<p>You probably should go looking at the various mechanic lists on boardgamegeek.com.</p>

<p>Examine the various reviews, and find where people talke about the mechanics, as well. </p>

<p>It's a concentrated resource for doing exactly the kind of research you probably should be doing.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-12-25T11:23:46.603Z
OK didn't know of http://boardgamegeek.com/browse/boardgamemechanic  (boardgamegeeks hurts my eyes `_´ ) Got any other good resources?
Peteter
CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-12-25T23:42:40.667Z
For boardgames, not so much. For RPG design, there's RPGGeek.com and [The Forge (indie-rpgs.com)](http://indie-rpgs.com). And I never said it was pretty... just useful. (Tho' I have gotten used to it over the years.)
aramis
CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-12-25T11:15:10.017Z
2011-12-25T11:15:10.017Z
aramis
<p>There is also a list at Wikipedia <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_mechanics" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_mechanics</a>.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-12-27T06:15:46.433Z
When I started to build my game over 1.5y ago, that wikipedia page almost didn't exist! :)
Peteter
CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-12-27T18:36:22.840Z
Is it worth posting a few examples you think are good?
AncientSwordRage
CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-12-28T06:24:49.787Z
I'm kinda taking note of what Pat Ludwig said when he edited my post.
Peteter
CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-12-27T06:15:02.677Z
2011-12-27T06:15:02.677Z
Peteter
<p>There is a fairly notable site <a href="http://www.squidi.net/three/index.php" rel="nofollow">Three Hundred Mechanics</a> which you can visit for some inspiration, although it doesn't quite have 300 yet and is not specific to boardgames.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-15T01:04:53.997Z
That's a great page, but what are listed are not game mechanics.  *(Game mechanics describe the actions players can take, gameboard constraints, and token values and interactions, among other things, but in no universe are "sniper buddies" or "sim game engine" game mechanics;)*
DukeZhou
CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-12-29T08:52:26.703Z
2011-12-29T08:52:26.703Z
prusswan
<p>I'm prototyping a game, but I'm not very schooled on board games. I'm looking for a list of game mechanics so that I can</p>

<ol>
<li>Describe my game in terms of mechanics</li>
<li>Find other uses of the mechanics to learn from</li>
<li>Pick and choose what mechanics I want to have in my game.</li>
</ol>

<p>(If there are any books about this sort of thing it would be freaking awesome!)</p>

<hr>

<p>This is similar to some other questions, but with some differences:</p>

<ul>
<li><a href="https://boardgames.stackexchange.com/questions/2682">What set of attributes can be used to describe, compare and contrast various board games?</a> - but I need only the mechanics, not whether it is easy to carry etc.</li>
<li><a href="https://boardgames.stackexchange.com/questions/1374/board-game-mechanics">Board Game Mechanics</a> - nice question, but the answers with examples of games people likes, are not very helpful (I don't have access to the games or the time to understand them all).</li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-12-26T08:12:54.690Z
Welcome to the site!  I've reworded your question a bit to not directly ask for the list, but to ask how to find it.  We'd rather not host endless lists here at stack exchange but prefer hosting information that specifically solves problems.  Thanks!
Pat Ludwig
<mechanics><prototyping>
Where can I find examples of Game Mechanics?
Peteter
# Where can I find examples of Game Mechanics?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2011-12-25)

I'm prototyping a game, but I'm not very schooled on board games. I'm looking for a list of game mechanics so that I can

1. Describe my game in terms of mechanics
2. Find other uses of the mechanics to learn from
3. Pick and choose what mechanics I want to have in my game.

(If there are any books about this sort of thing it would be freaking awesome!)

---

This is similar to some other questions, but with some differences:

* [What set of attributes can be used to describe, compare and contrast various board games?](https://boardgames.stackexchange.com/questions/2682) - but I need only the mechanics, not whether it is easy to carry etc.
* [Board Game Mechanics](https://boardgames.stackexchange.com/questions/1374/board-game-mechanics) - nice question, but the answers with examples of games people likes, are not very helpful (I don't have access to the games or the time to understand them all).

**Tags:** mechanics, prototyping

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Welcome to the site!  I've reworded your question a bit to not directly ask for the list, but to ask how to find it.  We'd rather not host endless lists here at stack exchange but prefer hosting information that specifically solves problems.  Thanks!  

---

## 3 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2011-12-25. Score: 7

You probably should go looking at the various mechanic lists on boardgamegeek.com.

Examine the various reviews, and find where people talke about the mechanics, as well.

It's a concentrated resource for doing exactly the kind of research you probably should be doing.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: OK didn't know of http://boardgamegeek.com/browse/boardgamemechanic  (boardgamegeeks hurts my eyes `_´ ) Got any other good resources?  
> **username_2**: For boardgames, not so much. For RPG design, there's RPGGeek.com and [The Forge (indie-rpgs.com)](http://indie-rpgs.com). And I never said it was pretty... just useful. (Tho' I have gotten used to it over the years.)  

---

### Answer by username_0 on 2011-12-27. Score: 2

There is also a list at Wikipedia <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_mechanics>.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: When I started to build my game over 1.5y ago, that wikipedia page almost didn't exist! :)  
> **username_3**: Is it worth posting a few examples you think are good?  
> **username_0**: I'm kinda taking note of what username_1 said when he edited my post.  

---

### Answer by username_4 on 2011-12-29. Score: 2

There is a fairly notable site [Three Hundred Mechanics](http://www.squidi.net/three/index.php) which you can visit for some inspiration, although it doesn't quite have 300 yet and is not specific to boardgames.

> **Comments:**
> **username_5**: That's a great page, but what are listed are not game mechanics.  *(Game mechanics describe the actions players can take, gameboard constraints, and token values and interactions, among other things, but in no universe are "sniper buddies" or "sim game engine" game mechanics;)*  

---

