---
key: mechanic/strategy-planning--t068
type: mechanic
id: strategy-planning--t068
lang: en
title: Turn-based strategy
summary: >-
  Turns provide planning time while player order determines which world changes
  the next participant observes.
updatedAt: '2026-10-22'
status: active
url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/strategy-planning--t068/'
jsonUrl: >-
  https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/strategy-planning--t068.json
markdownUrl: >-
  https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/strategy-planning--t068.md
aliases: []
tags:
  - Strategy games
  - Mechanics and variants
sourceIds:
  - source-32d0598945d8807a
  - source-cdd68b3569df12cf
sources:
  - id: source-32d0598945d8807a
    title: OpenRA
    url: 'https://www.openra.net/'
    verifiedAt: null
  - id: source-cdd68b3569df12cf
    title: Sid Meier’s Civilization® VI
    url: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/289070/'
    verifiedAt: null
relations: []
placements:
  - catalogId: strategy-planning
    id: t068
    title: Strategy games
    url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/strategy-planning/#t068'
    categoryIds:
      - mechanics
supersededBy: []
attributes:
  preview:
    updatedAt: '2026-10-22'
    title: Turn-based strategy
    description: >-
      Turns provide planning time while player order determines which world
      changes the next participant observes.
    image:
      src: images/mechanics/strategy-civilization6-02.webp
      width: 1440
      height: 810
      game: Sid Meier’s Civilization® VI
      sourceUrl: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/289070/'
      originalUrl: >-
        https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/289070/ss_b2bf12299c38214fe520af0f724a6349d17ed330.1920x1080.jpg?t=1792602288
      credit: >-
        Firaxis Games / Aspyr (Mac) / Aspyr (Linux) / 2K / Aspyr (Mac) / Aspyr
        (Linux)
      rights: >-
        © Firaxis Games / Aspyr (Mac) / Aspyr (Linux) / 2K / Aspyr (Mac) / Aspyr
        (Linux). All rights reserved.
      caption: Managing a city between turns
      alt: Managing a city between turns
      markers:
        - x: 9
          'y': 32
          label: City growth and amenities summary
        - x: 92
          'y': 4
          label: 'The counter shows the current turn: 118 of 330'
    tips:
      - 'Before ending a turn, show unused actions and important consequences.'
    examples:
      - title: Sid Meier’s Civilization® VI
        url: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/289070/'
endsAt: null
provenance: >-
  Original bilingual editorial overviews authored for gamemechanics.pro on
  2026-10-20 and reviewed on 2026-10-21. Scenarios are hypothetical design
  examples; prototype checks describe work to perform, not completed playtests.
  Primary sources support the stated techniques and implementation context, not
  every proposed variant.
license: CC-BY-4.0
codeLicense: MIT
attribution: gamemechanics.pro contributors
catalogKey: catalog/strategy-planning
---
# Turn-based strategy

id: strategy-planning--t068
type: mechanic
key: mechanic/strategy-planning--t068
lang: en
status: active
url: https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/strategy-planning--t068/

Turns provide planning time while player order determines which world changes the next participant observes.

## At a glance

![Managing a city between turns](https://gamemechanics.pro/images/mechanics/strategy-civilization6-02.webp)

[Sid Meier’s Civilization® VI](https://store.steampowered.com/app/289070/) · © Firaxis Games / Aspyr (Mac) / Aspyr (Linux) / 2K / Aspyr (Mac) / Aspyr (Linux). All rights reserved.

1. City growth and amenities summary
2. The counter shows the current turn: 118 of 330

- Before ending a turn, show unused actions and important consequences.

- [Sid Meier’s Civilization® VI](https://store.steampowered.com/app/289070/)

## How it works

Turns provide planning time while player order determines which world changes the next participant observes.

## Variants

### Mechanic variants

<a id="t068-variants"></a>

- Sequential turns answer an observed action. <a id="t068-v1"></a>
- Simultaneous orders require predicting opponents. <a id="t068-v2"></a>
- Action limits constrain the scope of one turn. <a id="t068-v3"></a>
- Supply phases connect plans across several turns. <a id="t068-v4"></a>

## Design example

An army takes a bridge now to supply an offensive in the following round.

Prototype check: Test first-turn advantage from equal starting positions and the availability of compensating responses.

## Context and limits

Strategy connects production, territory, information and long-term commitments against an uncertain opponent. Each overview separates player actions, state changes and alternative rules. Examples are hypothetical design scenarios, not claims about a named game. A prototype check states an observable question for the next iteration. Existing detailed references remain separately linked from the direction map.

## Connected materials


## Sources and provenance

Original bilingual editorial overviews authored for gamemechanics.pro on 2026-10-20 and reviewed on 2026-10-21. Scenarios are hypothetical design examples; prototype checks describe work to perform, not completed playtests. Primary sources support the stated techniques and implementation context, not every proposed variant.

- [OpenRA](https://www.openra.net/) (id: source-32d0598945d8807a)
- [Sid Meier’s Civilization® VI](https://store.steampowered.com/app/289070/) (id: source-cdd68b3569df12cf)

CC-BY-4.0 · gamemechanics.pro contributors