Game Mechanic: Set Collection

Stamps, baseball cards, antiques, books, even board games; all of these items are things people like to collect.  What is it that gets into our blood and drives us to shop for, buy, and keep multiples of one or more similar items?  There must be something completely satisfying about it because collecting sets has been a game mechanic for hundreds of years.

In Set Collection games players are trying to collect specific sets of items (cards, jewels, resources, etc.) in order to gain victory points, claim routes, build buildings, or cure a disease.

Hallmarks of Set Collection

Sets 

The one true hallmark of set collection games, is, as with modular board games, pretty obvious.  You are collecting sets.  The reason for collecting the set, and what you are collecting, may vary from game to game.  In "Ticket to Ride" you are collecting sets of the same color in order to claim a route.  In "Stone Age" you are collecting wood, stone, brick, and / or gold to build huts.  In "Alhambra" you are trying to collect the largest set of similar tiles to gain the most victory points.



Theme

Set collection is a common mechanic found in many Eurogames.  It can even be found in some abstract games such as poker and mah-jong.  It's rarely found in highly thematic war games or dungeon crawls.  There are a few.  Usually it plays only a minor role, if any, in thematic games.  So, if you are looking for theme, it may be better to try another mechanic.

Purpose of Collecting

Why are you collecting sets?  Is some games it is merely to gain victory points, in others there is another purpose.  It's a matter of personal opinion which type you prefer. 

In "Ra: The Dice Game" players roll the dice to collect Pharaohs, Niles, Floods , and Pyramids in order to score the most points and avoid losing points. In "10 Days In Europe" players are trying to be the first to collect 10 country and transportation tiles that form a continuous route.

Yet another example can be found in "Pandemic."  Here players work together to  collect a set of five cards of a particular disease.  They can then cure it and come closer to their goal of saving the world.  Of course, if someone is a scientist, they only need four cards to cure that same disease. 

A little bit of push your luck?

I put a question mark next to this hallmark because it isn't present in every set collection game, but it's the heart of many.  I'm looking at you poker!  The tension and excitement of set collection can be a big draw.

Do you take that wild Engine card this turn in "Ticket to Ride.?  Or do you do the safe thing and claim that route before someone else steals it?  Do you risk giving up a needed, but out of place, country card in "10 Days?" You hope it doesn't get taken or covered up this turn.  Or, do you risk keeping it and try to change your route to make it work?  To risk it or not to risk it, that is the question!