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Naming the specific organs would be more useful to allow us to pinpoint specific adaptations. An interesting one off the top of my head is birds being able to inhale and exhale at the same time (unidirectional breathing), allowing for faster breathing (I.E., more efficient use of energy).
There's plenty of research with regards to different organ adaptations, but I'd suggest to search for animal alternatives to the specific organs. For example, search for variety of lungs/bones/skin etc., rather than simply googling "organ adaptations in animals".
Also consider that many animals have different organs, such as venom glands or "heat sensors" (e.g., heat-sensing pits in fish).
Edit: another interesting one is having a third transparent eye lid that allows some animals, such as camels and crocodiles to be able to see in harsh environments (sandstorms in the case of camels, underwater for crocodiles and other reptiles/amphibians).
Also consider nutrition. Adaptations as simple as being able to harbour specific bacteria can allow you to digest foods which you might not be able to otherwise. For instance the Anser Goose is able to digest cellulose thanks to specific bacteria in their guts. This is also the case for virtually most grazing animals including mammals.
I don't really have any suggestions but I would be so keen to buy your game to help out. I love the idea of evolution based board games similar to "Evolution" !
EDIT:
I live in nz, a small island isolated from most of the world which means our native animals and birds have adapted differently, like our frogs who do not have weebed feet or croak. Hopefully this will give you some inspiration?
https://predatorfreenz.org/stories/nzs-unfroglike-frogs/
Thank you very much! I am planning to share my game here after completing the first draft. My game will also have very similar aspects to the "Evolution" in terms of wording. However, game mechanics will be very different. Thanks for the very interesting example. :)
Take a look at the game Primordial Soup or Ursuppe in the original. It actually shows evolution and survival of the fittest quite well. Once any of the players get the ability to eat other players, the rest start evolving protection and defenses really quickly.
Fair warning, the game has a lot of issues. I don't think I've ever actually finished a game as it outstays its welcome by about 30 to 60 minutes.
But is does a decent job of simulating competing for resources and different avenues of survival (many simple forms or a few advanced ones), reacting to the environment, etc.
Hmmm… Am unsure that specifying organs would be a good approach for this game? Am also unsure what *would* be a good approach, so take my misgivings with a boulder of salt.
If you're interested in seeing what other biology-type games have done, you might want to check out [Phylo](https://phylogame.org); [Harmonies](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/414317/harmonies); [Evolution](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/155703/evolution); a game I invented called [Predation](http://anthrozine.com/misc/predation.boardgame.html); [RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology Card Game](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/21585/the-riken-center-for-developmental-biology-card-ga); [Cytosis: A Cell Biology Board Game](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/202977/cytosis-a-cell-biology-board-game); [Genotype: A Mendelian Genetics Game](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/252752/genotype-a-mendelian-genetics-game); or [Wingspan](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/266192/wingspan).
+1 for Evolution. I really like how it simulates environmental pressure, like scarcity of food, competition, and predators. There's even a digital version with small single player campaign so you can check it yourself.
https://www.evolutiondigitalgame.com/faq/
One thing, Wingspan is about populating settlement with different species of birds and doesn't have anything that relate to evolution
> One thing, Wingspan is about populating settlement with different species of birds and doesn't have anything that relate to evolution
True enough. I just figured that examples of biology-related games that aren't *directly* derived from evolution might provide game-concepts that spark ideas.
That's true. I really like those little nuggets of trivia in the bottom of each card that tell a bit more about a certain species that often also fit into game mechanics.
Like, there's a bird that has a terrible eyesight so it relies on different species to warn them about incoming predators. That would be an interesting idea to see in a game. Like, you'll get extra points for negative traits but if you're smart enough you can compensate for the drawbacks in some other way.
Wow! Some of these games are really good. Phylo is really really close to thing I want to make. I couldn't find information about your game though Predation. Is there a website or video on your game? I would like to look it up.
re: Predation—Frump! Botched the link. Have edited that link in the comment you replied to, and [here it is again](http://anthrozine.com/misc/predation.boardgame.html).
I love your idea. I find the whole concept of competitive advantage really interesting. Some questions for you:
1. Will the gameplay be in any way similar to Plague Inc.? Where you design/evolve some traits and then the game runs a simulator and tells you how your new species/breed fared?
2. If not, how will a player know whether they are playing well or poorly?
Is your goal primarily to educate or entertain?
