The Fox Experiment

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• Setup
  • • Place the board with the correct side up based on player count.
    • If playing with 2 players, you will setup the board and kennel as if you were playing with 4 players.
    • Shuffle the science deck and place it face down on its space on the board.
    • Shuffle the study deck and place it face down on its space on the board.
    • Shuffle the octagonal supply tiles and place them face down on on the space on the board with the gear icon (without the red X).
      • Fill the track to the right of the stack with face up supply tiles for your player count, but leave the 1st space empty.
      • Place 1 face up tile on each of the 4 patron spaces on the left side of the board.
    • Shuffle the deck of patron cards and draw 4 of them.
      • Place the 1st 2 with side A face up in the top 2 slots on the left side of the board.
      • Place the other 2 with side B face up in the bottom 2 slots.
    • Separately shuffle the decks of female parents and male parents.
      • Deal out a row of face up male parents equal to number of players + 1.
      • Deal out a row of face up female parents equal to number of players + 1.
      • Place the respective decks at the end of their rows.
    • Create a supply of the following near the board:
      • Trait dice
      • Friendly dice
      • Trait tokens
      • Friendly tokens
      • Point tokens
    • Set aside the score card as it will only be used at the end of the game.
    • Each player chooses a color and takes:
      • Their player mat
      • 1 gear token (in their color)
      • 10 fox meeples (in their color)
      • 12 blank fox cards (in their color)
      • 1 green friendly die
      • 1 dry-erase marker
      • 1 player aid card.
    • Each player shuffles their blank foxes and places them in a facedown pile to the right of their player mat.
    • Determine a 1st player randomly and give them the 1st turn order token.
      • In clockwise order give each player the next numbered turn token.
    • Based on turn order, players receive friendly tokens:
      • 1st: no token
      • 2nd/3rd: 1 token
      • 4th/5th: 2 tokens
      • 6th: 3 tokens
    • Deal each player 3 study cards and each player chooses 1 to keep and discards the other 2 to the bottom of the deck.
      • Place your study card face up near your player mat.
• Gameplay

  • The game is played over 5 rounds, with each round consisting of 4 phases. You will be trying to breed the friendliest foxes, completing the most studies, and attracting patrons.

  • Phase 1: Selection
    • • This consists of 3 rounds in turn order where each player selects 1 of the following items on their turn. Each player must select 1 of each item across their 3 turns, but they can be selected in any order.
        • 1 female fox parent (from available or top of deck)
        • 1 male fox parent (from available or top of deck)
        • A supply track position. Note that you can use the 1st space of the track here, but it grants no supplies. It will assure that you are 1st in turn order though.
          1. Immediately collect all supplies shown on the space (all icons on the supply tile and any printed on the board). See the table below for icons.
          2. Discard the supply tile.
          3. Place your gear token on the space you took the tile from. You will keep your current turn order token until the administration phase.

      Icon	Description
      	Draw 1 science card from the top of the deck. Keep it secret until you decide to use it.
      	Take 1 friendly token from the supply.
      	Take 1 trait token of type shown from the supply.
      	Take 1 trait token of your choice from the supply.

      Upgrades

      • Players are now able to unlock upgrades before moving on to the next phase.
        • In each of the 4 upgrade tracks, upgrades must be unlocked from left to right.
        • The circle to the right of the upgrade shows the cost (a number of trait tokens). The diamond shows what is unlocked.
        • Upgrades can be unlocked any trait tokens, but they must match. e.g. If the cost is 2 tokens, you could use 2 tail tokens, but you could not use 1 tail token and 1 ear token.
          • When upgrading place 1 of the tokens used to pay for it on the circle, showing it is unlocked. Return the rest to the supply.
          • Upgrades cannot be partially unlocked.
        • You may unlock any number of spaces across any number of tracks (that you can afford).

      Symbol	Description
      	Each unlocked pup lets you breed 1 additional pup each round.
      	When you unlock a study upgrade, draw 3 new studies and keep 1, discarding the rest to the bottom of deck.
      	Each of these upgrades lets you roll 1 more friendly die each time you make a pup. When this is unlocked, take a friendly die and add it to your stash.
      	Choose 1 of the 4 patrons and place 1 of your fox meeples on the space next to them. Then gain the supplies on their supply tile + 1 science card.

