The story of the Three Little Pigs itself seems pretty straightforward in its themes-the moral is more or less "don't be stupid when choosing building materials for your house." . However, Eisner took hold of the theme of tricking/outwitting the wolf (there is a second part to the story, that I think most of us tend to forget, where the third pig continues to be harrassed by the wolf, and keeps outsmarting him) and used it to create a board game in which players are competing against the other players for the limited resources available. Some reviewers have likened it to "rock, paper, scissors"-when I first saw the rules of play it reminded me of a version of "Settlers of Catan" for kids!
Players in Little Pig compete to become the most renowned pig of fame and legend in this mischievous twist on the classic tale. Each Pig makes secret plans to gather wood, brick or straw. If multiple pigs gather the same resource, they have to share, but if you can guess where the other pigs are headed, you can pig out!
Double down with powerful Guess cards that reward you for out-thinking the other pigs. As your pig grows in wealth, fame and guile, you will attract powerful fairy tale friends like Little Red Riding Hood, Rumpelstiltskin, and Puss in Boots, and may even stoop to tipping off the Big Bad Wolf.
My favorite additions are the cards that represent other fairy tale characters. For example, there is a Rumpelstiltskin card that can be used to transform straw into the other materials! There is also Little Red Riding Hood (of course, the wolf's other arch nemesis), the Fairy Godmother, Puss in Boots, the Elves (of Elves and the Shoemaker fame) and more. And an added challenge for Tales of Faerie readers-if you can think of other fairy tale characters that could work well in the context of the game, they might make a card based on our ideas! What other fairy tale characters can you think of that could be helpful (or not so helpful) to gathering straw, wood, and brick, and building houses? (I'm guessing they're looking for more well known characters that most players will recognize).
You can look at the game more in depth at its Kickstarter page or this review by Father Geek! And if you're able to contribute to the Kickstarter, what a great way to spread fairy tale themes into the world of board games!
Completed houses-of straw, wood, and brick
All the game artwork is original, by Ryan Swisher.
Sounds like fun! I wonder if it's anything like "Enchanted Forest"? Anyway, you could have the Witch from Hansel and Gretel, who could turn your competitor's house into gingerbread? Or Beauty from Beauty and The Beast - that's a card you keep as a last resort, when the Wolf is about to knock your house down. She can turn him into a handsome prince?
ReplyDeleteGreat ideas, I didn't even think of the Gingerbread house in connection to the game!
DeleteI also immediately thought about Hansel and Gretel as a possible choice, so I second that vote. Or what about a generic Witch character who could do something nasty to your competition?
ReplyDelete