My Oddly Specific Board Game Obsession? Multiple Phase Games
There’s something about multiple phase games that’s just inherently fun, where it completely shifts gears and becomes an entirely new game.
I learned something about myself recently. I don’t know why I never noticed it before, but I love games that come in multiple acts, not just repeated phases. Meaning, a game that starts one way, with certain mechanics and system, but then turns into something entirely different. A game could have a buying phase, then a resolution phase, or something. But if it returns to that buying phase in the next round, I’m not interested!
So, why do I love games that have this dramatic shift?
WTF Do You Even Mean By Multiple Phase Game?
It’s a fair enough question. Probably the most outstanding (by all definitions of the word) of this sort of game is Betrayal at the House on the Hill. During the first half of the game, all the players are working together. But at some point during the game, one player turncoats and becomes the villain.
From that point on, the mechanics don’t change much, but the tone shifts and new mechanics and systems are added. It’s pretty close to what I mean, but the gameplay being mostly the same isn’t quite what I’m looking for.
I haven’t played it, but I’ve heard The Downfall of Pompii is another game with a dramatic shift that I crave so bad. In the first half of the game, players are trying to play cards in order to place their pieces in the city. But once Vesuvius blows, the goal shifts to getting everyone out of the city as soon as possible. And maybe tossing a few of your neighbors in the volcano as well, just for good measure.
A better example a good multiple phase game might be something like Galaxy Trucker. The game begins with players hectically building their spaceships by grabbing tiles and attaching them to their ship. Mistakes and mishaps are many and that’s half the fun. But, once time is up, the game becomes more of a survival adventure game. Players fly their ships through space, carrying loot, battling pirates, dodging meteors, and more in order to earn points.
The two phases of the game use completely different mechanics and have entirely different tone and theme. The ship-building phase is a chaotic mess of tiles and hands. The second phase uses none of the same mechanics and is more slow, tactical, and methodical.
So why aren’t there more multiple phase games? Am I the weirdo for liking this style? For me, it makes the game so much more memorable and interesting. Maybe it’s just because they are harder to design. You’re basically having to design two separate games, but also make sure each game is balanced within itself and to each other.
Still, if anyone knows any good multiple phase games, please drop me a line!
I’d love to hear your suggestions.
