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Other Mechanics

Popular Board Game Mechanics

This is a ranked listed of all the board game mechanics. We've determined the ranking based on an algorithm developed to look through the catalog of board games for each mechanic.

Hand Management

#1 Rank | 4506 Games | Gloomhaven

Set Collection

#2 Rank | 2691 Games | Wingspan

Engine Building

#3 Rank | 37 Games | Scythe

Drafting

#4 Rank | 64 Games | 7 Wonders

Area Control

#5 Rank | 1090 Games | Scythe

Cooperative Play

#6 Rank | 2089 Games | Gloomhaven

Dice Rolling

#7 Rank | 5288 Games | Root

Variable Player Powers

#8 Rank | 3315 Games | Scythe

Worker Placement

#9 Rank | 929 Games | Scythe

Tile Placement

#10 Rank | 1763 Games | Azul

Tableau Building

#11 Rank | 36 Games | Wingspan

Simultaneous Play

#12 Rank | 675 Games | Spirit Island

Grid Movement

#13 Rank | 1156 Games | Scythe

Network and Route Building

#14 Rank | 565 Games | Ticket to Ride

Deck Building

#15 Rank | 725 Games | Concordia

Deck Building is a mechanic where you start with a basic set of cards and over the course of the game modify the deck through various means to add or remove cards.

Modular Board

#16 Rank | 1937 Games | Gloomhaven

Card Drafting

#17 Rank | 1856 Games | Concordia

Player Elimination

#18 Rank | 819 Games | Love Letter

Auction

#19 Rank | 533 Games | Five Tribes

Point to Point Movement

#20 Rank | 853 Games | Root

Press Your Luck

#21 Rank | 929 Games | The Quacks of Quedlinburg

Take That

#22 Rank | 1040 Games | Star Realms

Trading

#23 Rank | 689 Games | Pandemic

Memory

#24 Rank | 846 Games | Codenames

Storytelling

#25 Rank | 620 Games | Gloomhaven

Action Point Allowance System

#26 Rank | 1205 Games | Pandemic

Voting

#27 Rank | 490 Games | Dead of Winter: A Crossroads Game

Partnerships

#28 Rank | 959 Games | Deception: Murder in Hong Kong

Action / Movement Programming

#29 Rank | 444 Games | Root

Area Movement

#30 Rank | 899 Games | Star Wars: Rebellion

Legacy

#31 Rank | 16 Games | Gloomhaven

Campaign

#32 Rank | 285 Games | Gloomhaven

Role Playing

#33 Rank | 734 Games | Gloomhaven

Variable Phase Order

#34 Rank | 323 Games | Puerto Rico

Simulation

#35 Rank | 787 Games | Flash Point: Fire Rescue

Secret Unit Deployment

#36 Rank | 440 Games | Android: Netrunner

Pick-up and Deliver

#37 Rank | 561 Games | Galaxy Trucker

Pattern Building

#38 Rank | 687 Games | Tiny Towns

Action Selection

#39 Rank | 33 Games | Scythe

Worker Placement with Dice Workers

#40 Rank | 15 Games | The Castles of Burgundy

Simultaneous action selection

#41 Rank | 24 Games | Gloomhaven

Bag Building

#42 Rank | 7 Games | The Quacks of Quedlinburg

Betting

#43 Rank | 196 Games | Isle of Skye: From Chieftain to King

Area Enclosure

#44 Rank | 193 Games | Kingdom Builder

Hidden Traitor

#45 Rank | 35 Games | Dead of Winter: A Crossroads Game

Time Track

#46 Rank | 156 Games | Patchwork

Pool Building

#47 Rank | 22 Games | Concordia

Paper and Pencil

#48 Rank | 142 Games | That's Pretty Clever

Real Time

#49 Rank | 20 Games | Captain Sonar

Dexterity

#50 Rank | 13 Games | Crokinole

Dexterity Board Games always involve some sort of use of physics and motion. The most common types usually involve flicking or balance.

Area Majority/ Influence

#51 Rank | 40 Games | Quantum

Teams

#52 Rank | 39 Games | Star Wars Imperial Assault

Card Placement

#53 Rank | 19 Games | Targi

Bluffing

#54 Rank | 88 Games | Secret Hitler

Roll / Spin and Move

#55 Rank | 1291 Games | Escape: The Curse of the Temple

Stock Holding

#56 Rank | 242 Games | Acquire

Rondel

#57 Rank | 21 Games | Heaven & Ale

Acting

#58 Rank | 293 Games | Spyfall

Pattern Recognition

#59 Rank | 532 Games | Potion Explosion

Trick-taking

#60 Rank | 328 Games | The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine

Line Drawing

#61 Rank | 115 Games | Cartographers: A Roll Player Tale