My Favourite Mechanism - Encompass

Encompass is a 2 player abstract board game played on a 7x7 grid. Each player has 7 pieces and there is 1 neutral objective piece. The goal of the game is to surround the objective piece with your pieces by playing cards.

My favourite mechanism in Encompass is the card market. Each player has a hand of 2 cards and the remaining 2 cards form the market. When I play a card, I immediately swap the played card with 1 card from the market. The card I just played becomes available for my opponent to take into their hand on their next turn!

I like this mechanism for a few reasons. First, it makes the game much easier to balance! There may be a particularly strong card, but each player will have equal opportunity to use it. As long as that card is not too strong, it will self-balance. Second, it adds an element of timing to the game. I want to use the card to its greatest potential right now because I may never get the opportunity again. Third, it can appeal to the player who wants to gatekeep resources. Since I have 2 cards in my hand on each turn, I can indefinitely hold 1 card and never let me opponent get their hands on it.

This simple market structure provides so much for this little 2 player game. I hope to introduce more of the game to you soon.

Thank you for reading!