Draftosaurus

To set up Draftosaurus, each player receives a player board. Ensure that all player boards are flipped to the same side, as there are two different sides with varying scoring conditions. Next, gather all 60 dinosaur meeples, which come in 6 different varieties. Based on the number of players, a certain number of dinosaurs are removed from the game (e.g., for 2 players, 10 of each type are removed). The remaining dinosaurs are placed into a cloth bag. Finally, each player secretly draws 6 dinosaurs from the bag to form their starting hand.

The main objective of Draftosaurus is to accumulate the highest number of points by the end of the game. Players achieve this by strategically drafting and placing dinosaur meeples onto their personal player boards, aiming to fulfill the unique scoring conditions of each enclosure on their board.

A round of Draftosaurus consists of each player taking 6 turns. On your turn, you will first roll the placement die. This die indicates a restriction for your opponents' placements. You, as the active player, can place one dinosaur from your hand anywhere on your board, ignoring the die roll. Your opponents, however, must place one dinosaur from their hand according to the restriction shown on the die (e.g., left of the river, right of the river, in a forest, in a plain, in an empty enclosure, or not with a T-Rex). After everyone has placed a dinosaur, you pass your remaining hand of dinosaurs to the player on your left, secretly.

Scoring occurs at the end of the game, based on the dinosaurs placed in each of the six enclosures on your player board. For example, some enclosures reward points for having all dinosaurs of the same type, others for having exactly three dinosaurs, or for having an unlimited number of dinosaurs but with bonus points for matching pairs. There are also enclosures that score for having only one dinosaur, for having different varieties, or for having the most of a specific type compared to other players. Additionally, each T-Rex placed in any location on your board will grant an extra point for that specific location.

The game is played over two rounds. Each round involves players drafting and placing 6 dinosaurs. After the first round, all players will have placed 6 dinosaurs. The bag is then refilled (if necessary, based on player count), and each player secretly draws 6 new dinosaurs to begin the second round. Once all dinosaurs from the second round have been placed, the game concludes. Players then calculate their total scores based on the scoring conditions of their enclosures, and the player with the highest total score is declared the winner.