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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Area Movement: The game board is divided into irregularly shaped areas to determine adjacency and movement. This can be contrasted to point to point movement (which may be isomorphic to area movement but does not have to be) and grid movement (which uses regular shapes). An example of point to point maps not being isomorphic to each other would be a map of Europe with air travel. France and Ireland share no borders and would not be adjacent on an area map but a point to point could easily contain an air route.

Bias: Pieces automatically move in a certain direction, or it is easier to move in a certain direction, or some directional/environmental vector has game play effects.

This is commonly used to simulate wind (Yacht Race), currents (Primordial Soup), gravity (Demon’s Run), conveyor belts (RoboRally), sun angle (Photosynthesis) or other environmental features.

Chaining: Pieces are stationary but are built out in chains. This can give a dynamic sense of motion to the game, even though the pieces do not move.

Connections: Players are trying to form connections between different points on the board. Essentially, this is a specialized kind of Set Collection in which the sets collected represent ties between nodes, often represented as routes between destinations.

This mechanism includes games like Hex, TransAmerica, and Ta Yü.

Grid Movement: Grid Movement occurs when pawns move on the grid in many directions. The grid may be square (like in Chess) or hexagonal (like in the classic wargames). In a game there can be many pawns (like in Chess or Checkers) or only one (like the bishop in Fresco).

Hexagon Grid: Previously this category was known as “hex and counter.” While the Hexagon Grid mechanic now covers a wider range of games, the original description highlights important facets of a large class of games that fall under this mechanic: Classic wargame mechanic, played with ‘counters’ on a map with a hexagonal grid. The hex grid allowed for equidistant movement of counters in more directions (6) than a square grid, and avoided the simulation issues caused by diagonal movement on a square grid (i.e. diagonal moves being further in distance than orthogonal moves). + Pieces are placed on a board tessellated with hexagons, which is used for adjacency and/or movement + Counters are commonly thick cardboard chits, with printed attributes and identification. + Many of these games include a concept called “zone of control” (now a separate mechanic) which hinders or stops movement when units move or start next to an opposing unit. The exact effects vary, depending upon the era being simulated and other design concerns.

Line of Sight: Units may only see certain areas. Mechanically this can be dealt with in a variety of ways, ranging from True Line of Sight, as measured by a string (as in Advanced Squad Leader) to color-coded regions showing what can be see what, as in Tannhäuser.

Map Addition: The map is added to as it is explored. Examples include Mississippi Queen and Eclipse: New Dawn for the Galaxy.

Map Deformation: The map is modified during the course of the game through rotation or shifts. Examples include Wiz-War and Dungeon Twister.

Map Reduction: Over the course of the game, the map shrinks.

Measurement Movement: Pieces may be moved up to a certain distance, measured by a ruler.

This is typically used in miniatures games such as Warhammer 40,000 (Third Edition). Because of precision issues it can sometimes lead to disagreements between players about true range.

Note that this mechanism differs from Movement Template, where players place templates and must move the length of the template, rather than the infinitely-variable placement noted here.

Minimap Resolution: When a conflict is initiated, pieces are moved to a separate board for resolution.

Moving Multiple Units: Actions may Move one or Multiple Units.

This mechanism was first introduced in Top Race. Players place wagers on cars in a race, and so have a vested interest in certain ones winning. However the cards they need to play move many cars, including those they want to lose. So they need to time the play of the cards when they will be most advantageous to the cars they control, and minimize the movement of the other cars.

This mechanism does not apply when players simply have the choice to move multiple units on their turn (for example, by dividing movement points among different units).

Movement Points: A piece is given a number of points to spend on movement. This is common in a variety of games, but particularly war games, where spaces can cost different amounts depending on the terrain. This is distinct from Action Points in that it is a property of the particular piece or terrain, rather than player options (which may ‘’include’’ movement).

Multiple Maps: The game takes place on Multiple Maps which are connected at defined points.

