Episode 020 - Mechanism vs Genre

Does a mechanic a board game genre make? We talk about how a game is a “deck builder” but does that actually answer the question of what genre the game is? Or is it merely one of the mechanics that makes up the game?

This is certainly sounds like a weird philosophical question the Cardboard Philosophy boys would tackle… 

Join Steve, Robert and Evan as they discover that classifying games by genre is sometimes easier said than done!

Want to ask a question or give us your two cents? Hit us up at cardboardphilosophypod@gmail.com!

Cites and Sources

Age of Steam - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/4098/age-steam

Blood Rage - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/170216/blood-rage

Botswana - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/398/wildlife-safari

Byzantium - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/19348/byzantium

Dominion - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/36218/dominion

Dune: Imperium - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/316554/dune-imperium

Great Western Trail - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/193738/great-western-trail

Irish Gauge - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/161882/irish-gauge

Just One - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/254640/just-one

Lost Ruins of Arnak - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/312484/lost-ruins-arnak

Lunar Rails - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/6663/lunar-rails

(but the game Steve was trying to remember was actually 21Moon https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/308305/21moon)

Marvel United - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/298047/marvel-united

On Mars - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/184267/mars

Pipeline - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/256730/pipeline

Power Grid - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/2651/power-grid

Ra - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/12/ra

Taverns of Tiefenthal - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/269207/taverns-tiefenthal

Terraforming Mars - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/167791/terraforming-mars

Through the Desert - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/503/through-desert

Skull - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/92415/skull

Stephenson’s Rocket - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/204/stephensons-rocket

Warhammer - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/2162/warhammer-40000-third-edition

Wavelength - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/262543/wavelength