136: Draftosaurus | Nidavellir | Down Under

What this episode covers

Welcome to Which Game First where we boldly explore the hilariously huge world of board games. Did we unearth any hidden treasures you’ve been missing out on? Let’s find out! First up: We duck under T-rex tails to build the best darn dino park in DraftosaurusNext up: We skirt the dragon as we build the most epic team of dwarven heros in NidavellirAnd lastly: We curve round dingos to build the longest route through the outback in Down Under Draftosaurus Designed by: Antoine Bauza, Corentin Lebrat, Ludovic Maublanc, Théo RivièrePublished by: Ankama (2019)Players: 2 – 5Ages: 8 & upPlaying time: 15 min In Draftosaurus, players are zookeepers of the most remarkable zoo imaginable … a Dinosaur zoo!   The goal in Draftosaurus is to have the dino park most likely to attract visitors. To do so, you have to draft dino meeples and place them in pens that have some placement restrictions. For example, one pen holds one type of Dino. Another pen holds only different ones. And another pen gives points for pairs of the same dinos. There are 6 pens in all, and if all else fails and you have no legal placements, the Dino can always go in the river for a swim for 1 victory point. Each turn, one of the players rolls a die and this adds a constraint to which pens the other players can add their dinosaur. There are two different types of zoos to choose from, just flip your tableau for a whole new set of placement conditions and restrictions. The zookeeper with the highest scoring total has willed into reality that which was only a recent dream … the best Dinosaur Zoo in the world! Nidavellir Designed by: Serge LagetPublished by: GRRRE Games (2020)Players: 2 – 5Ages: 10 & upPlaying time: 30 – 60 min In Nidavellir, the Dwarf Kingdom, is threatened by the dragon Fafnir. You have been appointed by the King to search through every tavern in the kingdom, hire the most skillful dwarves, recruit the most prestigious heroes, and build the best battalion you can to defeat your mortal enemy! Each turn in Nidavellir, bid a coin on each tavern. In descending order, choose a character and add this character to your army. Each dwarf class has its own scoring way: blacksmith, hunter, warrior, explorer, and miner. A meticulous recruitment will allow you to attract a powerful hero to your army. You will also be able to increase the value of your gold coins thanks to the smart “coin-building” system.  But enough chit chat from me … let’s figure out if this game is worth all the gold under the feet of the dragon. Down Under Designed by: Günter CornettPublished by: Bambus Spieleverlag (2007)Players: 2 – 4Ages: 8 & upPlaying time: 30 min Down Under is a tile placing game where players place their tiles trying to add to their route.  The longer the route, the more points you earn. The player with the longest route at game end is the winner. As tiles also contain animals, players score or lose extra points for having groups of specific animals in their route. An easy to learn game with lots of twists. Time to get Down Under-standing this game.

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