Action points
Action points (often "AP") is a turn structure where each player gets a fixed budget per turn and spends those points on a menu of actions with different costs. Move one space costs 1 AP, attack costs 2, search costs 3 — you choose the mix.
Why it matters
AP gives players flexibility without unlimited turns. Designers reach for it when they want player agency every turn but still need a hard cap to keep the game moving.
Example
Pandemic gives each player 4 actions per turn from a menu (move, build a station, treat disease, share a card, discover a cure). You always get 4 — what you do with them is the puzzle.