Game Jargon Definition: “Hand Management”
Hand Management (noun) – hand man·age·ment /hand ˈmanijmənt/
Perhaps one of the most common tabletop game mechanics, hand management is knowing what card or cards to play and when. It is knowing how to keep your hand of cards to the right size, and what everything in your hand means for both you (the player), other players, and the game. Hand management mechanics, and associated strategies, come in many different forms depending on the specific game in which it is being used. Games that employ hand management may, and often do, feature cards that reward players when they play cards in certain sequences or groups, or at specific points in the game. Effective play of cards and sequences of cards may vary depending on certain variables within the game, including the cards held, displayed, and/or played by opponents. Good hand management means gaining the best value out of available cards under given circumstances and knowing when to sacrifice short-term gains for long-term plans (and vice versa). Some cards have multiple uses in a given game, which creates even more complexity when identifying an “optimal” sequence of play.
In the photo above, there are examples of cards from a wide variety of games that employ hand management in one way or another. From left to right:
Star Trek: Customizable Card Game (1994)
Star Wars: Customizable Card Game (1995)
Magic: The Gathering-New Phyrexia (2011)
Munchkin Impossible (2006)
Dominion (2008)
City of Remnants (2013)
HeroQuest (1989)
Conquest of Planet Earth: The Space Alien Game (2010)
Cosmic Encounter (2008)
Black Fleet (2014)
The Snallygaster Situation: Kids on Bikes Board Game (2021)
Bargain Quest (2017)
Defenders of the Realm (2010)