Action Point Budget
Each unit gets a few actions per turn; moving and shooting come from the same pocket.
- Prototype complexity
- Who plays
- Solo decisions
- Design focus
- Planning · Economy · Spatial
No.135XCOM 201The core loop
Action → feedback → next choice- 01Check remaining actions
- 02Choose move or attack
- 03Spend and resolve
- 04Plan the next unit
↻Feedback changes the situation — the next round starts from there.
Walk through one round
A simplified design example. Situations and numbers illustrate the mechanic, not exact rules from a reference game.
- T1
Turn 1 · The situation
A sniper has 2 actions: moving costs 1, shooting costs 1 and ends the turn; no line of sight from here.
- T2
Turn 2 · The player chooses
The player spends 1 to climb to high ground, then fires with the last.
- T3
Turn 3 · The feedback
The height bonus helps the shot land; the enemy drops and the sniper's pips gray out.
- T4
Turn 4 · The next decision
The rest of the squad moves to cover the sniper's exposed flank.
How it plays
Units get fixed action points each turn, spent on moving, shooting, reloading or abilities. Some actions end the unit's turn outright, and some outcomes refund extra points. Players decide within that tiny budget whether to move or fire first.
What the player weighs
- Run far to a better spot vs. keep an action to shoot
- Risk one unit for bonus actions vs. spread actions safely
02Start small
Scope is an editorial estimate for the minimum prototype, not the reference game or a production schedule.
03One mechanic, different implementations
XCOM 2
Each soldier gets two actions; moving within the blue range costs one, dashing to yellow uses both, and most shots end the soldier's turn.
Gears Tactics
Each unit gets 3 action points to mix freely; executing downed enemies grants teammates extra actions, enabling chain turns.
The difference worth noticing
XCOM 2 constrains choices with shot-ends-turn; Gears Tactics rewards chaining with refunded actions.
Case notes are Yoroll editorial summaries; rules may change between versions.
04What could you combine?
Link action points to carry weight: heavier packs mean fewer actions per turn, so loadout choices shape battlefield mobility.
Prototype this combo in Yoroll→Follow the next idea
Cover and Flanking
Cover keeps you safe until someone walks around it.
- Prototype complexity
- Who plays
- Solo decisions
- 01Check where cover faces
- 02Move to a flanking angle
- 03Gain an accuracy bonus
- 04Guard against counter-flanks
Blow Up the Cover
If the enemy is well hidden, blow up the wall; the battlefield keeps changing.
- Prototype complexity
- Who plays
- Solo decisions
- 01Find the cover they rely on
- 02Destroy it with explosives
- 03Enemy is exposed
- 04Follow up the attack
Shove, Pull, Knock Back
Push enemies off ledges or into fire; position itself becomes the weapon.
- Prototype complexity
- Who plays
- Solo decisions
- 01Find hazardous terrain
- 02Plan the push direction
- 03Shove or pull
- 04Hazard does the work