Draftosaurus: Rapid Review
Information:
Mechanics: Drafting, Set Collection
Player Age: 8+ Player Count: 2 - 5 PlayersTime to Play: 15 Minutes
Game Designer: Antoine Bauza, Corentin Lebrat, Ludovic Maublanc, Théo Rivière
Player Age: 8+
Game Designer: Antoine Bauza, Corentin Lebrat, Ludovic Maublanc, Théo Rivière
Rundown:
'Draftosaurus', like the name implies, is a game about drafting dinosaurs. After two rounds (or four rounds in a two-player game) you will create a thriving dinosaur zoo. This was a game that sold out extremely quick when it was launched at origins 2019, this fact alone should excite and intrigue. Throughout the drafting you will build upon pens. Each pen that dinosaurs can be placed in has unique scoring possibilities such as pens that score off unique or identical dinosaurs. There are also pens that score based on your zoo such as no other dinosaur of this type can be in your zoo, or a pen that scores if you have the most dinosaurs of that type in your zoo compared to the other players.
Alteration:
The first alteration comes in the fact that each player will receive their own board to build their zoo in. Each of these boards has two sides, one for summer and one for winter. These boards have unique scoring pens to create more replayability and challenges for players. All players must use the same side of the board in a game.
Each turn before players have selected their dinosaur, the active player will roll the placement dice. That player doesn't have to meet the placement condition but every other player does. This could result in players only being able to place in certain sections of the board, an empty pen or in a location that doesn't contain a T-Rex. If the player is not able to place a dinosaur then they are always able to place the dinosaur in the river to score one point at the end of the game. The placement dice create differing challenges for the players that works to keep the game feeling fresh and engaging every time.
Production:
Firstly I want to establish that the meeple quality is great and helps players draft by having a unique colour and shape for each dinosaur (of which there are six). As expected it is harder to draft meeples than it is to draft cards but this can easily be remedied by using something at home such as containers or a draw bag. Sadly, the game doesn't come with a solution for this.
Interaction:
This is the kind of drafting game that is heavily altered by the dice your opponents roll as this can greatly limit on where you can place your dinosaurs.
The other main interaction is drafting. In this game you can easily disturb your opponents plans by keeping the dinosaurs they need for their zoo. This is amplified in a two-player game as each turn the players will select one dinosaur to keep and one dinosaur to discard, making it easier to hinder your opponents progress. Whenever a player can't place a dinosaur due to the restrictions of the dice or the choices available in dinosaurs they have to place the dinosaur in the river gaining one point but no aid in trying to complete pens on their board.
Determination:
Draftosaurus is a fantastic drafting game that can be highly competitive in a two-player setting but can also easily be a fun set collection game for the whole family. This is the easiest game with the dinosaur theme to get into and it has earned a 'Go to Golden Game' seal. As I stated earlier this was a game that was sold out quickly upon it's release. This is a perfect gateway game in theme, alteration and production so grab the game now whenever you see it on shelves, you won't regret the choice.
Expansions:
I was lucky enough to receive the two expansions for review. Like good expansions should, both of these add additional layers to the base game in order to move Draftosaurus a level higher than a gateway game.
Marina:
Marina adds Plesiosaurs that have their own river board. When this dinosaur is drafted it will be placed at the start of the river. Whenever you play a dinosaur that matches what is shown on the next bridge crossing the river, the player can move the Plesiosaur one space further. At the end of the game each Plesiosaur will score based on where they are on the river. A player may have multiple of these dinosaurs.
Aerial Show:
Aerial Show adds Pterodactyls, as well as an aviary board that will be perched at the top of each board. When Pterodactyls are drafted they will be placed on the aviary board. Each time you place on this board you will score bonus end game points, gain dinosaurs, or remove the effect of the placement die.
Expansion Thoughts:
Each expansion is a great addition that adds a wide range of choices and greater complexity to the base game. Going forward I will always play with one or both expansions as they give the game a wider pathway for scoring and keep it fresh with new decisions on each turn.
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