Want to play a short game? There’s specific objectives for that. The fact that the game time is variable is really great as well. While I can see how this would be frustrating for some, not being able to constantly rely on the same game state each time, it works really well, especially in the longer games when you’re given time to explore the systems. Toss in the different objectives and it means that each session of Dinosaur Island has to be played at least a little different than any previous game you might have played.
One game you could start with an extra worker and a special purple die that gives you better DNA, the next you could be getting free security, but there’s more hooligans in the bag. The fact that there are two rules in each game that are on a kind of alternating roster is really cool. The first thing to mention about the actual gameplay of Dinosaur Island is the variability. Play continues until all but one objective is met. However, if your threat level is greater than your security level, you pay the difference in patron’s lives. Each paying customer also earns 1 victory point. After that, they fill their park with as many patrons (hooligans first) as they have spots for them in the park. Players earn $1 for each non-hooligan they draw from the bag. Most of these visitors are paying customers, but a small amount are hooligans, who guarantee a spot in the park, taking up valuable spaces that standard patrons could use.
Phase four has everyone drawing visitors from a giant bag. With each new dinosaur added to your park you gain excitement, which draws in paying customers! But with each new dinosaur also comes an added threat risk, so you’re constantly having to juggle between throwing as many giant lizards into your park as possible or instead paying to up your security.
This is the phase when you actually spend DNA to make dinosaurs, adjust your security and a number of other things. Workers are placed onto the individual lab boards in front of each player, making a sort of custom worker placement game for each individual player. Speaking of which Phase three is played simultaneously. Here players can hire specialists that give them abilities or extra workers, they can buy DNA, attractions or upgrades for their labs which they’ll use in the next phase. Phase two commences, giving each player two chances to interact with the market board. When the threat level is greater than your security, that’s when people start getting eaten. Managing your park’s security compared to the current threat level is vitally important too, and dice that haven’t been claimed in this phase run a risk of being added to the threat level of all players parks. Right off the bat, players are presented with a wide variety of options and strategic paths. DNA can be claimed and stored, storage space for DNA can be expanded, temporarily sending a scientist to work for you in phase three could happen, or you could get a recipe that will allow you to build dinosaur attractions in your park. Players alternate making decision on this specific board until each has has made three choices. In the first phase of the game, the first player rolls a handful of chunky amber colored dice and place them on the board. These two aspects of setup make for constantly changing strategic landscapes each time you play Dinosaur Island, assuring that each time you play, you have to adjust how you react with every element. These add two additional rules to the game. The other thing that happens is two plot twist cards are drawn. Once all but one of the objectives is met, the round finishes and end game scoring occurs. These act as a source of bonus points to achieve, as well as an end game trigger. First, a number of objective cards are drawn at random, depending on the length of the game you’re wanting. Before the game even starts, some fun twists are thrown into the mix. Rounds are consisting of four phases in which players earn and spend resources, build attractions in their parks and manage visitors that have been attracted to the park. And the game we’re looking at today, Dinosaur Island, is regarded as the closest thing we currently have to Jurassic Park: The Game.ĭinosaur Island is a 2-4 player game in which players compete over the course of a number of rounds to earn the most points.
Wasteland Express Delivery Service was a big ol box of Mad Max. Coaster Park let players build roller coasters and theme parks, evoking memories of the incredibly popular Roller Coaster Tycoon computer games. Pandasaurus has, as a company, jumped into the deep end of providing the Board Game hobby with a bevy of highly thematic gaming experiences, by providing a gateway to world’s that were familiar enough to relate to, but legally distinct enough to avoid any Intellectual Property issues.