The following is a list of all board game mechanics I know in this category, and that aren’t too niche. Card game mechanics are also included. I’m posting this mainly for my own reference.

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Elapsed Real Time Ending: The game ends after a set amount of actual time has elapsed. During the game, individual players may have separate turns, or play may be simultaneous–in which all players play at the same time. This is sometimes mediated by a soundtrack, as in Space Alert, or can simply be elapsed time on a clock, as in Escape from Colditz.

Finale Ending: When the main game ends, a special mini-game is played to determine the victor.

Race: Games where the first player to achieve a key objective wins the game. Typically this is expressed as the winner being the first player to reach the end of a track, but any type of fixed goal also qualifies as a Race mechanism. CATAN is an example, where players race to reach 10 points. The Quest for El Dorado is an example, where players race to reach a goal on a map.

Single Loser Game: A game which concludes when a single player loses.

These are typically games designed for more than two players, although they may accommodate two players. At the two-player count, this game mechanism could apply if the loser is the one who due to their own actions is eliminated, moreso than due to the competitive play of the opponent. i.e. Chess would not be considered a “single loser game”. This is also not intended for games where the end of game trigger is due to a single player “busting” (as in Hearts). There will typically not be a winner rated among the remaining players, although some ranking system is possible, especially if played in multiple rounds.

Sudden Death Ending: There are two distinct types of Sudden Death Endings:

Special victory conditions which when met trigger an early and immediate end to game play (perhaps completing the current round), prior to the “normal” ending conditions for the game.

In the case of a tie at the end of regular play, ‘sudden death’ is triggered where play continues until the game ends immediately after a player achieves a certain condition (like scoring a point).