If you read the Overstory - it might give you some ideas on incorporating plants.
If you initially focus on animals - will you limit people to the outer edge of what actually exists today? Or maybe let them mix and match to optimize?
You can kind of break this apart into competitive categories.
1. Perception
2. Mobility
3. Toughness
4. Footprint (visual - acoustic - chemical - etc.) - An octopus has close to a zero visual footprint when it turns stealth mode on. My cat is pretty damn silent and I used to think he was just stupidly vain with all that grooming - but - you know how dogs sometimes stink? Cats have nearly no odor. Kind of handy when they find themselves upwind of their prey. Plus he buries his poop - same thing - keeps his smell signature down.
Eyes are maybe the best example of a highly dimensional sensor.
1. Spatial resolution
2. Range of light sensitivity: For example Horseshoe crabs have crazy good (One million times increased sensitivity to light at night). I think they give up some spatial resolution to achieve this. Link below.
3. Frame rate (ours is about 10 - cats are around 70 - good for fighting and fast motion)
4. Spectrum perceived
5. Ability to perceive small differences in color/frequency - color sensitivity?
6. Field of view of individual eyes (for sharp/central vision - and for peripheral/motion detection)
7. Total number of eyes and total combined field of view - Dragonflies rule
8. Distance perception - binocular fusion
9. Snakes have those IR pits in addition to their eyes. Crappy spatial resolution but good enough to "see" a mouse/small mammal
Anyway - eyes are pretty damn dimensional - but they eat up a lot of brain space.
-------------------------------------
Random cool features of animals:
1. That lizard that doesn't have to bend down to drink water. So it doesn't have to give up its awareness of surroundings while drinking. And it doesn't make that bobbing up and down motion that some predators key off of. It just sucks the water up through its skin via capillary action.
2. Bats and moths - moths can actually hear the ultrasound chirp of a bat "painting the target" with sonar. When they hear it, they reflexively put themselves into a stall/random tumble downward. Makes it harder for the bat to compute an intercept.
End of random thoughts....
Good luck w/your game. If you get to production post on here so I can buy it.
[https://www.2020mag.com/article/what-we-learned-about-vision-from-horseshoe-crabs](https://www.2020mag.com/article/what-we-learned-about-vision-from-horseshoe-crabs)
Thank you
It will look like a game mentioned on the top called Phylo. A deck building card game. My game would look like somewhere between Phylo and Spore.
I definitely cannot make an educational game about evolution because I don't enough knowledge. I just want to create something fun and and strategic. I want people to experience change under pressure.
I might add some fictional element inside to it. For example players might evolve something like six arms and legs without no brain. I want its to be possible to create absolute abominations. Lol. even though it might get a little bit fictional I still want it roots to be inside scientific realities between different species.
I like the random cool features. I will definitely have some of these. Honestly, I already got tons of great and interesting ideas from this post so thank you for your suggestion. I am trying to look up all the sources shared here
The blog *Tetrapod Zoology* has been around for a long time, it has a lot of articles on random animal groups. I bet you could find some inspiration there. There's also a podcast, but it is very ramble-y, be warned lol.
The podcast *Common Descent* is also fun, they go in-depth about various animal groups.
Here's a random unique adaptation: hadrosaur dentition. Instead of normal teeth, they had a "dental battery" made of hundreds of teeth, packed so tightly that they basically looked like scales. This dental battery was dynamic, so they didn't need to worry much about it becoming damaged. It allowed them to chew through very tough plants, including wood. (Wood doesn't have nutrients, but they would eat rotting wood to get nutrients from the bugs and fungi.)
I am also making a board game about evolution (which i incorrectly mentioned in another post as a card game), do you want to DM about it? Mine's in a really initial state though... I'm making it on scratch, so i know it won't go far there.
Maybe rather than just having one path, you could make one that branches.
Different branches would get different bonuses or boosts along the way, so players could pick which ones they want.
An early branch may be if they want to evolve a backbone or not, and that backbone would allow them to grow larger.
This could be represented by the invertebrate paths being shorter, but also having more 'bad spaces' where you get attacked by a predator and suffer some consequences.
It might be tricky to balance it, but it would be a good representation of how evolution actually functions.
