POLL: Familiar Themes vs. Familiar Mechanics

Time for a quick poll about mechanics and themes in tabletop games. Reiner Knizia once tweeted that it's better to have some element of familiarity mixed in with novelty. Of course he never specified the exact percentages of familiarity or whether it's better to have a familiar theme or familiar mechanics. So, let's turn to the public! Which do you prefer in your tabletop games?


I'll let you draw your own conclusions about the difference between a "familiar theme" and a "unique" theme since everyone has different frames of reference. When it comes to mechanics, the question becomes even more contentious. So, I'll let you make the call.

Comments

  1. Michael the OnlineDMDecember 17, 2012 at 12:17 PM

    Interesting question. What I suspect would be even more interesting would be a follow-up study that measures the difference between what people SAY they want and what they ACTUALLY want. My guess is that people (myself included) probably say they want lots of innovation, especially in mechanics, but they actually prefer games with more familiar mechanics.

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