Closed Drafting Mechanic in Board Games
Closed drafting is a game mechanic often used in board games that involves players selecting cards or game elements from a private hand or pool before passing the remainder to the next player. Unlike open drafting, where all choices are visible to everyone, closed drafting keeps each player's choices secret until the draft is complete.
How Closed Drafting Works
- Players start with a set of game elements, typically cards.
- Each player selects one card and keeps it secret (often placed face-down).
- The remaining cards are passed to the next player.
- This process repeats until all cards have been selected.
Strategic Implications
- Players must anticipate the needs and potential choices of opponents.
- There's an element of surprise, as final selections are revealed only after the round ends.
- Closed drafting requires memory and prediction skills, as players try to remember what was passed and infer what others are collecting.
Game Examples
- 7 Wonders: Players build ancient civilizations using cards drafted in this manner.
- Sushi Go!: A lighter example where players pick sushi dishes to form high-scoring combinations.
Closed Drafting and Hand Management games
Family Game with Closed Drafting
Send your bees to get pollen but be wise, only the player with a strict majority will be able to collect flowers (and victory points).Happy Bee is a drafting game with a twist: you will select a different number of cards from your hand depending on ...
Happy Bee
$18.95
$15.00
In Night of the Ninja, your mission is to defeat a rival ninja house. . . if you can figure out who they are!Designed by Justin Gary (Ascension, Shards of Infinity), this is a social deduction game of espionage ,trickery, and assassination. Every card...
Night of the Ninja
$24.95
$17.99
Strategy Game with Closed Drafting
Closed Drafting and Race games
Closed Drafting games published by Schwerkraft-Verlag
Closed Drafting games published by 999 Games
Travel themed games with Closed Drafting
City Building themed games with Closed Drafting
Closed Drafting games published by Edge Entertainment
Closed Drafting games published by Reflexshop
Closed Drafting and Tableau Building games
Recruit Units, wage war on your opponents, construct Buildings, and lead your Kingdom to victory!Paper Tales is a dynamic and fast-playing card-drafting game. It combines an original Units aging system with tight space management. Setup the best combinations...
Paper Tales
$44.95
$17.00
America, sometime during the 60’s. Following the Beat-Generation, hippies are dominating the street scenery now. So it’s Love, Peace and Happiness all around? Yeah right. Not everyone chooses to reject materialism.Gangs are no longer armed with switchblades...
Greed the Card Game
$14.95
$8.00
Card Game with Closed Drafting
Clans of Midgard is a draft, write and fight game in which players lead Viking clans to battle in search of glory! Conquer territory, fight monsters, set sail in Drakkar, collect powerful runes and honor your fallen warriors to forever remembered as...
Champions of Midgard: Clans of Midgard (Deluxe Edition)
$35.00
In this new dynamic fast paced action card game explore forgotten dungeons, keeps and fortresses. Defeat monsters, demons and bandits lurking in the forgotten tunnels through Draggmar and claim fame and riches. The game is full of tactics and hard decisions...
Dungeons of Draggmar
$54.00
$40.99
Closed Drafting games illustrated by Dan Cunningham
Stonespine Architects
-29%
$44.95
$31.99
As a student of dungeon-crafting, you must carve your own perilous labyrinth into the base of the Stonespine Mountains. 1. Draft chamber cards to expand your dungeon 2. Arrange cards carefully to accomplish scoring goals 3. Map a path through traps and...
mostly positive, 78%
10 y/o +
1 to 5 players
45 minutes
Relaxed
Card Game
Fantasy
Closed Drafting
Contracts
Hand Management
Pattern Building
Closed Drafting games published by Hachette Boardgames USA
Pollution has covered the ruins of past civilizations. Only the Tribes of the Wing remain, flying from tree to tree to clean up the Forsaken Lands.Play as a Guide to those tribes, and use the back of your opponents' cards to optimize each of your actions...
Tribes of the Wind
$49.99
$46.88
In the heart of a hostile region, you're the head of a fortified village. In the surrounding darkness, unspeakable horrors lurk. At nightfall, witches, vampires, and werewolves emerge from the shadows to storm your ramparts! To avoid carnage, organize...
Vampire Village
$21.95
Closed Drafting games illustrated by Luca Carbone
Gateway Island
-20%
$24.99
$19.99
Gateway Island and its inhabitants are waiting to introduce you to the wonderful world of modern-day board games! You'll have fun farming, fishing, racing, and doing all sorts of other things. Outsmart and outmaneuver your opponents and find out what...
mostly positive, 78%
6 y/o +
1 to 99 players
15 to 45 minutes
Relaxed
Cooperative Game
Action Drafting
Area Majority / Influence
Auction/Bidding
Auction: Sealed Bid
Industry / Manufacturing themed games with Closed Drafting
Closed Drafting games designed by Steve Finn
Share & Bid (Until It's All Yours)The young monarch has no knack for governing. Take advantage of this and gain his trust by taking on the most important government duties. Distribute the duties, and use your influence to outbid your opponent for the...
For the King
$26.99
$15.00
A Flavorful Dice GameEveryone has a green thumb when playing Herbaceous Sprouts. Unwind while enjoying this beautiful and thoughtful game of collecting seeds, using tools, and growing sprouts. Don’t relax too long though - or your friend might become...
Herbaceous Sprouts
$55.00