Draftosaurus | A Review by Tabletop Meeple

 Draftosaurus

a review by Tabletop Meeple


Info:

  • For 2-5 players
  • For ages 8 and up
  • 15 minutes to play
  • BGG Weight: 1.26
  • Designed by Antoine Bauza, Corentin Lebrat, Ludovic Maublanc, and Theo Riviere
  • Published by Ankama

Photo courtesy of Dewit The CM.

    When you think of the famed game designer Antoine Bauza, you are most likely to think of his biggest hits, such as 7 Wonders and 7 Wonders: Duel. Those who are a little more in tune with his work will add in Tokaido or Takenoko. But this game, at least for me, is one of the last that come to mind. But I'm not entirely sure it deserves to be last-in-line.

    In Draftosaurus, players play as organizers of a dinosaur park, trying to pick the best dinosaurs to score the most points. There are 2 rounds of drafting, and they are pretty simple. Players receive a secret handful of dinosaurs. Then, roll the dice to see which restriction is being employed. Maybe you'll only be able to place it on the left side of the map. Maybe only the portion with trees! This variability helps keep you on your toes throughout. Then, pass the dinosaurs, and repeat the process until all dinosaurs are placed for that round, replenish, and do it again. 

Photo courtesy of Caroline Black.



    This entire drafting process is simple, snappy, and keeps everyone on their toes with the inclusion of the die. Drafting systems can make or break a game for me, and I'm happy to report that this one is very good. Keeping on with the good news, the components here are very nice. The game costs $16.89 USD on Amazon, and the game consists of quality player boards, and a wooden die as well as wooden dinosaur meeples and a cloth bag. It's nice stuff considering the price point at which this game is situated.

    It isn't all good news, though. My biggest critique with this entire game is lack of replay ability. The player boards are double-sided, but there is only so much gameplay difference two different types of boards can bring. They have published a few expansions since release but so far as I can tell they just add new types of dinosaurs and "new strategies". While it is light enough fun, the dinosaurs have no special power/ability, and your decisions are totally guided by your past ones and the game quickly starts going down a very predictable path. I've played this game 12 times at the time of writing this review, but I have already started to see myself get tired of the same old thing performed over and over. In fact, I would hazard a guess that I probably won't play this game unless a kid asks to, because it runs out of substance fast.

    I actually really enjoyed this game when I first played it thanks to that snappy drafting system but it just doesn't have enough to keep me playing it again and again. 


Tabletop Meeple recommends if:
  • you have younger kids who want to play board games,
  • you need a quick game that can be played while traveling,
  • you need a light drafting game to fill space in your collection.

Tabletop Meeple does not recommend if:
  • you get tired of the same thing quickly,
  • you aren't a big fan of light games,
  • you don't like drafting games.

That's it!

 I really enjoy writing these reviews, and I hope you enjoy reading them as well. Playing games is a great way to spend time, and I hope my reviews make an impact on whether or not you decide to purchase the games covered in them. If you are a publisher or a designer and want to send a game my way for review, contact me! My contact info will be at the bottom of the page. See you next time!

Contact Info:

Email Address: tabletopmeeple@gmail.com

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