Draftosaurus product reviews

I asked my local board game shop for suggestions. Something that would be entertaining for a teenager, pre-teen and a younger child, required little to no reading, had enough to it to be challenging but easy enough for my special needs child to pick up the rules and play on their own, against the rest of us, and this is one that seemed to tick all the boxes. Draftosaurus is only going to be as long a game as it the time it takes everyone to decide which dinosaur they want to place on their board, so it is a handy little time filler. A big bonus for us is that it has 5 player boards, so no need to buy an expansion or make someone team up.

The number of players determines how many dinosaurs get thrown into the bag. You blind pick six dinosaurs each, then the dice gets rolled. Depending on what gets rolled will the effect the placement of one of your dinosaurs, except for the person who rolled the dice, who gets to ignore placement rules and can put it where ever they choose. This is not a game where you can easily plan your moves ahead, as once you have place a dinosaur, you hand all your remaining ones to the left (if there are only two players, then you discard one before passing them on). When all six have been placed, you then each draw out another six and so on, until you have twelve dinosaurs on your board.

The board itself, is double sided, one for an easier game and one for more experienced players. Within each board there are the pens, in which you place your little dino meeples. Each pen has its own little rule, so not only does the die affect your placement, but so does the pen and what you may score in points, if you can follow it. Happily, there is the river that you can throw them into should you be unable to place them in a pen that you would like to. All three kids have really enjoyed this, once you've grasped the basics, the board gives you enough that you don't need to keep checking the rules booklet. This game has been a hit.