Counting Bones - The Scoring of Fossil Canyon

A lot of game design and development is about eliminating pain points. Making a game flow naturally; reducing unnecessary cognitive load; smoothing things out. Too often we don’t extend this principal to end of game scoring. A great game can have a disappointing end as it turns into an exercise in accounting, multiplication tables, and trying to remember if three turns ago you took the right number of ore, which will swing the balance from defeat to victory.

Occasionally points tallying can add drama - when the game is neck and neck and no one is sure what will come out in the numbers - but I think that is the exception that proves the rule.

I like the elegance of ending of race games, games with specific goals (like quests), and even some area control games. Endings can be dramatic, and importantly the game ends on a high note without the after game bookkeeping.

Yesterday, I stumbled upon a Kickstarter with a really novel and exciting take on scoring.

Fossil Canyon

Note: Fossil Canyon is in its final day on Kickstarter (ends 7/2), so if you are interested, go check it out. I ordered a few copies for when my nephews are a little older, and am hopeful that the game is available post-campaign.

In Fossil Canyon you play the role of a paleontologist / museum curator collecting the most epic dinosaur skeletons for your exhibit. Mechanically scoring is points based – each completed skeleton (represented by a trick of cards) is worth a specific score. Highest points wins.

But, the designer, (Kevin Lynch), created an exciting solution to the scoring problem. Rather than tallying scores at end of game, players have a dinosaur track (of interlocking puzzle pieces) that represent their collections. When you collect a new dinosaur, you add it to your collection.

Fossil Canyon scoring track

It is a visual and tactile method of scoring, and I love it.

There is a lot more to love about the project – a partnership with the Chicago field museum, an attention to detail, a scientific consultant to make sure they got all the facts right, and dinosaurs! – but for a game nerd like me it is that scoring track that won me over.

What are your favorite game win conditions or scoring methods? What novel approaches to scoring have you seen implemented successfully (or not so successfully)?