When I was reading about the difference between mechanics and dynamics I immediately thought of Catan. In Catan, there exists the mechanics of gaining resources by rolling dice, and trading resources with other players. When someone in the game is established as winning, for example if they are the first to add to the board, if they add the first city, if they have a bunch of development cards they’re keeping secret. Once people feel that someone is for sure winning, there arises the dynamic of stopping trading with them, and only trading with the other players.
A very similar thing happens with the mechanics of the robber in Catan, which lets you block and steal a card from the blocked player. When a player is established as winning, even if they won’t win, there arises this dynamic of consistently blocking and stealing from that exact player.
If the mechanics of trading or the mechanics of the robber didn’t exist, I do not think the same dynamics would arise. There would not be a reason to swarm a specific player that the group designates as possibly winning, as the mechanics of swarming would not be there in the first place. Thus, the dynamic of selective application of Catan’s mechanics of trading and robbing comes from the existence of those mechanics themselves.
