Class Date: 2/5/2026
This week’s class included a presentation on game mechanics. We defined game mechanics as the tools/actions game designers provide players to interact with their game. Some mechanics that we have seen previously in Ultimate Werewolf include, player elimination, hidden roles, deduction, variable player powers, and voting.
After the presentation on game mechanics, the class split off into smaller groups to try out new games. I played a game called Mysterium with 3 other players. In this game, one player (myself in our playthrough) plays as the ghost, trying to hint to each other player a set of a certain person, place, and weapon. They achieve this by giving them a cards that have various images to hint to the next clue the investigator must figure out. Once each investigator has obtained their set of 3 cards, the ghost gives them a final hint they must use to determine which set holds the true murderer. If the investigator’s vote for the correct group, everyone wins.
Some of the mechanics included in this game are:
- Cooperation
- Everyone wins and loses together
- Hand management
- The ghost must manage their hand of vision cards to give helpful hints to each investigator
- Pattern Recognition
- The investigators must recognize how the images on the vision cards connect to their possible answers.
- Voting
- The end of game vote determines the final result of the game
It was a fun game that is reminiscent to Clue with each investigator trying to determine the correct answer in three different categories. The clearest example of leadership in our playthrough was seen through the ghost’s hints for the investigators. As the ghost, I had to determine how the investigators would react to the information I gave them. At the start of the game I tried to give hints with the overall colors of the cards, but quickly found it was an ineffective way to communicate.
I could also see the investigators take leadership roles while they discussed amongst themselves on what each clue could be. Sometimes a player would dissuade another one from guessing a card because they thought it was actually their answer. These players would in turn use the other player’s hint to help them find an alternative guess.