Description
Each player has special Actions that only he or she can perform or that modify standard actions.
Discussion
This is a meta-mechanic that can modify Action and other systems, such as Resolution. We are placing it here, as it can give players additional actions that they can perform or it modifies standard actions or procedures. Typically, each player has a unique player power that sets them apart from the other players. This is an excellent way to include asymmetry, as well as emphasize the theme, as in Dune, where the factions are highly differentiated through different actions and abilities and are quite evocative of the source material. For example, the Fremen faction, who resides on the planet, can build units anywhere and is better able to deal with the hazards on the planet. The Guild faction, which controls all space travel, gains money each time a non-Fremen player moves forces from orbit to the planet surface. Variable Player Powers also increase replayability, as players will want to return to the game to try out different factions and see how they play, and, in some cases, this will feel like they are playing a completely different game. These unique powers also increase complexity and cognitive load on the players, however. In addition to the standard rules, the special exceptions for each player need to be taught. The most successful of games where Player Powers are at the forefront are based on very simple frameworks. Cosmic Encounter is all about the player powers, which can radically change the way players play the game. The simple structure of Cosmic Encounter is well-suited to support this complexity. Combat is resolved by each player playing a number card and adding the number of tokens they have in the battle. The highest number wins. That simple framework allows the designers to take the special powers in a dizzying array of different directions. The designer has reserved most of the design space in this mechanism for the interactions of the unique player powers. Another feature of player powers is that they may make a particular strategy optimal for that player. For example, a faction may be very good at fighting, which will encourage a military strategy. This can be positive, as it gives players identity and immediate strategic direction for new players. But it also limits players’ strategic choices, and they can feel as if there is one “correct” way to play for a faction. There are several options for conveying the details of a Variable Player Power to the players. One is to state the rules explicitly through a player mat or shield, as in Cosmic Encounter or Spirit Island, where they are all clearly presented to the player at the start of the game through a player mat or a limited number of cards. Alternately, they can be spread out among a large number of components, typically a deck of cards, such as in Sentinels of the Multiverse. The advantage of the latter is that it makes it simpler to teach the game, as the base rules are the same for all, and the differences only need to be taught when they arise. It also gives the players a sense of discovery, as they see cards and abilities they did not know existed. On the negative side, this can make it difficult for new players to take full advantage of a specific character and so may lead to an unsatisfactory initial play with a specific faction or character.
Sample Games
Cosmic Encounter (Eberle, Kittredge, Norton, and Olatka, 1977) Dune (Eberle, Kittredge, and Olatka, 1979) Pandemic (Leacock, 2008) Root (Wehrle, 2018) Sentinels of the Multiverse (Badell, Bender, and Rebottaro, 2011) Sidereal Confluence: Trading and Negotiation in the Elysian Quadrant (Deichmann, 2017) Spirit Island (Reuss, 2017)
描述
每个玩家都有只有他或她才能执行的特殊动作，或者修改标准动作。
讨论
这是一种可以修改动作和其他系统（如解决）的元机制。我们将它放在这里，因为它可以给玩家额外的动作来执行，或者它修改标准动作或程序。通常，每个玩家都有一个独特的玩家能力，将他们与其他玩家区分开来。这是包含不对称性以及强调主题的绝佳方式，如在《沙丘》（Dune）中，各派系通过不同的动作和能力高度区分，并且非常类似原材料。例如，居住在星球上的弗雷曼派系可以在任何地方建造单位，并能更好地应对星球上的危险。控制所有太空旅行的宇航公会派系在每次非弗雷曼玩家将部队从轨道移动到星球表面时都能获得金钱。可变玩家能力也增加了可重玩性，因为玩家会想回到游戏中尝试不同的派系，看看他们如何玩，在某些情况下，这会感觉像是他们在玩一个完全不同的游戏。然而，这些独特的能力也增加了玩家的复杂性和认知负荷。除了标准规则外，还需要教授每个玩家的特殊例外。最成功的以玩家能力为前沿的游戏是基于非常简单的框架。《宇宙遭遇战》（Cosmic Encounter）完全是关于玩家能力的，这可能会从根本上改变玩家玩游戏的方式。《宇宙遭遇战》的简单结构非常适合支持这种复杂性。战斗通过每个玩家打出一张数字卡并加上他们在战斗中的标记数量来解决。数字最高的获胜。这个简单的框架允许设计师将特殊能力带到令人眼花缭乱的不同方向。设计师将这种机制中的大部分设计空间保留给了独特玩家能力的互动。
玩家能力的另一个特征是，它们可能会使特定的策略对该玩家来说是最佳的。例如，一个派系可能非常擅长战斗，这将鼓励军事战略。这可以是积极的，因为它给新玩家身份和直接的战略方向。但这同时也限制了玩家的战略选择，他们可能会觉得一个派系只有一种“正确”的玩法。有几种向玩家传达可变玩家能力细节的选项。一是通过玩家垫或挡板明确陈述规则，如在《宇宙遭遇战》或《灵迹岛》（Spirit Island）中，它们在游戏开始时通过玩家垫或有限数量的卡牌清楚地呈现给玩家。或者，它们可以分散在大量组件中，通常是一副牌，如在《多重宇宙哨兵》（Sentinels of the Multiverse）中。后者的优点是使游戏更容易教，因为基本规则对所有人都是一样的，只有在出现差异时才需要教。这也给玩家一种发现感，因为他们看到以前不知道存在的卡牌和能力。在消极方面，这可能使新玩家难以充分利用特定角色，因此可能导致对特定派系或角色的初次游玩体验不令人满意。
游戏范例
Cosmic Encounter (Eberle, Kittredge, Norton, and Olatka, 1977) - 《宇宙遭遇战》 Dune (Eberle, Kittredge, and Olatka, 1979) - 《沙丘》 Pandemic (Leacock, 2008) - 《瘟疫危机》 Root (Wehrle, 2018) - 《茂林源记》 Sentinels of the Multiverse (Badell, Bender, and Rebottaro, 2011) - 《多重宇宙哨兵》 Sidereal Confluence: Trading and Negotiation in the Elysian Quadrant (Deichmann, 2017) - 《恒星会流：伊利森象限的贸易与谈判》 Spirit Island (Reuss, 2017) - 《灵迹岛》