--- key: mechanic/tabletop-systems--t184 type: mechanic id: tabletop-systems--t184 lang: en title: Hidden orders and simultaneous selection summary: >- Simultaneous hidden choices emphasize predicting intentions rather than reacting to an order already executed. updatedAt: '2026-10-22' status: active url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/tabletop-systems--t184/' jsonUrl: >- https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/tabletop-systems--t184.json markdownUrl: >- https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/tabletop-systems--t184.md aliases: [] tags: - 'Cards, dice and tabletop mechanics' - Mechanics and variants sourceIds: - source-eceba0e40b661634 - source-1701f69d697ae522 - source-308796e2ed32b19c sources: - id: source-eceba0e40b661634 title: 'PuzzleScript: Rules' url: 'https://www.puzzlescript.net/Documentation/rules.html' verifiedAt: null - id: source-1701f69d697ae522 title: 'Wizards of the Coast: Magic rules' url: 'https://magic.wizards.com/en/rules' verifiedAt: null - id: source-308796e2ed32b19c title: 'A Game of Thrones: The Board Game - Digital Edition' url: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/1075190/' verifiedAt: null relations: [] placements: - catalogId: tabletop-systems id: t184 title: 'Cards, dice and tabletop mechanics' url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/tabletop-systems/#t184' categoryIds: - mechanics supersededBy: [] attributes: preview: updatedAt: '2026-10-22' title: Hidden orders and simultaneous selection description: >- Simultaneous hidden choices emphasize predicting intentions rather than reacting to an order already executed. image: src: images/mechanics/general-game-thrones-board-00.webp width: 1440 height: 810 game: 'A Game of Thrones: The Board Game - Digital Edition' sourceUrl: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/1075190/' originalUrl: >- https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/1075190/ss_cdaa83cc8f7f7f996d0ca6c3aa1717df3300fda2.1920x1080.jpg?t=1742483806 credit: Dire Wolf / Twin Sails Interactive rights: >- Game imagery © its respective rights holders. Publisher-distributed screenshot from Steam; all rights reserved. Excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0. caption: The planning phase precedes order resolution alt: The planning phase precedes order resolution markers: - x: 50 'y': 5 label: Planning Phase separates selection from resolution - x: 53 'y': 38 label: Order tokens are attached to occupied areas tips: - >- Keep choices hidden until the reveal and resolve conflicting orders explicitly. examples: - title: 'A Game of Thrones: The Board Game - Digital Edition' url: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/1075190/' 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/tabletop-systems --- # Hidden orders and simultaneous selection id: tabletop-systems--t184 type: mechanic key: mechanic/tabletop-systems--t184 lang: en status: active url: https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/tabletop-systems--t184/ Simultaneous hidden choices emphasize predicting intentions rather than reacting to an order already executed. ## At a glance ![The planning phase precedes order resolution](https://gamemechanics.pro/images/mechanics/general-game-thrones-board-00.webp) [A Game of Thrones: The Board Game - Digital Edition](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1075190/) · Game imagery © its respective rights holders. Publisher-distributed screenshot from Steam; all rights reserved. Excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0. 1. Planning Phase separates selection from resolution 2. Order tokens are attached to occupied areas - Keep choices hidden until the reveal and resolve conflicting orders explicitly. - [A Game of Thrones: The Board Game - Digital Edition](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1075190/) ## How it works Simultaneous hidden choices emphasize predicting intentions rather than reacting to an order already executed. ## Variants ### Mechanic variants - Sealed orders lock before their reveal. - Priority resolves conflicting identical targets. - Scouting exposes part of another plan. - Decoy orders spend an action on misleading signals. ## Design example Both players secretly choose a bridge or bypass and one can scout at the cost of speed. Prototype check: Test that a confirmed plan cannot change after information from another participant's reveal is received. ## Context and limits Tabletop mechanisms allocate limited actions and hidden information through cards, dice, positions and commitments. 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. - [PuzzleScript: Rules](https://www.puzzlescript.net/Documentation/rules.html) (id: source-eceba0e40b661634) - [Wizards of the Coast: Magic rules](https://magic.wizards.com/en/rules) (id: source-1701f69d697ae522) - [A Game of Thrones: The Board Game - Digital Edition](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1075190/) (id: source-308796e2ed32b19c) CC-BY-4.0 · gamemechanics.pro contributors