrated light card game.
Mancala & Five Tribes for the win!!!
Couldn't agree more. We wanted to see more "I cut, you choose" games too so we made one! Sorry to shamelessly plug but this just felt serendipitous. We just launched 2 days ago and are already funded so I guess a lot of people out there agree with you. We're Lil' Guys on Kickstarter if anyone is curious. Also Guillotine rocks, that is all.
As soon as you announced I Cut You Choose as #1, I knew the example would be Hanamikoji. Such a strong game. Simple rules, few mechanics, a lot of mindgame potential.
hey, wow, I purchased it yesterday, without even knowing about this video! 😱😱
Love your #1, I cut you choose. Hanamikoji and San Marco are big go-tos for us in that realm.
Guillotine rocks. A very early game in my collection.
Slide puzzles had me thinking of Horrified with the Mummy and Big Foot. Fun stuff!
Out of your top 10, the Follow mechanic is the one I would love to see in more games.
At number 8 I thought it would be a cool idea to pair resource generation to the number of actions you didn't take last turn. So, have action tokens and as you spend actions, you cover resource generation. This way you have to choose between doing much this turn and probably not doing so much next turn. Tiletus does this to some degree using a die selection, but having two rows of resource squares on your player board and covering them with action tokens as you go from row to row on alternate turns might work well. You then get to decide when to stop taking actions and the uncovered resource spaces produce at the end of the turn. Feel free to use this idea, if you are designing games.
I really like set collection, it it tends to be used exclusively as the entirety of a small filler. I’d love to see more set collection as part of a larger beige-free experience.
Not quite I split, you choose but you might want to check out Flourish. It's a really good puzzle where you score off your tableau and your neighbours too. Simple gameplay, tough choices.
Gotta say... I never crave more "strategic resting" in games. I can understand it in the games where it exists, but I have never been like, "I need more of this!" lol When I do have to do it in a game, it drives me nuts. lol
Clandestine (heading to KS this summer) is driven with a mancala mechanic along intersecting public and private rondels
I’d like to see interesting ways to choose your actions, kinda like Bonfire. Also, dice drafting is massively underused…
Probably the easiest/most cost effective way to do the upgrade worker mechanic would be to have each worker’s powers be linked to the worker’s docking space rather than to that worker piece itself. So when you pick the worker up from their docking space you know everything it’s capable of because the cards/tiles/powers are right there. Darwin’s Journey does something similar to this.
Archon had a very simple way to do a worker upgrade system, and combined with clear cards you could have a pretty interesting worker construction system; although I think the lesson has been more learn by the slew of worker deck builders, which I don't generally find as interesting.
About worker construction - it's actually pretty easy to achieve it without changing a worker meeple.
All you need to do is to mark possible uses for your workers - with technologies or something like that which can be represented by cards, tokens, etc.
If you want to have distinguishable workers then you just need to add unique meeples like in Viticulture or Nanty Narking.
Even if it's not a full boardgame Antihero does something very similar with technology tree. At start you only have two generic actions (workers). In time you can unlock possibility of damaging other characters and looting estates. Also you can upgrade the quality of your actions which is another nice mechanic that coresponds to Worker Construction.
I would love to see more player defined win conditions. Careers did that and very few other games have used it.
You wanna know what I think, do ya?… I think you two are awesome! 🎉🎉🎉🎉
Mancala is prominent in Tao Long (Thundergryph)
#4 is grid coordinates as in Targi
I just got shogun no katana which is a slide puzzle making katanas through your forge with a worker placement game around it
A cool line manipulation game is Antimony from Button Shy. I wish more people knew of this cool wallet game.
Sliding card mechanism from Aquatica
I haven’t played it, but it sounds like “earth” has a lot of buzz and has the follow action mechanic
Thought you would pick the action selection from Honga. I’m surprised no one has copied the card market from Quest For El Dorado
Is Yawning Portal an example of line management?
Does Castles of Mad King Ludwig count as I split/you choose? Even if not the price-setting in that game is fun : brain-hurtful.
Wait…when did the Golden Fleece disappear? I miss it! Bring it back!
Upgraded workers? Check out Santa's workshop.