Worker placement games have a blocking problem that different designs address differently. Pure blocking — only one worker per space — creates frustration when your action is taken. Queue-based blocking — multiple workers allowed but each added worker costs more — creates a price discovery mechanism. Everdell uses both depending on location type.

The best worker placement designs make blocking feel like interaction rather than interference. When your plan is blocked and you have a meaningful second-best option, blocking creates dynamic tension. When your plan is blocked and there is no meaningful alternative, blocking creates frustration.

For designing house rules: converting pure blocking locations to queue-based blocking in heavy games often improves the experience for groups that find blocking frustrating. The economic cost of queuing creates a more nuanced interaction than the pure binary of one-worker-per-space.