Dominant Species
Dominant Species explained: place action pawns, adapt species, migrate, compete for terrain, trigger glaciation and score dominance as the Ice Age advances.
Guide one of six animal groups through an approaching Ice Age, using action-pawn placement to shape the environment and compete for control of changing terrain.
Why We Love It
The action queue makes planning public but not predictable. Players can see where rivals intend to act, yet later actions can reshape the board before scoring resolves.
Rules overview
Players place action pawns on the action display, then resolve those actions in order. Adaptation changes which elements a species can survive on, migration and growth spread cubes, competition removes rivals, wanderlust expands the map and glaciation converts terrain to tundra. Domination scoring rewards presence and ecological dominance on selected tiles.
Key decisions
Editorial analysis: Survival and scoring are different goals. A species can dominate a tile without having the most cubes there, so element matching can be as important as raw population.
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Sources and edition notes
Facts checked September 17, 2026. Current sixth printing incorporates known errata corrections.