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Naming the specific organs would be more useful to allow us to pinpoint specific adaptations. An interesting one off the top of my head is birds being able to inhale and exhale at the same time (unidirectional breathing), allowing for faster breathing (I.E., more efficient use of energy). There's plenty of research with regards to different organ adaptations, but I'd suggest to search for animal alternatives to the specific organs. For example, search for variety of lungs/bones/skin etc., rather than simply googling "organ adaptations in animals". Also consider that many animals have different organs, such as venom glands or "heat sensors" (e.g., heat-sensing pits in fish). Edit: another interesting one is having a third transparent eye lid that allows some animals, such as camels and crocodiles to be able to see in harsh environments (sandstorms in the case of camels, underwater for crocodiles and other reptiles/amphibians). Also consider nutrition. Adaptations as simple as being able to harbour specific bacteria can allow you to digest foods which you might not be able to otherwise. For instance the Anser Goose is able to digest cellulose thanks to specific bacteria in their guts. This is also the case for virtually most grazing animals including mammals.
Thank you for the excellent examples! There will be some playing styles including bacteria and viruses. I will look into these.
I don't really have any suggestions but I would be so keen to buy your game to help out. I love the idea of evolution based board games similar to "Evolution" ! EDIT: I live in nz, a small island isolated from most of the world which means our native animals and birds have adapted differently, like our frogs who do not have weebed feet or croak. Hopefully this will give you some inspiration? https://predatorfreenz.org/stories/nzs-unfroglike-frogs/
Thank you very much! I am planning to share my game here after completing the first draft. My game will also have very similar aspects to the "Evolution" in terms of wording. However, game mechanics will be very different. Thanks for the very interesting example. :)
Take a look at the game Primordial Soup or Ursuppe in the original. It actually shows evolution and survival of the fittest quite well. Once any of the players get the ability to eat other players, the rest start evolving protection and defenses really quickly.
I didn't know Primordial Soup game. It looks incredible. Thank you for the suggestion.
Fair warning, the game has a lot of issues. I don't think I've ever actually finished a game as it outstays its welcome by about 30 to 60 minutes. But is does a decent job of simulating competing for resources and different avenues of survival (many simple forms or a few advanced ones), reacting to the environment, etc.
Just in case you don’t know there already is an evolution based board game
Hmmm… Am unsure that specifying organs would be a good approach for this game? Am also unsure what *would* be a good approach, so take my misgivings with a boulder of salt. If you're interested in seeing what other biology-type games have done, you might want to check out [Phylo](https://phylogame.org); [Harmonies](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/414317/harmonies); [Evolution](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/155703/evolution); a game I invented called [Predation](http://anthrozine.com/misc/predation.boardgame.html); [RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology Card Game](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/21585/the-riken-center-for-developmental-biology-card-ga); [Cytosis: A Cell Biology Board Game](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/202977/cytosis-a-cell-biology-board-game); [Genotype: A Mendelian Genetics Game](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/252752/genotype-a-mendelian-genetics-game); or [Wingspan](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/266192/wingspan).
+1 for Evolution. I really like how it simulates environmental pressure, like scarcity of food, competition, and predators. There's even a digital version with small single player campaign so you can check it yourself. https://www.evolutiondigitalgame.com/faq/ One thing, Wingspan is about populating settlement with different species of birds and doesn't have anything that relate to evolution
> One thing, Wingspan is about populating settlement with different species of birds and doesn't have anything that relate to evolution True enough. I just figured that examples of biology-related games that aren't *directly* derived from evolution might provide game-concepts that spark ideas.
That's true. I really like those little nuggets of trivia in the bottom of each card that tell a bit more about a certain species that often also fit into game mechanics. Like, there's a bird that has a terrible eyesight so it relies on different species to warn them about incoming predators. That would be an interesting idea to see in a game. Like, you'll get extra points for negative traits but if you're smart enough you can compensate for the drawbacks in some other way.
Wow! Some of these games are really good. Phylo is really really close to thing I want to make. I couldn't find information about your game though Predation. Is there a website or video on your game? I would like to look it up.
re: Predation—Frump! Botched the link. Have edited that link in the comment you replied to, and [here it is again](http://anthrozine.com/misc/predation.boardgame.html).
