I love a heist. As an enjoyer of intrigue, fast-paced action, and dramatic twists, I’m pathologically incapable of anything but. Fortunately for my larceny-loving brain, developer Octo Push has made its debut with Artifox, a charming head-to-head heisting game which pits two vulpine art thieves against one another in an effort to steal as many priceless artifacts as possible.
Launching on July 7, Artifox’s crowdfunding campaign offers an exciting introduction to the project’s design goals, mechanics, and art style. Though the soft aesthetic of a vulpine fantasy town is enough to draw the eye, it’s the mechanics that kept my attention. By exploring the town’s three different districts (market, artisan, and noble), you’ll assemble hands of cards which will allow you to make a run against Silverfang Manor and steal the art within.
You’ll be stealing art represented by an array of fox-based twists on renowned art from our own history. The names are suitably playful, with the standout entrant “The Squeal” acting as an amusing parody of Edvard Munch’s The Scream.
Artifox also uses a curious guards mechanic, where decks can be placed off limits with the presence of a guard token. However, when this occurs, the contents of said deck are unavailable for both players, creating a tense standoff where you have to decide whether or not distracting a guard is worth offering your opponent access to the deck underneath them.
To make matters more juicy, players can steal from their opponent. This includes their artifacts, too. The mechanics rundown on the crowdfunding page even suggests that establishing an early lead may be disadvantageous, since it opens you up to crafty thefts from your opponent. This also provides a neat catch-up mechanic, common to many of the best board games.
In a welcome display of confidence and transparency, the crowdfunder also includes a downloadable rulebook, allowing you to check out the mechanics for yourself.
Assembling a crew? Find your people on the Wargamer Discord.
Source: Wargamer
