Lighthearted has an interesting emotion mechanic.

At the start of a scene, you describe your current emotion. Then, when rolling you choose an emotion based on how you describe the action and the closer it is from your current emotions, the higher dice you roll. However, it’ll make your emotional state shift. And if you roll your current emotion you gain stress.

While it’s pretty interesting, it let a lot of room for negotiation between PC and GM which isn’t always great compared to games with tighter rules

What interesting mechanics exist out there?

I don’t mean just “here’s a new way to roll combinations of polyhedral dice”, or “here’s a new theme overlaid on a standard progress tracker”, or “here’s stress with another name”.

I mean, actual new conceptual mechanics that produce new and interesting behaviours in-game. Things like CoC’s push rolls, or Slugblaster’s Beats/Character Arc, or Blades in the Dark’s Flashbacks (these might not be the first games that those appeared in, but the point isn’t the game, it’s the mechanic).

Interested particularly in what those new mechanics bring to the table in terms of player interactions or story development.

In oWoD’s Hunter: The Reckoning, you can’t advance your Edges (supernatural abilities) with XP.

To do so, you have to gamble Conviction during the session, while using said Edges (those Conviction points gambled add dice to your pool, ideally improving your odds).

If you succeed at the task, you gain Virtues (with which you can later buy points in Edges).

if you fail the task, you lose Conviction points. If you run out of Conviction, you lose your ability to use Edges at all until you rest/meditate/recover for a full week.

Not sure if it qualifies as “conceptual” or non-mechanical to you. But I love it.

How does it affect the feel of the game?

I suppose YMMV, but to me it’s central. You see, the Hunter becomes a hunter because she heard a higher calling, and believing in it is what keeps it going.

You can rename Conviction to Faith, and it probably shows what I’m hinting at. That faith can get you out of trouble (supernaturally so) but it’s also precious. You’re still human, flimsy and prone to errors, susceptible to doubt.

And you’re way out of your league. All the time.

So basically higher stakes, and higher tension? And maybe more believable motivations?

What interesting mechanics exist out there?

I don’t mean just “here’s a new way to roll combinations of polyhedral dice”, or “here’s a new theme overlaid on a standard progress tracker”, or “here’s stress with another name”.

I mean, actual new conceptual mechanics that produce new and interesting behaviours in-game. Things like CoC’s push rolls, or Slugblaster’s Beats/Character Arc, or Blades in the Dark’s Flashbacks (these might not be the first games that those appeared in, but the point isn’t the game, it’s the mechanic).

Interested particularly in what those new mechanics bring to the table in terms of player interactions or story development.

What interesting mechanics exist out there?

I don’t mean just “here’s a new way to roll combinations of polyhedral dice”, or “here’s a new theme overlaid on a standard progress tracker”, or “here’s stress with another name”.

I mean, actual new conceptual mechanics that produce new and interesting behaviours in-game. Things like CoC’s push rolls, or Slugblaster’s Beats/Character Arc, or Blades in the Dark’s Flashbacks (these might not be the first games that those appeared in, but the point isn’t the game, it’s the mechanic).

Interested particularly in what those new mechanics bring to the table in terms of player interactions or story development.

What interesting mechanics exist out there?

I don’t mean just “here’s a new way to roll combinations of polyhedral dice”, or “here’s a new theme overlaid on a standard progress tracker”, or “here’s stress with another name”.

I mean, actual new conceptual mechanics that produce new and interesting behaviours in-game. Things like CoC’s push rolls, or Slugblaster’s Beats/Character Arc, or Blades in the Dark’s Flashbacks (these might not be the first games that those appeared in, but the point isn’t the game, it’s the mechanic).

Interested particularly in what those new mechanics bring to the table in terms of player interactions or story development.

In Trail of Cthulhu, if you suffer madness you must leave the room while the other players and DM debate the most appropriate manner in which to gaslight you. They may, for example, pass notes to each other and exchange meaningful glances. Or, they could all agree that some important recent event didnt happen and will react with confusion when you bring it up. Or they could come up with any number of other thjngs.