Draftosaurus: Marina - Add New Dino-meeples to Your Park, New Ways to Score Points, Play with or without Aerial Show Expansion | 2-5 players, 15-20 mins, Ages 8 & Up

I bought Draftosaurus on a whim because I love dinosaurs and this game came with little wooden dino-meeples, which are absolutely amazing. I'm also a huge fan of drafting games and Draftosaurus is a great entry point into the genre; depth wise I'd compare it to Sushi Go.During a game of Draftosaurus you play two rounds during which you will draft six dinosaurs. Each turn you select a dinosaur and place it in your park; each pen in your park has specific scoring conditions (collect three of a kind or manage to have only one of a type of dinosaur in your park). The boards are double sided, there is a summer board and winter board (which offers a more challenging experience). A typical game will last between 10 and 15 minutes depending on player count.I am enamored with Draftosaurus in large part because of how well the theme is integrated into the game overall, but especially the components. I really can't believe what you get based on the price (I paid $22 for mine). I would highly recommend Draftosaurus for families, this would be a great game to play with younger kids, or as a great filler on a game night. Draftosaurus also manages to separate itself from other, lighter drafting games. I am happy to own both Sushi Go Party and now Draftosaurus, there is definitely room in my collection for both (the small box Draftosaurus comes in is also a huge plus).

This is a very middle-of-the-road drafting game that has great components and can be played in about 20 minutes. Problem is I wore out on it very quickly. Just doesn't have the replayability of other comparative drafting games like Sushi Go Party. Many of the decisions are pretty obvious and turn order for this game just never quite works out right when played at some player counts (hard to explain without having played it). And the game just never provided any exciting moments like it seemed it would. We would finish and there would be talk of anything that transpired. I've already traded it away.With that said, I could see this working for parents with younger children that will enjoy the meeples and the play length. Makes a good introductory drafting game.

I had way more fun than I thought, my 8-year-old loves it as well. The drafting mechanism is unique and fun- you draw 6 dino-meeples out of the bag, place one, throw one away and switch your dino-meeples with another player. It's a nice brain challenge figuring out where to place which dino to score better and there is a nice tension going on when you don't know if you will get the other dino-meeple you had your eye on when you switch hands again (in a 2 player mode). Plays really fast too.

Game is ok but it does take a bit long to understand. I had to read the instructions and watch a few YouTube clips to fully understand the concept and the way the game is played. I think it may be easier to learn if you played with someone that has played before. Once I got the concept it kind of killed the vibe or excitement of play. But I figured it out and its entertaining and great party game. Just felt if you don’t or haven’t played this game ever just prep yourself for the tedious task of learning the game.

This is a really fun light drafting type game if the title of the game didn't give it away. All the pieces and the board are good quality and easy to tell the difference by color and shape. If you are kind of new to drafting or want to give it a try I think this is a nice gateway. There are other good one like sushi party go or treasure hunters but this game is simple and won’t be overwhelming to new players. So far I have only played on the basic “summer” side and every game has been different. There is a little bit of ‘take that’ which I like in games. The only thing that is a bit tricky at first is remembering what all the symbols mean on the die. The first few games we just had to leave the rule book open.

Great game for strategy lovers when they can’t commit to a marathon game. Bag drafting/ passing mechanism adds a bit of randomness while adding offensive/ defensive play. Add in limitations to placement based on a roll of the die, and this game becomes quite a puzzle. Younger players will just like placing the dinos in the pens. It’s a win win purchase! I own two copies as I do for our favorites, one for home, one for vacations & dinners out. The size and price point are just icing on the cake:)

This is a great game to have in your collection because you teach it in about 2 minutes and play it in 15 minutes or less. We use it as a filler game during our board game nights; and I have yet to introduce it to someone who didn't love it. The drafting mechanics are simple, but there is enough variability that each game is interesting. The little wooden dinosaur pieces are also really fun - it's hard not to smile a bit when you place one of them into your park. I highly recommend this for both serious board gamers and those looking a for a casual family game.

My 3.5yo is OBSESSED with this game! She started playing board games at 18m so she’s more advanced than average in terms of following board game rules. This is definitely her most favorite big kid game! Even though she’s not able to calculate the victory points herself and she has no strategy, having tiny dinos in her hands and putting them in her park is still entertaining enough for her to beg to play every day. The game format is a bit like Sushi Go (my daughter loves Sushi Go too) but more complex. Passing the little dinos around is definitely more entertaining than passing cards.

This is a really good little game and the game alone is worth 5 stars!2 problems: firstly the instructions are in French - no English at all which is not clear in the description (and fortunately I've downloaded the instructions PDF in English on my phone). Secondly, one of the pieces (a yellow dinosaur) is missing - only 9 in the box when opened, not 10.

Rules are in French and no mention of this in the description. Trying to navigate amazon help to talk to someone about it is impossible. Where is my English version please. And yes I know I can download rules but I just paid for a new game. I don’t see the need for me to craft the rules myself for a brand new item.

The dinosaur meeples are wonderful. A score pad would have been nice as I keep having to print them off bgg. It would also be nice if it was the English version as promised but I had worked out that was unlikely having read the reviews, again bgg to the rescue. The game is a quickie but has 2 variants with different scoring, ok as a filler for gamers but would also be good for kids (7 or 8 plus)

This is a fantastic game but the rules are in French and there was no mention made of this in the description. very annoyed.

Really easy game to pick up and just play. We love a good drafting game and this one is really awesome. Can't wait for the expansions. Mind this box came only with French rules, it was no problem to search the Internet an find them in English.