(It’s more tempting to link high school music people to ameritrash and wargames versus Eurogames, but in the final analysis it’s just as flimsy)

HINT: I mentioned it as a (vaporware) craft post.

I periodically ponder designing an Icons-weight supers RPG that uses Disads the reward the player with XP when they come up in play a la Keys or Beliefs. It would also use zones for tactical combat – sort of a streamlined Champions with a fixed reward mechanic.

Ben,

Actually, I meant to include board games (and video games) explicitly in this post, but RPGs ended up dominating. I think it applies equally to all games – even gamification, for that matter. I don’t have any explicit examples of board games off the top of my head, but I’m sure they’re out there. If something comes to mind in the next day or two I’ll mention it here.

Do you have any examples of board or card games that could be good if only their rewards systems were more aligned with the fun parts of their game mechanisms? Or vice versa?

I have a lot of experience with the New World of Darkness as well, and I don’t think it is drastically different in the reward mechanics department. One change that I really like with it is the fact that flaws give out small xp bonuses in play, as opposed to a lump sum payment up front. I find that it always works better that way. Up front flaw systems just seem to encourage bad behaviour in the best of players.