This is an idea for a game I had running through my head the last couple of days and would appreciate thoughts on if you think the idea has merit and which aspects do you think work/don't work?
It is somewhat inspired by the film Zootopia and I borrowed some mechanics from the game Splendor, but I think the game is fairly original. If it sounds like a game already out there let me know.
I'm particularly interested in your thoughts on the Animal Phase of the game, and if you think there's too much calculating to the point where it will slow down the game.
Also, I'm wondering if the Attack phase should have some element of chance to it. As of right now, when a player attacks they know they are going to win.
Would enjoy hearing your thoughts. :)
The image attached is a mockup of what a possible card layout. The number in the top left is the strength, the top right is how many of a certain type of habitat is required for that animal, and the text at the bottom tells you the Animal Influence bonus for that particular animal.
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CONTENTS
50 Animal cards
50 Habitat cards
30 Influence cards
OVERVIEW
You are in charge of keeping your citizens and expanding your realm through persuasion and conquest. Here’s the catch. You’re realm is made up entirely of animals. Each animal has different preferences, strengths, and abilities that you must balance if you want to have a diverse and thriving kingdom. And Diversity is the key. The player with the most animal species in their land at the end of the game wins.
SETUP
Deal each player 8 animal cards, 4 habitat cards and 4 Influence cards. All remaining animal cards are set aside for the remainder of the game.
You must discard any animal cards you cannot support. You can only support a species if you have the habitat card that animal requires. Some animals will require 2 or 3 habitat cards in order to keep that species in your hand so you may only get to keep 2-3 animal cards at the start of the game.
For example, the Polar Bear might require 2 Tundra cards whereas a Rabbit only requires 1 Forest card.
Play all your habitat cards in a row in front of you. Then play your animal cards in the habitat column that matches with that animal.
All discarded animal cards are shuffled and placed face down in the center of the play area. This becomes the animal deck that will be used through the remainder of the game. Now take 8 of those cards and flip them face up in the center of the play area.
GAME PLAY
On your turn you have 4 possible actions.
1. Draw 3 Habitat cards and keep 1.
2. Draw an Influence card
3. Attack Opponent
4. Draw an Animal card
DRAW HABITAT CARDS
Look at 3 cards from the top of the Habitat deck and keep one of them. The card you choose is played in front of you in the column of cards for that habitat. If you don’t yet have any cards of that Habitat start a new column in front of you.
DRAW AN INFLUENCE CARD
Draw 1 card from the Influence deck and put in your hand. Unlike the animal and habitat cards, influence cards are not revealed to other players until you play them.
ATTACK AN OPPONENT
To attack an opponent simply choose one of your habitats and add up the accumulative strength of all the animals in that habitat. If your combined strength is greater than an opponent’s accumulative strength in the same habitat you can remove their weakest card in that habitat. That card is then removed from the game.
TAKE AN ANIMAL CARD
As long as you have enough habitat cards of the animal’s habitat type, you can choose any of the 8 revealed cards in the center of the play area.
Any other player that can also support the animal can challenge you by playing one or more influence cards down in the center of the table.
If there are no challengers you simply take the animal card and flip over the next animal card (if there is one) so that if possible there are always 8 cards available for players to choose.
If there are one or more challengers the player with the most influence points takes the card. Below is how influence points are calculated.
Herbivores
lose 1 influence point for every carnivore you have in the habitat that animal would live.
Carnivore
Add 1 influence point for every herbivore you have in the habitat that animal would live.
Omnivore – lose 1 influence point for every species in the habitat that animal would live.
Points from influence cards
Influence bonus from the animal card
ANIMAL INFLUENCE POINTS
At the bottom of every card is something unique that animal species is looking for in a home. Add this to your total influence score.
Example: On the deer card the influence bonus might be "+1 influence for each forest habitat card in your kingdom.""
INFLUENCE CARDS
Players may also choose to play as many Influence cards at this time to improve their score. The player with the most points wins that species card.
Examples of an influence card
Take by Force: +1 influence for every 2 carnivore in kingdom
Lush Fields: +3 influence when trying to convince an herbivore
GAME END
The game ends once the animal deck (the animal cards players discarded at the start of the game) has been drawn by someone.
The winner is the player with the most animals in their kingdom. If it is a tie the player with the most strength wins the game. (Strength is determined by adding the individual strength values of every animal in the kingdom.)
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Over the weekend I thought about what you said, and here’s another idea.
There are 2 decks. The animal deck and the habitat enhancement deck.
At the start of the game flip over 3 rows of habitat enhancement cards with the number of cards in each row being the number of players in the game. Also flip over 3 rows of animal cards with the (number of players – 1) cards in each row.
Each round every player takes turns choosing 1 habitat enhancement card from any of the cards available. When a card is taken, a new habitat enhancement card is flip over to replace it.
Once everyone has drawn a card the contest for getting animals to your habitat begins. The first round only the top row of animal cards in considered. The animals in that row go to the player who has the most appealing habitat. (Appeal is determined by the enhancements as well as the other types of animals you have in that habitat). Since there is one less animal than player in each row, at least one player will not get an animal in that round. Any animals that are taken from a row are immediately replaced with new animals.
Only the players that do NOT get animals get to draw a habitat enhancement card the next round.
At the end of the next round the next row of animal cards are considered. So the second round the competition is for the second row of animal cards, the third round the third row, and the fourth round you loop back up to the 1st row.
The game ends once either the animal deck or the habitat enhancement deck is gone.