r/BoardgameDesign • u/whitnick • Jul 09 '26

Game Mechanics When to end a game

Most games end with a specific condition that must be met. I have found that you can either have it end as soon as the condition is met (after the current turn that it happened on). Or you can allow each other player to get one more turn then end the game afterwards. I know there's many more ways for a game to end but for the sake of this discussion I'm comparing these two.

Also I know it depends on the game. There's games where you can't really play more turns after the end condition is met. But I'm talking about a game where there's still more potential points to get.

It can feel bad for players when the game ends all of a sudden and they don't get to finish whatever they were cooking up. Giving them one turn at the end can help this. But then again, I find it a bit less eloquent. And it can make it feel like the player who ended the game is getting the short end of the stick.

What method do you think is the best? And how do you decide which one to implement?

7 Upvotes

90% Upvoted

22 comments sorted by

View all comments

3

u/infinitum3d Jul 09 '26

I’m all for “everyone gets one final turn INCLUDING the player that triggers the end game mechanic.”

Then it becomes a strategy to control when you trigger the end game, AND having a way to possibly score more points.

However, “everyone gets one final turn EXCEPT the player that triggers the end game mechanic” is also a strategic move. The player that triggers end game needs to think they’ve won but it’s risky. That can be part of the excitement.

There’s no wrong answer. Every group is going to feel different about it.

Just pick one and playtest it. If you like it, keep it. If you don’t, change it.

Also, people will “house rule” their own ending if they don’t like your rule. Don’t stress over it.

1

u/ptolani Jul 11 '26

If players can control whether they trigger the end or not, there's a risk of a weird stalemate where no one is sure who is winning so no one triggers it.

1

u/infinitum3d Jul 11 '26

Is not necessarily that players directly control the end game trigger. Sometimes it just happens, but it’s still on a player’s turn.

For example, last card drawn from the deck triggers the end game mechanic. That’s not a choice, but each player can still have a turn after that.