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[Silverbel]

I am just panning for interest. It's 3 A.M. and losing is fun, but is losing a boardgame fun?

[Shonai_Dweller]

Not unless little nanobots work hard in the box at night to remake the pieces each time. Otherwise you've just got a generic dwarf based building game which has nothing to do with DF. Kind of Caverna with a Dwarf Fortress label on the box.

Incidentally, I believe it was a board game concept that they refused to license the dwarf fortress name to before, so I guess it won't happen.

And...no, I don't think losing a board game would be all that fun really. Board games (good ones) take a long time to play. You'd probably only want to play it once.

[Urist McVoyager]

The world builder can generate some pretty cool D&D worlds though.

[snow dwarf]

A dwarf fortress inspired game could be fun but I don't think you should use the name dwarf fortress, maybe a short card game called losing is fun? If you get anywhere with this let me know cause I love board games. The longer I think about it the more I find it a good idea with the card game I just mentioned. Already have some ideas coming to my mind.

[Silverbel]

There are some design hurdles.

1. It needs to be able to spiral out of control, yet without being too slow to play.

2. Mass dorfs must be a thing..At least a maximum of 200 in play.

3. Doom must gradually escalate.

[snow dwarf]

I'm thinking of a game kind of like Munchkin where you build your fort from cards and funny and tragic events occur every turn.

[Sizik]

I'm thinking of a game kind of like Munchkin where you build your fort from cards and funny and tragic events occur every turn.

Betrayal at House on the Hill might be a good game to get inspiration from. Instead of exploring a haunted house, you'd be building a fort, and the "haunts" would be events like invasions, mega/forgotten beast attacks, candy, etc.

[Silverbel]

In particular I am not digging into mechanics yet. Neither of the mentioned board games really epitomize a struggle against inevitable disaster, so drawing inspiration from their play structure doesn't really catch my eye.

Things about Dorf Fort:

It's an economic engine building game. You start small and it gets bigger.

Efficiency is a thing.

Things happen and then you're boned.

[Thisfox]

In particular I am not digging into mechanics yet. Neither of the mentioned board games really epitomize a struggle against inevitable disaster, so drawing inspiration from their play structure doesn't really catch my eye.

Things about Dorf Fort:

It's an economic engine building game. You start small and it gets bigger.

Efficiency is a thing.

Things happen and then you're boned.

The bigger/higher/deeper you build, the heavier you fall when it happens. Jenga perhaps?

[Starver]

Whatever it is, there must be "updated version releases drawbridges(/whatever) no longer work: spend 100 rebuilding points and draw a creature chance card now, or don't and draw two creature chance cards every year end" draw-card/penalty-square to make it really meta...

[NJW2000]

I think it shouldn't have the detail of DF, it should be a lot more munchkin-like, because massive board games are annoying. A very basic mechanic might be having decks of "Features", "Problems" and "solutions".

Your fort has "features", which you add to, and which gain you "Solutions".
You use "problem" cards on other people's forts, and they have to play "solution" cards to escape or lose, say, a feature. Or just lose full stop.
Maybe certain features gain certain solutions, certain problems can only have certain solutions, etc.

Examples of "features" would be: Volcano, Goblin Zoo, Trapped Megabeast, magma Access, First Cavern Colony, Eternally Burning Artifact, Legendary Warrior, Soap works

Examples of "problems" would be: Tantrum Spiral, Undead invasion, Elven ambush, FPS death, Catsplosion, etc

Examples of "solutions" would be: Fire, ballistae battery, open all cages, soap, magma, cave-in, etc.

Just spitballing, this is an example of the complexity I would approve of. I like DF's complexity, limitations and scope sometimes; so far none of my friends have proved partial.

[snow dwarf]

I think it shouldn't have the detail of DF, it should be a lot more munchkin-like, because massive board games are annoying. A very basic mechanic might be having decks of "Features", "Problems" and "solutions".

Your fort has "features", which you add to, and which gain you "Solutions".
You use "problem" cards on other people's forts, and they have to play "solution" cards to escape or lose, say, a feature. Or just lose full stop.
Maybe certain features gain certain solutions, certain problems can only have certain solutions, etc.

Examples of "features" would be: Volcano, Goblin Zoo, Trapped Megabeast, magma Access, First Cavern Colony, Eternally Burning Artifact, Legendary Warrior, Soap works

Examples of "problems" would be: Tantrum Spiral, Undead invasion, Elven ambush, FPS death, Catsplosion, etc

Examples of "solutions" would be: Fire, ballistae battery, open all cages, soap, magma, cave-in, etc.

That's kind of what I was thinking though the players could mix the decks and in games the "features" would be "solutions" and "solutions" would be "futures" and sometomes they would be the "problems". Also events should happen every turn naturally.

So currently there are two kinds of people in this thread. The ones who would like a heavy economic~strategy DFboard and those who would like a hillarious party game DFboard. I would play both of them .

Also, I'm currently working on the "alpha" rules if anyone would want to team up.

[Silverbel]

Well I sortof am also.

I dislike the idea of using decks for everything. It is an overused design element.

When you play Dorf, certain elements are random and you have no real control over...

- Your environment
- The threats you face
- Which dorfs you get past the start
- Material variances available for building and craft


For some of these aspects a deck might work, or another element...

These things are always the same.
- Industry tree
- efficient start designs
- Game interface

I think a "Solution deck" is going the wrong way.

"The bigger/higher/deeper you build, the heavier you fall when it happens. "
 This is true.

There is a concept called Emergence which says when you combine certain complex elements, unexpected things can occur.

It would be nice to find an "Emergent" game mechanic

[snow dwarf]

I'm still more convinced with a party DFBG

[avdpos]

"Suburbia" style on how to build a fortress - and to compete between different forts.
Then you would need add some sort of events.

I actually things it´s pretty hard to make the "DF-boardgame". Better to see different games that have different sorts of the inspiration.

When I´m thinking of it, "Galaxy Trucker" is one of the games I played that embarace "losing is Fun" in the best way.
You get FUN events that blow up parts of your and the other players spaceships in a hilarious way.
So if i feel for a "losing is fun" boardgame, I would play Galaxy trucker.