How’s the endless pandemic treating you? How was Lockdown and its sequels? How’re you finding sticking stuff up your nose, swabbing your throat, steamed up glasses, or washing your hands until they’re sore?
If you’re looking for a diversion from the daily doom, try drifting into fiction, fantasy, or the fun of tabletop games. They are a great way to zone out for a while and focus on what’s in front of you, whether that’s by immersing yourself in an imaginative in-game world or just planning your next move.
Unfortunately, face to face gaming has become much tricker than it was a couple of years ago. You can go digital, but nothing beats playing with others in real life. In a world of increasing remoteness and alienation, the main appeal of tabletop is connecting with people.
Although I’ve been able to play the occasional real-life game now and then, the world seems to have shrunk. I have a three-year-old son and a full-time job, which doesn’t leave a huge amount of time for epic four-hour long gaming marathons.
These days it’s mostly quick two-player games with my wife. The Fox in the Forest is one such game that you can finish in about half an hour. If you’ve ever played trick-taking card games, then the basic mechanics will be very familiar to you, as they are essentially the same as in games like whist or bridge, which use a standard deck of playing cards.
If you’re not familiar with them, trick taking games involve each player choosing a card from their hand, with the higher value card winning. The winning player takes both cards and makes little piles to track how many ‘tricks’ they have won. You must ‘follow suit’ – use the same suit that the first player put down – if possible, but if you can’t, you can use a trump card – a card from one suit which beats a higher card in a different suit.
The Fox in the Forest features three suits that fit its fairy-tale theme – moons, bells, and keys. The artwork is gorgeously realised, especially for the odd-numbered character cards which allow you to use special powers. These, if played at the right time, can alter the course of the game. They allow you to swap cards, change who goes first, alter which suit is trumps, and other useful abilities. The names of the character cards – the swan, the fox, the witch, the treasure, the woodcutter, and the monarch – hint at mystery and magic with beautiful illustrations.
Another interesting element is that scoring is based on a points system in which you want to win, but not be too much. If you dominate a round too heavily, you get zero points while your opponent takes the victory. This leads to an interesting dynamic where you can change your strategy if you start to fall behind, deliberately dropping a hand or two to lure your opponent into a trap, before they realise what you’re up to.
The lovely deck feels like it could be made up of tarot cards, and the lore is complemented by stories that appear on the game’s website. You don’t have to read them to play the game, but they are a nice way of building the theme.
The Fox in the Forest is only for two players, so won’t work with more, but if you’re looking for something short and light, or as a warm-up before something meatier, then it will make a fine addition to your collection. It also comes in a small box, which is handy if shelf space is becoming an issue, and at around £10 – £15, is also very affordable.
Recommended.
YOU CAN BUY THE FOX IN THE FOREST FROM FOXTROT GAMES
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