{"product_id":"dominant-species","title":"Dominant Species","description":"\u003cp\u003e6th Edition\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWith an ice age approaching, which animals will best propagate, migrate, and adapt? \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e2-6 Players  |  120-240 Mins  |  Ages 14+\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFeatures\u003c\/strong\u003e: Action Queue, Area Majority \/ Influence, End Game Bonuses, Grid Movement, Hexagon Grid\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTheme\u003c\/strong\u003e: Animals, Environmental, Prehistoric\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDescription\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e90,000 B.C. — A great ice age is fast approaching. Another titanic struggle for global supremacy has unwittingly commenced between the varying animal species. \u003cbr\u003eDominant Species is a game that abstractly recreates a tiny portion of ancient history: the ponderous encroachment of an ice age and what that entails for the living creatures trying to adapt to the slowly-changing earth. \u003cbr\u003eEach player will assume the role of one of six major animal classes—mammal, reptile, bird, amphibian, arachnid, or insect. Each begins the game more or less in a state of natural balance in relation to one another. But that won’t last: It is indeed \"survival of the fittest\".\u003cbr\u003eThrough wily action pawn placement, players will strive to become dominant on as many different terrain tiles as possible in order to claim powerful card effects. Players will also want to propagate their individual species in order to earn victory points for their particular animal. Players will be aided in these endeavors via speciation, migration, and adaptation actions, among others. \u003cbr\u003eAll of this eventually leads to the end game—the final ascent of the ice age—where the player having accumulated the most victory points will have his animal crowned the Dominant Species. \u003cbr\u003eBut somebody better become dominant quickly, because it’s getting mighty cold...\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e\u003cem\u003eGame Play\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe large hexagonal tiles are used throughout the game to create an ever-expanding interpretation of earth as it might have appeared a thousand centuries ago. The smaller tundra tiles will be placed atop the larger tiles—converting them into tundra in the process—as the ice age encroaches.\u003cbr\u003eThe cylindrical action pawns (or \"AP\"s) drive the game. Each AP will allow a player to perform the various actions that can be taken, such as speciation, environmental change, migration, or glaciation. After being placed on the action display during the Planning Phase, an AP will trigger that particular action for the owning player during the Execution Phase.\u003cbr\u003eGenerally, players will be trying to enhance their own animal’s survivability while simultaneously trying to hinder that of their opponents’—hopefully collecting valuable victory points (or \"VP\"s) along the way. The various cards will aid in these efforts, giving players useful one-time abilities or an opportunity for recurring VP gains.\u003cbr\u003eThroughout the game, species cubes will be added to, moved about in, and removed from the tiles in play (the \"earth\"). Element disks will be added to and removed from both animals and earth. \u003cbr\u003eWhen the game ends, players will conduct a final scoring of each tile—after which the player controlling the animal with the highest VP total wins the game.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eContents:\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ea 20-page full-color rulebook\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eone 22” x 34” mounted game board\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003esix Animal Displays\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e27 cards\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e31 large and 12 small hexagonal tiles used to create “Earth”\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e330 wooden cubes in six colors representing the Species belonging to the six Animal groups\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e60 wooden cylinders used for the Animals’ Action Pawns\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e60 wooden cones used as the Animals’ Domination markers\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e120 round markers representing the Earth’s resources, called “Elements”\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e6 square markers used to show each Animal’s “Initiative” (turn order)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eone cloth bag\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eReview and Recommendation\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBrutal! If you like brutal take that and survival games you will love this game. One of the best heavy euro games designed in a conflict heavy package. Intensity 10\/10. You'll be trying to make the best out of not being a target, and profiting from others loss yet staying under the radar of your opponents. Try to expand and migrate to new terrain, take over others terrain, and freeze over your opponents, whilst they attempt to return the favour. The design of the worker placement and action selection with sequencing of events is very cleverly thought out. This game really shows that it's designer is a master of mechanics making for a thoroughly enjoying game as you see repercussions of every decision made by each player unfold. Instantly this game went to my top 20 list, strongly recommend at 4 to 6 player counts. Despite its cover, this is not a dinosaur game.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"GMT","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47731035603170,"sku":"DominantSpeciesMay26","price":142.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/4066\/0450\/files\/dominant-species-68933_0e7b0.jpg?v=1776983748","url":"https:\/\/3dlevelup.com.au\/products\/dominant-species","provider":"3DLevelup","version":"1.0","type":"link"}