  • Phase 2: Breeding (simultaneous)
    • 1. Reveal the top card from your blank fox deck and place it to the right of your player board (note that parents are to the left of your board).
      2. Gather together your dice:
         • Take friendly dice to match the number unlocked on your player mat (if you don't already have them).
         • Gather all trait dice shown on both parent foxes you selected.
           • For player-made foxes, it is the number of marked squares on the card. Marked circles do not give you dice.
      3. Roll all your dice and sort them by trait. Match up dice to make complete traits.
         • A single die with 2 halves does not make a trait.
         • Friendly dice and tokens are used as wilds.
         • A friendly die with 2 halves can be matched to 2 different trait dice. e.g. purple on 1 side, pink on the other.
         • If you make a complete trait with only friendly dice/tokens, it counts as any trait.
         • Any friendly tokens you used to make traits are discarded.
         • Round trait tokens are rewards only and cannot be used during this step.
      4. Once you are done with step 3, record the results on your blank fox card.
         • Mark each square matching a trait with an "X". This will give the player that selects 1 trait die for each marked square.
         • Mark each circle with a dot. This will gain trait tokens based on your best row of marked circles for each trait in the research phase. Do not gain the tokens now.
         • Do not record any incomplete half symbols.
         • If you make more than 5 symbols of a single trait type (filling the track), gain 1 point token for each symbol you were not able to mark. Also write the number of point tokens you collected to the right of the track.
      5. Count the total number of trait symbols your pup has (on all 4 tracks) and write the number in box in the top right of the card. This is the pup's friendliness score.
         • If you filled a track and earned point tokens, include the number of point tokens in this score.
      6. Give your pup a name and write it on the card.

      Breeding Multiple Pups

      • When breeding multiple pups, you complete all steps (1-6) for each pup, 1 pup at a time.
        • Clarification: This means that you will re-roll the same dice pool for each pup individually.
        • If you used science cards or friendliness tokens, these are discarded before moving on to the next pup. e.g they cannot be used for multiple pups.
  • Phase 3: Research (simultaneous)
    • 1. To complete a study level, you must assign 1 of your pups to a study that meets all of the requirements in the next column of a study:
         • Use a fox meeple to track your progress on studies.
         • Each study level shows a minimum number of marked spaces on 2 or more trait tracks.
           • Your pup must at least the marked spaces shown.
         • The pup must be able complete the level on its own. You can't add together multiple pups.
         • Each pup can only complete 1 level of study.
           • You cannot complete multiple levels of a study card with a single pup.
           • You cannot assign a single pup to multiple study cards.
         • Each study's levels must be complete in order, left to right.
           • You cannot skip ahead if your pup qualifies for a level you haven't reached yet.
         • Once a study level is complete, you can't complete it again.
           • Once you've completed the 3rd level of study, the card is complete.
         • Do not take point tokens when completing study levels. The fox meeple tracks your points to be scored at the end of the game.
      2. Collect trait tokens.
         • If you bred only 1 pup, collect 1 trait token for each marked circle on each of the 4 trait tracks.
         • If you bred multiple pups, you gain trait tokens from only the fox that that has the most circles marked for each trait.
         • (Optional) If a player breeds 2 parents in the same player color, they must pay a penalty by discarding 2 trait tokens of their choice after collecting tokens. They must be discarded before the next step.
      3. Unlock upgrades (same as phase 1). See below

      Upgrades

      • Players are now able to unlock upgrades before moving on to the next phase.
        • In each of the 4 upgrade tracks, upgrades must be unlocked from left to right.
        • The circle to the right of the upgrade shows the cost (a number of trait tokens). The diamond shows what is unlocked.
        • Upgrades can be unlocked any trait tokens, but they must match. e.g. If the cost is 2 tokens, you could use 2 tail tokens, but you could not use 1 tail token and 1 ear token.
          • When upgrading place 1 of the tokens used to pay for it on the circle, showing it is unlocked. Return the rest to the supply.
          • Upgrades cannot be partially unlocked.
        • You may unlock any number of spaces across any number of tracks (that you can afford).

      Symbol	Description
      	Each unlocked pup lets you breed 1 additional pup each round.
      	When you unlock a study upgrade, draw 3 new studies and keep 1, discarding the rest to the bottom of deck.
      	Each of these upgrades lets you roll 1 more friendly die each time you make a pup. When this is unlocked, take a friendly die and add it to your stash.
      	Choose 1 of the 4 patrons and place 1 of your fox meeples on the space next to them. Then gain the supplies on their supply tile + 1 science card.

