← all mechanics
Worker Placement
OpenGames using
59
Median complexity
2.34
0–5
Median rating
6.24
bayes
Tabletop fit
0.617
weight-controlled
Definition
From BoardGameGeek
A stylized form of Action Drafting, players place tokens (typically the classic person-shaped "meeple") to trigger an action from a set of actions available to all players, generally one-at-a-time and in turn order. Some games achieve the same effect in reverse: the turn begins with action spaces filled by markers, which are claimed by players for some cost.
Curator notes
Worker Placement
- Definition: place limited workers on action spaces; spaces are first-come-first-served
- Canonical: Agricola, Lords of Waterdeep, Stone Age
- MDA aesthetic: Challenge (constrained optimization) + Submission (rules-driven planning)
- Mobile descendant: None credible. The constraint of "other players block you" is what makes it interesting and exactly what disappears in single-player.
- Translation difficulty: Hard — needs a new constraint to replace inter-player blocking. AI opponents on a clock? Decaying spaces? Worth investigating.
Top games using this mechanism
By BGG bayes rating, top 50.
| Game | Year | Rating | Wt | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dune: Imperium – Uprising#5 | 2023 | 8.23 | 3.5 | 120m |
| Dune: Imperium#6 | 2020 | 8.22 | 3.1 | 120m |
| A Feast for Odin#27 | 2016 | 7.94 | 3.9 | 120m |
| Lost Ruins of Arnak#30 | 2020 | 7.92 | 2.9 | 120m |
| Barrage#40 | 2019 | 7.84 | 4.1 | 180m |
| Everdell#42 | 2018 | 7.81 | 2.8 | 80m |
| Viticulture Essential Edition#44 | 2015 | 7.81 | 2.9 | 90m |
| Underwater Cities#50 | 2018 | 7.77 | 3.6 | 150m |
| On Mars#58 | 2020 | 7.74 | 4.6 | 150m |
| Anachrony#61 | 2017 | 7.73 | 4.0 | 120m |
| Caverna: The Cave Farmers#62 | 2013 | 7.73 | 3.8 | 210m |
| Agricola#64 | 2007 | 7.73 | 3.6 | 150m |
| Obsession#66 | 2018 | 7.72 | 3.1 | 90m |
| Tzolk'in: The Mayan Calendar#72 | 2012 | 7.68 | 3.7 | 90m |
| The White Castle#73 | 2023 | 7.68 | 3.1 | 80m |
| Paladins of the West Kingdom#79 | 2019 | 7.66 | 3.7 | 120m |
| Le Havre#80 | 2008 | 7.66 | 3.7 | 150m |
| The Gallerist#81 | 2015 | 7.65 | 4.2 | 150m |
| Agricola (Revised Edition)#85 | 2016 | 7.65 | 3.4 | 120m |
| Fields of Arle#100 | 2014 | 7.59 | 3.8 | 120m |
| Lords of Waterdeep#107 | 2012 | 7.58 | 2.4 | 120m |
| Dominant Species#113 | 2010 | 7.55 | 4.0 | 240m |
| Robinson Crusoe: Adventures on the Cursed Island#119 | 2012 | 7.55 | 3.8 | 120m |
| Trickerion: Legends of Illusion#121 | 2015 | 7.54 | 4.3 | 180m |
| Galactic Cruise#125 | 2025 | 7.53 | 4.0 | 150m |
| Dwellings of Eldervale#128 | 2020 | 7.52 | 3.2 | 150m |
| Architects of the West Kingdom#130 | 2018 | 7.51 | 2.8 | 80m |
| Keyflower#133 | 2012 | 7.50 | 3.3 | 120m |
| Raiders of the North Sea#134 | 2015 | 7.50 | 2.6 | 80m |
| Caylus#138 | 2005 | 7.49 | 3.8 | 150m |
| Lorenzo il Magnifico#141 | 2016 | 7.49 | 3.3 | 120m |
| Mombasa#144 | 2015 | 7.48 | 3.9 | 150m |
| Russian Railroads#151 | 2013 | 7.46 | 3.4 | 120m |
| Vinhos: Deluxe Edition#154 | 2016 | 7.45 | 4.0 | 180m |
| Yokohama#155 | 2016 | 7.44 | 3.3 | 90m |
| Champions of Midgard#165 | 2015 | 7.42 | 2.6 | 90m |
| Rajas of the Ganges#166 | 2017 | 7.41 | 2.9 | 75m |
| Targi#173 | 2012 | 7.40 | 2.3 | 60m |
| Alchemists#177 | 2014 | 7.40 | 3.9 | 120m |
| Stone Age#188 | 2008 | 7.38 | 2.5 | 90m |
| Istanbul#191 | 2014 | 7.37 | 2.6 | 60m |
| This War of Mine: The Board Game#213 | 2017 | 7.34 | 3.3 | 120m |
| Ora et Labora#244 | 2011 | 7.29 | 3.9 | 180m |
| Village#246 | 2011 | 7.28 | 3.1 | 90m |
| The Taverns of Tiefenthal#248 | 2019 | 7.28 | 2.7 | 60m |
| Wondrous Creatures#266 | 2024 | 7.25 | 3.0 | 80m |
| Nations#271 | 2013 | 7.24 | 3.5 | 200m |
| Near and Far#278 | 2017 | 7.23 | 2.9 | 120m |
| Dinosaur Island#280 | 2017 | 7.23 | 3.0 | 120m |
| Speakeasy#296 | 2025 | 7.21 | 4.4 | 180m |
Frequently combined with
Other mechanisms that show up in the same games. Click to drill in.
Related deep dives
Long-form design analysis on games using this mechanism.