GLOSSARY · Game Mechanics
Asymmetric Game
A game where players have genuinely different abilities, goals, or rules from each other, not mirrored starting positions.
Detailed definition
Most games start everyone from the same place with the same options — asymmetric games break that on purpose. One player might be hunting while another hides, one might be building an empire while another is trying to topple it, each working from a genuinely different rulebook and win condition rather than a reskinned version of the same job.
Done well, it makes replaying a game with the same group feel fresh every time, since sitting on the other side of the table is a completely different experience. It does mean the learning curve can be uneven too — one role might take longer to explain than another — so it’s worth a quick read of the listing before you decide who’s playing which side.
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