  • Phase 4: Administration
    • 1. Discard all foxes from the previous generation and return all trait dice to the supply.
         • Any unselected foxes are discarded (male and female).
           • Foxes from the parent decks are discarded to a pile near the appropriate deck.
           • Foxes made by a player are returned to a private discard pile near that players blank foxes.
         • Each player discards both foxes they used as parents during the breeding phase.
         • Return all trait dice, except friendly dice, to the supply.
      2. All players place all new pups made this round into the kennel area in their appropriate male/female rows.
      3. Find the fox with the highest friendliness score of all pups made this round and the player who made that fox places 1 of their fox meeples on the next empty space on the friendliness rewards track.
         • The points indicated will be scored at the end of the game (not now).
         • If 2 or more players are tied for friendliest, all players place a meeple on the track in the same space (next empty).
         • If 1 player has multiple tied foxes, they still place only 1 meeple.
         • All other players receive the friendliness tokens shown below the fox slot for the current round.
      4. Refill the kennel such that there is at least 1 more fox than the number of players in each row.
         • If a row already meets the minimum, do not draw any additional foxes from the parent deck.
         • If there are > 8 foxes in 1 row of the kennel, you must discard down to 8, starting with the foxes with the lowest friendliness scores.
           • If, due to ties in friendliness scores, you end up under the minimum, fill to the minimum from the parent deck.
      5. Redistribute turn order tokens to match the player order on the supply track.
         • Also discard any unclaimed supply tiles left on the supply track.
         • Each player takes back their gear token from the supply track.
      6. Refill the supply track by dealing new face up supply tiles from the stack.
         • If the supply pile is empty, shuffle the discard to make a new one.
• Game End

  • The game will end after players earn friendliness rewards at the end of the 5th round (the friendliness track will be full).

    • Score points for:
      • Score the points for the highest level completed for each study.
      • Score the points as described on each patron where you have a fox meeple.
      • Score the points on each upgrade you've unlocked.
      • Score the points for spaces on the friendliness track where you have your meeples.
      • Score points for supplies:
        • 1 pt per point token
        • 1 pt per science card
        • 1 pt per 2 trait/friendly tokens (add them all together).

    The player with the most points wins. If there is a tie, the player closest to the beginning of the supply track wins.

• 2 Player Rules

  • The 2 player mode incorporates an automated opponent.

    Setup

    • Setup the board and kennel as if you are playing a 4 player game.
    • Assign an unused player color to the AI. You can leave the player mat in the box though.
    • Shuffle the AI's selection deck and place it near the board.
    • Shuffle the AI's study deck and place it near the selection deck.
      • Reveal the top study and place it face up next to the deck.
    • Place the AI's gear token and 5 of its fox meeples near the selection deck. Any remaining fox meeples can be returned to the box.
    • Give the "3rd" turn order token to the AI.

    Phase 1: Selection

    • The AI will take 3 turns, just like a player, during this phase.
    • Each turn, the AI select 2 items instead of 1. e.g. 2 male foxes, 2 female foxes, 2 positions on the supply track.
    • At the start of the AI's turn, flip the top card of the selection deck and the AI selects the 2 items shown on the card, once each.
      • If something on the card was already selected twice, the AI instead selects something it still needs.
    • To select foxes, use the AI's study card and it's 1st and 2nd preferred traits by following the steps below. Note that the AI does not remove the cards, but instead places 1 of its meeples on the card. Players cannot select a fox with an AI meeple on it.
      1. The fox with the most dice of its study card's #1 preference. If tied, move to step 2.
      2. The fox with the most dice of its study card's #2 preference. If tied, move to step 3.
      3. The 1st fox indicated by the arrow showing on the top of the AI selection deck. e.g. for a left pointing arrow, start at the right side and pick the 1st tied fox.
    • To claim a supply track position, the AI claims either the left most or right most available space on the track, based on the arrow showing on the selection deck.
      • The AI does not collect supplies. Discard the supply tile (if present).
      • For the 1st selection for this track place an AI meeple on the space.
      • For the 2nd selection for this track place the AI gear token, which will determine its turn order in the next round.

    Phase 2: Breeding

    • The AI simulates breeding by adding extra trait dice to the foxes it selected, leaving them in the kennel.
    • For each of the 4 selected foxes:
      • If it is a fox from the deck, take 1 die of each of the AI's 2 priority traits and place them on the fox card.
      • If it is a player fox, mark the next empty square on each of of the trait track matching the AI's priority traits.
      • Each fox (from the deck or a player) can have a max of 2 dice of each trait.
        • If a fox already has 2 dice for a trait matching the AI's priorities, the fox does not get another die of that trait.
      • Do not remove the fox meeples from the AI's foxes.

    Phase 3: Research

    • If any player completes the 3rd level of a study card during this phase, place the AI's study card on the bottom of the deck and reveal a new 1 to replace it.

    Phase 4: Administration

    Follow normal administration with these changes:

    • When clearing foxes from the kennel, do not clear any foxes with an AI meeple on them. Instead, shift them to the left end of the row.
    • The AI does not participate in friendliness rewards.
    • After friendliness rewards are complete, remove the AI meeples from the foxes.
    • When setting the new turn order the AI gets the token pertaining to where its gear token is (not where it has its meeple). Return both the meeple and gear token to the AI's supply.

    Game End

    The AI does not score points. All scoring is done as normal.

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