Game: Draftosaurus
Publisher: Ankama
Designers: Antoine Bauza, Corentin Lebrat, Ludovic Maublanc, Théo Rivière
Players: 2-5 players (Best with 4)
Mechanics:
Dice rolling
Drafting
Set collection
Simultaneous action selection
OVERVIEW
I bought this game as a huge Antoine Bauza fan. He’s probably my favourite designer, and games like 7 Wonders, Ghost Stories, and Hanabi are among my most played games.
These reviews will focus on the game design decisions rather than production quality or artwork, so let’s analyse some of the mechanics and why they work or don’t work. I’m also assuming that you know enough about how the game plays that you’re not looking for a how to play guide.
Let me start by saying I like this game a lot. I haven’t had it long enough to know if it will have longevity, so my review is based off some initial impressions. I’m going to look at some of the key design decisions and explain their pros and cons, and what impact they might have on whether you would enjoy or purchase the game.
Let’s take a deep dive at some of the design decisions that make Draftosaurus so interesting.
RULES OVERHEAD
While there’s no denying this game is light, there are some nuances in the enclosure scoring and the effect of the dice that mean you’ll likely need to reference the rulebook on your first play. After that, the Summer side of the board is very easy to understand.
Impact: If you’re buying this you’re probably expecting a light game, and that’s exactly what you’re getting. Won’t affect your enjoyment.
DESIGN DECISION: Two-sided board
The decision to include a 2-sided board with a more advanced set of rule on the back was very smart, and adds extra replayability to what could potentially become a bit repetitive given the relative simplicity of the base game.
Impact: A nice to have which shouldn’t affect your decision to play the game. May have a minor influence on your decision to buy the game, but not significantly.
DESIGN DECISION: Dino meeples instead of cards
This will divide a lot of people as, strictly speaking, the Dino Meeples aren’t necessary to the game. Indeed, in a COVID-19 world, handing people meeples that you’ve been handling will probably be off-putting for some players.
One of the downsides of the Dino Meeples is that they can be tricky to keep hidden from other players as you need to open your hand to look at them. However, in a drafting game where everyone knows what is in the supply, and generally gets a look at what most of what comes and goes, it’s not really a big deal.
The downsides are more than offset by how charming and engaging the Dino Meeples make the game. As silly as it sounds, the meeples make the game more enjoyable than it probably should be, and you’ll be so excited to open your hand and look at the great wooden dinosaurs, that you won’t think about looking at any other player anyway. Long story short, this will only be an issue if you’re playing with people trying to cheat or germophobes (neither of which you probably want to play with anyway).
Impact: Increases the price a bit, so may impact your decision to buy. But will certainly make you want to play it by increasing the tactile enjoyment.
DESIGN DECISION: Rolling a dice to restrict drafting
At first glance it seems like the active player rolling a dice which then restricts where the other players can place their meeples is not necessary, as the game still functions and is interesting without it.
The downside of the dice rolling is that it is easily overlooked, especially in small player count games where you seem to be rolling the dice all the time. It also means that players can get unlucky, especially late in the game when an unfavourable roll can be the difference between winning and losing on a single turn.
The positive effect of the dice roll is that it adds some extra unpredictability which makes the game more replayable, and the short playtime offsets a lot of the negatives of this decision. It also forces you to leave pens open, avoid putting in too many T-Rexes, and make sure you divide you dinosaurs across all 4 quadrants of the board, adding some extra layers of light strategy that only reveal themselves after a few plays.
Impact: This is going to divide players, and may even affect your enjoyment of even playing the game. Personally, I liked it better with the dice rolling, as it added an extra element to the puzzle, but some players are going to hate it. If you think you would struggle if you found out randomly that you couldn’t complete the set you wanted, then this game is probably not for you. If you can appreciate it as a light, silly drafting game, and not care if you win or lose, then this won’t matter one bit.
DESIGN DECISION: Scoring systems in each pen
The different scoring mechanics for each dinosaur pen are what put the meat on Draftosaurus’s admittedly light bones. The designers have done a great job in making sure the decision of which pen to put your dinosaur in is a tough choice, encouraging players to take a risk and go for big points, but leave themselves vulnerable to counter-drafting by other players.
Particularly interesting is the King of the Jungle pen, which means you score big points if you have the most of a certain type of dinosaur, relative to the other players. I love scoring mechanics that mean you need to keep an eye on what everyone else is doing, and Draftosaurus balances those with other, safer scoring options that allow players to play in a way that suits them. There’s some really elegant decisions by the designers here, with the Woody Trio acting as a safe dumping ground for unwanted dinosaurs, but it only yields 2.33 points per dinosaur, which is among the worst returns of any pen. So while it is an easy 7 points to get, the 7 points are not very efficient or impactful.
Impact: How you respond to your options in the game, as determined by the scoring pens, will make or break whether you like this game. If you don’t find the decision of which pen to put your dinosaur in interesting, then there’s probably not much here for you. For me, although I think the Forest of Sameness is a little underpowered and the Prairie of Love is a little underwhelming, I think the variety of the options is great, and ties in well with the theme.
FINAL OPINION
I really like this game. My collection is filled with short, light games with a focus on fun, and this fits in perfectly (though I wish it came in a smaller box). While I'm surprised that such a simple game had 4 designers, they have created a simple core system, with interesting choices, some unpredictability, high player interaction, and a charming theme. And yes, the dino meeples enhance the game to a point I want to bring it out and show it off to everyone. Recommended if you often find that longer, heavier games are hard to get to the table.
Comments