Dice Drafting: A Strategic Board Game Mechanic
Dice drafting is a board game mechanic where players select dice from a common pool to perform actions or gain resources that contribute to their objectives in the game. This mechanic introduces both strategic depth and an element of luck.
How It Works
At the beginning of a drafting phase, dice are rolled and made available to all players. Each player, in turn order, selects a single die to use for their round. This continues until all dice have been drafted.
Strategic Elements
- Choice: Players must decide which die to take, balancing the value of the die roll against their current needs and future plans.
- Prediction: Anticipating opponents' choices can be crucial, as it affects the dice that remain available.
- Adaptation: Players often need to adjust strategies based on the dice they draft and the actions of their opponents.
Example
In the game Sagrada, players draft dice to construct stained glass windows by fitting them into a grid that depicts their window pattern. Each die's color and value matter, as they must conform to the window's restrictions.
Dice drafting adds a layer of interactive strategy to board games, as players must navigate the randomness of the dice while also contending with the decision-making of their opponents.
