FUR: Exploratory Design Pt. II

        Last week, we explored mechanics that could represent different elements of the furry fandom. This week, we'll be looking at the different species and carving out mechanical identities for them. In other words, we're going to look for mechanical themes that create an impression of that animal.

    First off, let's divvy up the different animals by color. As a reminder, here's a figure from the research article:

 

 

     Let's ignore Hybrid, Mythical, and Other. Let's also drop Big Cat, Feline, and Canine since they're a little redundant for our purposes; roll Ferret and Squirrel into Rodent, whether that's technically correct or not (bunnies get a pass because I have one; don't @ me); Let's drop Raccoon, Skunk, and Marsupial for now, because they feel a little silly for Magic, but we may revisit; Dinosaur can inaccurately be rolled up with Reptile; and let's drop Insect because they squick some people out-- personally, I think bugs are cool, but we're already asking the audience to step outside of their comfort zone.

     So, that leaves us with 15 types (Wolf, Fox, Dog, Cat, Dragon, Rodent, Rabbit, Reptile, Otter, Avian, Bear, Horse, Aquatic, Hyena, and Deer). Magic likes things that are divisible by five, so let's focus on the top five for now.

Wolves

    Wolves have a way of grabbing the collective imagination. In real life, they are social pack hunters who take down much larger prey with numbers, intimidation, and persistence. In fiction, they are portrayed as bloodthirsty killers, solemn companions, or steadfast loners. In Magic, they are typically red/green, but I could see a world (this one) where white represents their packs and black represents their ferocity and underhanded tactics. (Wolves typically surround their prey, with those in front distracting and intimidating while those behind latch onto the target's hind legs.) The community mechanic would capture their pack tactics; the crafting mechanic would highlight efficiency and deadliness.

Foxes

     With a wide variety of species across the globe, it's no wonder foxes made second place on this list. Foxes are known for being clever, sneaky, and playful. They're also fast and agile, and some live in families. Foxes' cunning is obviously blue; their playfulness and agility feel red; their social structure fits with white. Foxes could mechanically care about speed in the form of haste, flash, and/or first strike (and doublestrike). With this focus on motion, the art mechanic could represent dace, especially ribbon dancing. The idea of a tempo deck about dance seems pretty appropriate, doesn't it? For these colors, crafting seems like it should be flashy and expressive.

Dogs 

     Dogs are loyal, friendly, and excitable. They can also be wild, rabid, or just mad. White could represent their pack bonds and loyalty; red could represent their hyperactive energy; black and/or red could evoke the "mad dog" trope; and green could capture wild dogs. (Then again, I guess green could evoke "wild " anything.) Dogs are known for tracking things down and digging them up-- it would be interesting to explore a graveyard mechanic here. Like wolves, the community mechanic should feel like working as a pact. Dogs are known for marking their territory, so the art mechanic could represent graffiti here.

Cats

    Cats have a reputation for being moody and broody, but they're actually very social creatures that often live in communes. Cats often wind up in green/white, but they've appeared in every color. Cats are known for their curiosity and survivability (resulting in the "nine lives" narrative).Blue could capture the former, while black and green represent the latter. A dredge-style deck that returns cats from the graveyard would be interesting to see. Cats hunt alone, but usually live in families or colonies (especially the smaller species). The community mechanic should reflect this dynamic. Their crafting could represent found materials-- cats love to collect trinkets, and they do like yarn.

Reptiles

    Dragons are known for... wait, what?

    Okay, so we're going to take a little bit of a left turn here. Dragons are the fifth most popular species here, but they tend to be big and splashy. They don't appear in common (outside of one in Khans of Tarkir), and in the words of MaRo, if your theme isn't at common, it's not your theme. Putting reptiles here skips rodents and rabbits, but it hits a similar aesthetic to dragons and gives us a little more diversity from the mammals that dominate the list.

    Now on to reptiles. This includes snakes, lizards, turtles, and crocodiles. This diverse group is largely known for two things: they're cold-blooded, and they're covered in scales. They have to bask in the sun (or find another heat source) in order to power their metabolism. This group will probably see a lot of card-by-card flavor design, but in general, flash seems appropriate (snakes and crocodiles are known for leaping out at prey), and spells could represent heat. I'm feeling red, green, and blue for these critters. The crafting mechanic would work in the idea of scales, and the art mechanic might play with shed skins and/or body-paint. 

    Looking back at these, it seems that the different species might represent subthemes, but probably won't be archetypes in and of themselves. They all seem to fit into three or four colors, so it could be interesting to put each of the big five into four colors and let players pick and choose.

    Anyway, that's all we have this week. What animals didn't make the list that you wish did? What animals would you want to see one-off designs for? Let me know in the comments below!

Next week, we'll set up some preliminary worldbuilding. Until then, check out the new season of Money Heist on Netflix, or watch BNA. I think I've plugged BNA before, but it's good and you should still watch it. Or watch it again.

    See you soon!