How Tyrannosaurus ate Diplodocus, or a review of the game “Draftosaurus”

Our Bookstore publishing house gave us three premieres in one day. Among the novelties was the game Draftosaurus . A successful conglomerate of words that makes up the title reveals the topic and main mechanics. So there will be dinusie and draft, which was enough to keep me interested. With great hope, I sat down at the table and opened the box, and there … lovely mepelki.

Newly discovered species – draftosaurusmeplus

But from the beginning. Before the spinosaurs and triceratops came out, I saw the cover. Unfortunately, I don’t like the graphics a bit. The presented animal has nothing to do with the colorful, cheerful and cute content. If someone were looking for a game about dinosaurs for children, not knowing this title, he would not be tempted to buy it. The first meeting can save the back of the box. There, we see two rows of awards and nominations from around the world, which may suggest that it is worth delving into the rules. The meples, both sides of the boards and the dice are shown below. In addition to them, inside you will also find a bag and bowls for self-assembly. All components are well-made and are eye-catching. In my copy, one diplodocus was headless, but it is hardly surprising,

How do you tame these giants?

Before starting the game, we have to choose the side of the boards that we will use. Summer is easier and it is worth starting the first game with it. Winter is a bit more difficult. Thanks to this, we have the ability to adjust the difficulty level of the game. The bag should contain the appropriate number of dinosaurs of each type, according to the instructions in the manual. Everyone draws 6 dinosaurs at random and places them in their bowl without showing the others. The first player rolls the die, which indicates to everyone but him which part of the board can place the selected mepel. If we cannot or do not want to place it on any field, it lands in the river. This is done simultaneously so as not to suggest to the rest of our plans for filling up the areas. After placing the first dinosaur, give the stand with the five others to the person sitting on the left, the player who rolls the dice also changes. Repeat this move until all available dinosaurs are finished. Again, each one draws 6 animals from the bag and we play the next turns in the same way. After two hands, the game is over and the player with the most points is the winner.

The above rules apply to games of 3 to 5 players. A two-player game has extra move. After selecting and arranging the dinosaur, discard another mepel before giving the bowl to the opponent. We take the dinosaurs from the bag 4 times instead of 2. There is more negative interaction in this version. We look not only at our own board, but also at what the other player collects. We can throw out the dinosaur he needs from the game and thus not only increase his number of points, but also limit the fact that his teammates get them.

Good draft is not bad

The rules are trivial – choose a dinosaur, put it down, pass the rest on. All the fun is in front of us. Spaces score differently, e.g. for pairs of the same type (Prairie of Love), identical colors (Forest of Identity) or for a dinosaur that is not found in any other area (Solitude). An additional difficulty is the ankle. It can indicate the part of the board where the mepla should be placed (forest – top, mountains – bottom, volcano – left, skeleton – right), a field that has no dinosaurs yet, or one that has no tyrannosaurus. Everything is well marked on the boards, so there should be no problem with deciphering the symbols.

The workmanship (except the cover) is beautiful. Individual dinosaurs have the appropriate shapes and differ in color. On the board you can find not only these fields, but also an overgrown alien ship or a hiding yeti. The whole thing is nice, consistent and transparent. In addition, I almost always complain about the air in the box, and here’s a surprise – the size is perfect. Everything fits and there is practically no empty space. Applause for the publisher!

I am always looking forward to all the educational values ​​that games bring. On the sides of the bottom of the box are brief descriptions of all six species along with their size, weight, area and type of food. In the game, it does not matter whether the meples you add represent herbivores or carnivores. Only the Tyrannosaurus Rex receives an additional score for each space it is on. It’s a bit of a pity, but on the other hand it encourages you to create your own board, where perhaps this distinction would matter.

Draftosaurus is a family game and you can see it both by the execution, the complexity of the rules and the rewards on the back of the box. The kids will have a lot of fun setting up colorful dinosaurs and will surely find use for them also outside the board. However, this does not mean that adults have nothing to look for here. It’s a bit of a random game that still gives you the option of planning. Usually, there are several spaces to choose from, and if not, the river remains. The negative interaction is mainly picking up the mepli others wanted to take. As a break between larger games, it will work decently. Also, the skeleton artwork at the end of the manual leaves little choice: “Dinosaurs didn’t play board games and are now extinct. Case?”

I do not think so.