When is a round over? (The search for elegant mechanics)

If I understand you correctly, you want a simple way for each player to track the used actions of their one worker so that you know when the round ends. What if each player's worker was represented by a die. Start the die on the number of actions for the turn and reduce the number of pips shown with each action used.

You want something that players automatically do as part of their action. If it's some variant of "on his turn, start player adjusts a counter on the 'turn track'", then it's just as likely the start player will forget to do this as that the players will collectively forget how many turns there have been this round.

If players use action cards to select their actions, or place action tokens on a board to select their actions, then you can just count how many cards/tokens have been placed. Something like this would be the easiest approach.

I agree with the guy who said "why not use multiple pawns?"

That said, if multiple pawns is not a possibility, I agree with Jeff that you want something that's physically limited so that your round has a natural limit.

I happen to like games where you might have non-standard number of turns per round. For example, suppose each round every player gets an income of 4 money. Then suppose that each action cost money. If most actions cost 1 money, then players will naturally play 4 actions per round, then they'll run out of money. Maybe you're compelled to take actions if you have money - or maybe you can pass early and save money to use later.

Then suppose you have particularly weak actions that do not cost any money (a catch-all for example, so that a player cannot get totally screwed), and more importantly, some actions which cost 2 money. These actions would likely be stronger, because they effectively take 2 worker placements - a player who takes this action would be finished with actions for the round before other players.

Also, there could be effects which increase a players income by +1 money, allowing them to effectively do 1 extra action each turn (many worker placement games allow you to get additional workers in some way).

And there could be a space that gives you 2 money (but then you have to pass - no infinite combo!) - meaning you spend 1 action this round to do nothing but get 2 actions in a future round (net +1 action).

If you already have "money" in your game, you can replace what I've said with some other commodity and it could still work, the point is that you get something to spend, and you spend it when you take actions, and the round ends when everyone's spent.

I'm not sure what your theme is, but lets assume for a moment you're talking about a spaceship that is moving around, perhaps your ship could have a power source that generates X power, allowing your ship to make X moves in one turn. Each player would be given X power tokens a turn, and then you could treat the power tokens as your "workers", taking turns spending one until no player has any left.

I think Sedge is definitely on to something - but it doesn't need to be 'money' and the 'money' doesn't NEED to go back to the bank. Here's a freebie I just thought of.

Have a limited # of 'things'. Think of them as money or actions or turtles or whatever will fit your game/theme. There will be a different # of these 'things' based on how many players there are.

To start, each player gets a certain amount of the 'things'. [2 players - each gets 5, 3 players - each gets 4, etc].

Per Sedge - each action or move or purchase or whatever 'costs' a certain # of 'things'. As you expend your 'things' instead of their going into the bank, pass them onto the player at your left. On your next expenditure, pass them onto the player on HIS left and so on, until you get to yourself - you can't do anything, because you can't pay yourself, therefore you know your turn has ended.

Some players will be able to do more things, some less. Each player should be REQUIRED to do SOMETHING each turn, but require the FIRST thing you do be something that costs a 'thing'. The rest can be '0' cost actions/whatevers until you get back to yourself, thereby saving a bunch of your 'things' and not passing out too many to the other players.

There's a game in there somewhere.... ;-) I'll be printing this out and hanging on to it as a turn mechanic for a project I've had lurking for a year - but you're welcome to it if it helps your game. I guarantee your's won't look like mine. ;-)

This is why I LOVE this website!

If you want people to always move exactly four times, there is no way to avoid counting it. Giving someone that many items is still counting, just with an aid. The most elegant solutions (as are several suggested here) are methods that make counting feel natural by integrating it with another game mechanic or new resource.

KAndrw's method of providing multiple pawns is pretty interesting. I would say you might want to provide 5 pawns and have the player pick up all but the lead pawn so they easily know where to begin from (assuming player's begin from their stopping point). You could add to your game by giving the pawn's different identities and giving bonuses on certain locations based on their identity or allow other players to place on the same location, but only with a pawn with a different identity. Of course, this may not fit in with your game at all.

Sedjtroll's idea is also very elegant. By relating the 'counting' of moves to a new resource, the player no longer feels like he is doing bookkeeping, but just playing the game. Of course, it only feels elegant if this resource has alternate uses/costs.

Leadpipe