Title: Jurassic Parts
Designed By: Kevin Lanzing
Art By: Andrew Bosley
Published By: 25th Century Games
Released: 2020
Player Count: 2-5
Time to Play: 20-45 Minutes
Ages: 10+
Overview:
Jurassic Parts is an exciting area majority, set collection game about excavating dinosaur skeletons. Player's take on the role of paleontologists who are sent out on their first field assignment. Their goal, excavate the dozen or so dinosaur fossils stuck in the giant rock slab. However, just removing the fossils will not be enough, players want to get a full skeleton of the dinosaurs they find. After all what good is a headless t-rex. The only problem is that time has shifted around the skeletons in the rock. Players must chisel away at sections of the rock, working to uncover the specific fossils they want. Collect the most worthwhile skeletons to score the most points to win the game!
What's purr-ty cool:
Mechanics: I really enjoyed how the area majority mechanic worked in Jurassic Parts. Players use their chisel pieces to try and chip away pieces of the rock. When the slab of rock splits any player who has at least one chisel helping create the break will get the chance to benefit from it. Whoever has the most chisels gets to take 1/2 of the tiles from the slab, then the player with the next most chisels used gets to take half of the remaining tiles, etc. It's a unique system that rewards not just chipping away on a single piece of the rock. For large sock slabs, it can also mean needing to strategically think about how and where to break it from the main rock, so that you can get the most tiles from the break. It is thinky, and I like it.
Ease of Entry: For those that do not know, I work fulltime at a university. Sometimes for my job, I host programs where I play board games with students. Many of my students never played games beyond things like uno, monopoly, and sometimes Catan. Sometimes, I come across a game for review that I think is a great way to introduce new gamers into the hobby, and Jurassic Parts is that kind of game. I brought it to the table with four students, three of whom have never played modern board games. Everyone was able to quickly pick up on the rules and enjoyed the game.
Theme: One last thing I enjoyed was the thematic flavor text in the rulebook. The rules start off by telling a quick story to set the mood for the game. In the back of the rules, there are also descriptions of each character you can play as. It is cute to see where the characters attended school and what they studied. It brings a bit of real life to them.
The cat's meow:
"Give me a chisel! I want a chisel! Purrr-ty please let me play with a chisel!" - Pudgy Cat
Disclosure: Pudgy Cat Games was provided a copy of this game in exchange for a review, however, this review reflects the honest thoughts of the author.