Several examples stand out. The fantasy rail game Iron Dragon has a surface and cavern map, and players can build and connect tracks in both.

Khronos has three boards representing the same space at different times. Building on the older board impacts history on the future boards.

Fische Fluppen Frikadellen allows up to 15 players to trade goods across three separate boards at different areas of the room. Players may leave and physically move between boards at defined times, taking their money and goods with them.

Network and Route Building: The game involves the development of connected routes and nodes, often represented as routes between destinations. This is differentiated from Connections in that it provides some in-game effect beyond merely scoring, such as the ability to trigger actions, or requiring maintenance costs.

There are a variety of implementations of this system, most prominently in train-themed games. 1830: Railways & Robber Barons uses tiles with pre-printed tracks. Empire Builder has players draw lines on the map with crayons or dry-erase markers. In Power Grid the development of your network has economic impacts. Hansa Teutonica generates bonus effects as you complete connections in your trading network.

Pattern Movement: Pieces move in a specific pattern relative to the board grid. Classic games like Chess and Shogi use this mechanism, as well as modern games like The Duke.

Pieces as Map: The Pieces themselves compose the Map. This is distinct from Tile Placement in that the map elements remain “pieces” after placement, and accordingly continue to have agency in the game mechanics.

Point To Point Movement: On a board of a game with point-to-point movement, there are certain spots that can be occupied by markers or figurines, e. g. cities on a map. These points are connected by lines, and movement can only happen along these lines. It is not enough that two points are next to or close to each other; if there is no connecting line between them, a player cannot move his or her piece from one to the other. Examples for point-to-point movement: Nine Men’s Morris, Kensington, Friedrich: Anniversary Edition. Non-intuitive example for point-to-point movement: Risk. While Risk is also an Area Movement game, like Axis & Allies, it encompasses point-to-point movement as well. This is due to the lines connecting various areas through the otherwise impassable water areas (e.g. Greenland, Japan, Iceland, Madagascar).

Portal Movement: Pieces can instantly move between non-adjacent spaces through designated portals, wormholes, or teleportation devices. This creates strategic opportunities for rapid redeployment and surprise actions. Portal placement may be fixed at game setup, or players may be able to create and destroy portals during play, adding a layer of strategic depth to spatial control.

Relative Movement: The precise location of units is not tracked. Only their Relative Position is important. This mechanism has been used in a variety of racing games, including Formula Motor Racing and RoadKill, and other themes, like escaping from shark in Get Bit!.

Roll / Spin and Move: Roll / Spin and move games are games where players roll dice or spin spinners and move playing pieces in accordance with the roll. This term is often used derogatorily to imply that there is no thought involved. Roll and move games like Backgammon, however, contain tactical elements.

Slide / Push: Players push or slide a token, and other tokens ahead of it are also pushed.

Square Grid: Pieces are placed on a board tessellated with squares, which is used for adjacency and/or movement.

Three Dimensional Movement: Position and movement of pieces is in three dimensions. This can either be represented by a multi-level play surface, or some token or indicator of the height above or below a two-dimensional play surface.

Examples include Chopper Strike, which physically has two layers for tanks and helicopters to move on, or Attack Vector: Tactical, which includes tiles to show height above or below the play surface.

Track Movement: Pieces are moved along a linear track (not necessarily straight – it may turn, curve or loop). This may include simple branches such as Tokaido or Jamaica, and tracks with limited width as is typical of racing games such as: Flamme Rouge, Downforce, or Monza. Examples include classic roll-and-move games of the Backgammon or Pachisi variety, or contemporary board games such as Lewis & Clark: The Expedition or Viva Topo!.

Zone of Control: Spaces adjacent to a unit impact the ability of opposing units to move or attack.

This is a very common mechanism in wargames, such as The Russian Campaign. There are many variations, including “Locking ZOCs”, where units are frozen and cannot leave, “Soft ZOCs”, where units can move from ZOC to ZOC, but at some penalty, and others.