Jamey discusses his favorite mechanism in the fox breeding game, The Fox Experiment. boardgamegeek.... Become a champion of this channel: stonemaier-gam...
I love games with an evolving space, especially when it's player driven. That sense of ownership (or authorship, sometimes a player doesn't "own" the thing they make) strikes me as a deeper kind of engagement, probably playing on the common intrinsic desire to build and create. It's also such a great opportunity to introduce positive player interaction. The first example to jump into my head was Lords of Waterdeep, and the creation of player-owned action spaces. Every time I've taught that game, players have mostly been excited about the theme and the opportunity to complete quests, but after the first building was constructed and marked with ownership, as soon as someone activated that spot and the players saw the consequences in action, there was a lightbulb moment and the other players were very excited to be the next player to build.
What I really like is that you might make a juicy fox, but the things that make it a strong fox to draft might not actually help you later! If it generates dice but not so many tokens, it'll benefit others potentially more than it helped you. Such a fun dynamic!
My City: Roll & Build has players roll 2 dice each turn and combine them to create the polyomino shape they are to draw on their sheet. One major difference to what you describe in the game above is that in MC you don't have any agency in the creation of that polyomino shape, the die faces all have a mark to indicate where they connect to each other. This is necessary in this game where all players are acting on that dice roll but in most games it would be nice for players to be able to rotate the dice to choose the outcome in a way. I'm only 40% through the campaign and so far it's really fun but I much prefer the original because the dice aren't predictable like the stack of cards were in the original. Both are on BGA and I recommend both, the original is one of my favourite gaming experiences for its campaign growth and clean, fun gameplay.
Is there a mechanic for “rolling two hands full of dice”? That’s my favorite mechanic lol. This game ramps up so quick, those last couple rounds are sooo fun.
I love games with an evolving space, especially when it's player driven. That sense of ownership (or authorship, sometimes a player doesn't "own" the thing they make) strikes me as a deeper kind of engagement, probably playing on the common intrinsic desire to build and create. It's also such a great opportunity to introduce positive player interaction.
The first example to jump into my head was Lords of Waterdeep, and the creation of player-owned action spaces. Every time I've taught that game, players have mostly been excited about the theme and the opportunity to complete quests, but after the first building was constructed and marked with ownership, as soon as someone activated that spot and the players saw the consequences in action, there was a lightbulb moment and the other players were very excited to be the next player to build.
Well said! It's one of my favorite mechanisms in general.
What I really like is that you might make a juicy fox, but the things that make it a strong fox to draft might not actually help you later! If it generates dice but not so many tokens, it'll benefit others potentially more than it helped you. Such a fun dynamic!
My City: Roll & Build has players roll 2 dice each turn and combine them to create the polyomino shape they are to draw on their sheet. One major difference to what you describe in the game above is that in MC you don't have any agency in the creation of that polyomino shape, the die faces all have a mark to indicate where they connect to each other. This is necessary in this game where all players are acting on that dice roll but in most games it would be nice for players to be able to rotate the dice to choose the outcome in a way.
I'm only 40% through the campaign and so far it's really fun but I much prefer the original because the dice aren't predictable like the stack of cards were in the original. Both are on BGA and I recommend both, the original is one of my favourite gaming experiences for its campaign growth and clean, fun gameplay.
I'm so glad you remembered that! That was one of my favorite mechanisms in My City: Roll & Build.
if it's dry-erase, how do you prevent it from smearing if you constantly draft the fox again and again?
You're not shuffling the cards--you just place the card you create face-up on the tablet.
Is there a mechanic for “rolling two hands full of dice”? That’s my favorite mechanic lol. This game ramps up so quick, those last couple rounds are sooo fun.
It does feel pretty awesome to roll so many dice. :)