The Ides Forest

Description

The Ides Forest is a dice-rolling and Handbook-reading print & play board game. It is meant to be played by two people-- one of whom is good at deciphering text under pressure and another who is assertive and courageous.

Objective

Two players, the Adventurer and the Guide, venture out on a journey into the mysterious Ides Forest! The path is treacherous, but your date Elysia waits impatiently for you at the end of the road, so you march onwards. In this game, you will fight violent elk, figure out which foods are safe to eat, find a place to nap, and, most importantly, test the strength of your friendship!

Player Roles...

The Adventurer

The Adventurer is brave of heart and sturdy of mind, but new to the forest. Though you rely on the Guide for help, you are the one in charge– you roll the dice, move the player piece, and get the final say in making decisions during events. 

The Guide

The Guide has seen this all before. As the Guide, you possess all the knowledge of the forest, which you’ve handily written down in your trusty Forest Handbook. Since you are the only player who can read it, your role is to advise the Adventurer. 

Events...

Combat

These woods ain’t big enough for the two of us! The Adventurer will roll the d12 to fight their enemy. The Handbook will reveal what number the Adventurer’s roll must be to defeat the opponent.

Eat or Be Eaten!

So much fruit can be found in the bushes, but only some of it won’t kill you. The Handbook details which snacks are poisonous.

Pretty Flowers

The way to a win girl’s heart is through flowers, or something. But wait, which is Elysia’s favorite, again? You think the Guide wrote it down in the Handbook, somewhere.

Mysterious Traveler

These paths are well-traveled– there are plenty of creatures roaming these woods and one of them has made itself known to you. But who can be trusted and who has ill intentions? The Handbook will reveal the Ides Forest Most Wanted.

Night Falls

Walking all day makes you weary. You observe your surroundings, seeing bushes, caves, hollow tree logs, and some comfy-looking branches. Handbook, where’s a good place to crash for a nap?

About the Game Development

The Ides Forest was created for a board game assignment in IMS 212 at Miami University. The criteria included being playable in under 15 minutes by two players.

Last updated October 2023.