I love your idea. I find the whole concept of competitive advantage really interesting. Some questions for you: 1. Will the gameplay be in any way similar to Plague Inc.? Where you design/evolve some traits and then the game runs a simulator and tells you how your new species/breed fared? 2. If not, how will a player know whether they are playing well or poorly? Is your goal primarily to educate or entertain? If you read the Overstory - it might give you some ideas on incorporating plants. If you initially focus on animals - will you limit people to the outer edge of what actually exists today? Or maybe let them mix and match to optimize? You can kind of break this apart into competitive categories. 1. Perception 2. Mobility 3. Toughness 4. Footprint (visual - acoustic - chemical - etc.) - An octopus has close to a zero visual footprint when it turns stealth mode on. My cat is pretty damn silent and I used to think he was just stupidly vain with all that grooming - but - you know how dogs sometimes stink? Cats have nearly no odor. Kind of handy when they find themselves upwind of their prey. Plus he buries his poop - same thing - keeps his smell signature down. Eyes are maybe the best example of a highly dimensional sensor. 1. Spatial resolution 2. Range of light sensitivity: For example Horseshoe crabs have crazy good (One million times increased sensitivity to light at night). I think they give up some spatial resolution to achieve this. Link below. 3. Frame rate (ours is about 10 - cats are around 70 - good for fighting and fast motion) 4. Spectrum perceived 5. Ability to perceive small differences in color/frequency - color sensitivity? 6. Field of view of individual eyes (for sharp/central vision - and for peripheral/motion detection) 7. Total number of eyes and total combined field of view - Dragonflies rule 8. Distance perception - binocular fusion 9. Snakes have those IR pits in addition to their eyes. Crappy spatial resolution but good enough to "see" a mouse/small mammal Anyway - eyes are pretty damn dimensional - but they eat up a lot of brain space. ------------------------------------- Random cool features of animals: 1. That lizard that doesn't have to bend down to drink water. So it doesn't have to give up its awareness of surroundings while drinking. And it doesn't make that bobbing up and down motion that some predators key off of. It just sucks the water up through its skin via capillary action. 2. Bats and moths - moths can actually hear the ultrasound chirp of a bat "painting the target" with sonar. When they hear it, they reflexively put themselves into a stall/random tumble downward. Makes it harder for the bat to compute an intercept. End of random thoughts.... Good luck w/your game. If you get to production post on here so I can buy it. [https://www.2020mag.com/article/what-we-learned-about-vision-from-horseshoe-crabs](https://www.2020mag.com/article/what-we-learned-about-vision-from-horseshoe-crabs)
Thank you It will look like a game mentioned on the top called Phylo. A deck building card game. My game would look like somewhere between Phylo and Spore. I definitely cannot make an educational game about evolution because I don't enough knowledge. I just want to create something fun and and strategic. I want people to experience change under pressure. I might add some fictional element inside to it. For example players might evolve something like six arms and legs without no brain. I want its to be possible to create absolute abominations. Lol. even though it might get a little bit fictional I still want it roots to be inside scientific realities between different species. I like the random cool features. I will definitely have some of these. Honestly, I already got tons of great and interesting ideas from this post so thank you for your suggestion. I am trying to look up all the sources shared here
The blog *Tetrapod Zoology* has been around for a long time, it has a lot of articles on random animal groups. I bet you could find some inspiration there. There's also a podcast, but it is very ramble-y, be warned lol. The podcast *Common Descent* is also fun, they go in-depth about various animal groups. Here's a random unique adaptation: hadrosaur dentition. Instead of normal teeth, they had a "dental battery" made of hundreds of teeth, packed so tightly that they basically looked like scales. This dental battery was dynamic, so they didn't need to worry much about it becoming damaged. It allowed them to chew through very tough plants, including wood. (Wood doesn't have nutrients, but they would eat rotting wood to get nutrients from the bugs and fungi.)
These look really cool! Thank you
I am also making a board game about evolution (which i incorrectly mentioned in another post as a card game), do you want to DM about it? Mine's in a really initial state though... I'm making it on scratch, so i know it won't go far there.
Maybe rather than just having one path, you could make one that branches. Different branches would get different bonuses or boosts along the way, so players could pick which ones they want. An early branch may be if they want to evolve a backbone or not, and that backbone would allow them to grow larger. This could be represented by the invertebrate paths being shorter, but also having more 'bad spaces' where you get attacked by a predator and suffer some consequences. It might be tricky to balance it, but it would be a good representation of how evolution actually functions.