The Fox Experiment, from the designer of Wingspan, reviewed

Created by WingspanElizabeth Hargrave, designer of a delightful board game themed on ornithology released in 2019 helped create the new genre of board games based around nature. The success of the game, backed by numerous industry awards, and mainstream media coverage, led to many similar board games. Meadow The following are some of the ways to get in touch with us: Forest Shuffle. The acclaimed designer is now using that creative capital in order to dive ever further down the rabbit hole of science. What is the depth? Well, her latest game is focused on an obscure Soviet effort to domesticate wild foxes… and it’s not half bad.

The Fox ExperimentIt is based upon a controversial Soviet project from 1958. In this case, scientists used selective breeding with the hope of turning a wild creature into a domesticated animal. Hargrave’s design, however, is not at all concerned with the political, historical, and moral ramifications of that project. Instead, it focuses on tackling the technical matter at hand — the job of selectively breeding the friendliest foxes. The players select males and females, and roll dice according to their traits. The results of the experiment are then passed on to their children, who display their own desirable and unwelcome traits. They are selectively bred for the next generation of pups.

Photo: Pandasaurus Games

It is simple and easy to use. The dice are colored to represent desired traits such as fluffy ears and tails. They correspond to qualities observed in the Russian gene experiment. Over time, foxes develop your desired traits as they grow more friendly with humans. This method is brilliant. It combines the selective breeding with large dice pools. The trait-rolling is done simultaneously by all players, so there’s no time wasted.

The influence of this game’s design on the new roll-and write genre is interesting. These games typically feature the rolling of dice or flipping of cards, followed by players marking sections of a personal board — think YahtzeeModern themes and mechanisms. In recent years this category, like those based on nature, has experienced significant growth. The Fox ExperimentRoll-and-write concept is used by players who note traits generated using a dry eraser and name the cub they have created. It’s fun to tick off the boxes when you get a hugely successful result, but what makes this game so special is that the cub gets named. This allows the player to change the mood of the game by adding personalization. One play I named a line of foxes after Jeff in various variations, while another had a litter of wolves named for members of GWAR. It can also create a strong emotional connection when you name your puppies. You may feel a sense of pride or sadness when another player chooses to take one of your breeding foxes and use it as their child for the round.

The Fox ExperimentThis title is notable for pushing the hobby towards more complex scientific themes. It’s a relatively straightforward game roughly on par with WingspanThe game is more complex but shows an integration that’s far deeper into the subject. Regardless of accomplishment, it doesn’t take much effort to goad players into rolling mounds of dice while staring at cute foxes. However, the topic, which includes difficult issues such as slavery and forced reproduction, may not be for everyone.

The Fox Experiment The retail price for the game will be $59.95. This review was based on a copy of the pre-release game that Pandasaurus Games provided. Vox Media maintains affiliate relationships. Vox Media can earn affiliate commissions, but this does not affect editorial content. This is where you can find additional information about Polygon’s ethics policy here.