In the end, we’ll all die anyway – review of the card game “Dinokalipsa”

It wasn’t easy for the dinosaurs. The constant threat of predators and harsh living conditions were their everyday life, and in the end everything was swept away by a meteorite. Nevertheless, we will try to help them escape anyway.

Dinocalypse is another card game by Ramy Badie. The Rebel publishing house also released Polish versions of his games Freaked out unicorns with extras and This is me cutting him . Expansions for the second of these titles and the reviewed card game are already under preparation and should be offered by the publisher this year.

All three games have in common that their author has illustrated them. Animal graphics are cute and fairy-tale-like, although what we do during the game is rather unsuitable for children. The cards also have a lot of humor in the names of items and events, and some of them even touch me (“The Sad Truth: You can’t fall asleep thinking about how disappointing you are” or “Hair from a nightmare: You cut your hair. Your self-esteem drops to the ground ”).

Nervous Rex or Unlucky Bronek?

At the beginning, everyone takes a selected dinosaur and its board. Place the figure on the starting space of the escape track. In the center of the table, we create two face-down decks – the main one and the catastrophe. From the first one, everyone gets 5 cards, and that’s all the preparation.

At the beginning of the round, we reveal the top disaster. Then, everyone chooses a point card from their hand, and if they do not have one, returns all 5 to their discard pile and draws 5 new ones. At the same time, we discover selected values. The player with the highest number moves his dinosaur the indicated number of spaces on the escape track, while the player with the lowest number takes the disaster card for this round and places it in front of him.

Then, each one moves his figure a number of spaces equal to the number of disaster cards in his play area and draws cards from the main deck to have 5 in his hand again. The previously used cards go to the discard pile.

The person who reaches the end of the escape track or the one who remains alive wins.

Is there hope for us?

Not. It may happen, and it is not uncommon, that we will be eliminated before the end of the game. This happens when we have 3 different or 3 the same types of disasters ahead of us. Of course, there is also a joker, i.e. a meteorite that will simply plunge us faster. The only benefit of the misfortunes that befell us is that they give us extra escape steps at the end of each turn.

Our dinus are different from each other. They have individual characteristics that are modifiers. If, for example, we play with the Unlucky Bronek, we are facing a natural catastrophe, we add 1 to our value on the selected card, but we subtract 1 for a predatory catastrophe.

Some of the scoring cards also have additional effects that we can use. There are also instant cards in the deck. They have no numbers, and their operation and timing are described at the bottom. Thanks to this, our pupils are not immediately doomed to extermination. We can add or subtract someone’s points, and even swap values ​​played by players. If we are lucky, we will also be able to avoid a catastrophe that is already headed our way.

Party with death in the background

Dinocalypse is a party game, although we will play its basic version with a maximum of 4 people. One of the upcoming add-ons allows up to 6 people to play. The rules are very simple, as it is in this type of card game. Dinusiowa apocalypse fits the previously published titles of this author not only in terms of graphics, but also categories and simplicity of rules. And although I’m not a big fan of parties, I enjoyed playing each of them. The dinocalypse seems to be the simplest to me and largely depends on the luck in our cards and the misfortune of others. But this game is generally about misfortune, so it even fits in climatically.

We have 5 cards in our hand, so we can master randomness a little. Even if we only have one of the points, the others are immediate and perhaps help us avoid a catastrophe. Moreover, it is not always profitable to run away from it. Better to consciously take the kind that won’t eliminate us just yet, and use a lower value to keep the higher one for later.

A party of two is not much fun, and so is Dinocalypse . Admittedly, we have a customized main deck and we need to collect more disasters to fall off, but the pairing is still bad. With 3-4 players, even with poor cards, we can aim for the middle so that we have neither the lowest nor the highest value. Then we slowly stamp our feet to save ourselves and it is also a way to win. In the case of a duo, we do not have this option and the game loses its charm. This card game works much better in a larger group, so it’s good that the expansion allows you to invite two more players to the table.

Dinocalypse should appeal to fans of the author’s previous games, quick and simple titles and a slightly gallows humor. All this with charming graphics and appropriate company at the table will ensure pleasant moments. And in the end we’ll all die anyway.