Draftosaurus — Rules, Scoring and Strategy

Overview and who it suits

Draftosaurus is a colorful family game about stocking a personal dinosaur zoo. All players draft simultaneously from handfuls of wooden dinosaurs and choose pens with different scoring rules. A die restricts where most players may place their next dinosaur. It is especially suitable for younger players and groups seeking a short simultaneous game rather than lengthy turns.

Setup and game length

Give each player a Zoo board, and put the wooden dinosaurs in the draw bag. Choose the Summer or Winter side of the boards consistently for everybody. The game consists of two rounds of six turns, leaving each player with twelve dinosaurs when finished. The youngest player begins holding the placement die.

Start a round with six dinosaurs

Every player draws six dinosaurs secretly from the bag, holding them so opponents cannot see the selection. The die holder rolls the placement die. Everyone chooses one dinosaur from hand and simultaneously places it into one of their Zoo pens according to that die’s restrictions. The die holder is exempt from the placement-die restriction for that turn.

Pass the remaining dinosaurs

After each placement, pass the remaining five dinosaurs to the next player, following the published passing direction. Pass the placement die to the next player as indicated. Continue until each player has chosen six dinosaurs. Draw another set of six to begin round two and repeat. Passing means you must adapt to what arrives rather than optimize entirely from your original hand.

What the placement die changes

The die does not tell you which species to choose. It restricts the location where the chosen dinosaur can be placed: for example, the permitted side of the river, pen occupancy, or the type of enclosure. Read the particular die symbol from your edition’s aid. The player who rolled the die is not restricted by that result, while everybody else is.

Using the River as a fallback

If none of the pens can legally receive your selected dinosaur—or you prefer not to obey the pen restriction—you may place it in the River, which is outside the ordinary pens and is not treated as a pen. River dinosaurs score according to their special rule rather than the set-scoring rules for normal enclosures. It is a safety option, though often less profitable than a carefully assembled pen.

Summer board: six different scoring opportunities

The Summer side’s pens include a Forest of Sameness that rewards matching species; a Meadow of Differences that rewards distinct species; a Prairie of Love that benefits from pairs of the same dinosaur; a Woody Trio that rewards exactly three dinosaurs; a King of the Jungle that scores if its dinosaur meets the relevant comparison against other players; and a Solitary Island that rewards exactly one dinosaur. Placement rules and caps differ among pens, so read each symbol.

Winter board and changing strategy

The Winter side features alternative pen-scoring patterns that change which dinosaurs work well together. Learn Summer first, then try Winter if your group enjoys more experimentation. Use the symbols and rules for the board side being played; don’t carry over the Summer Forest or Island conditions when the Winter board uses a different arrangement.

A drafting example

You receive three red dinosaurs, two blue and one yellow. Your Forest of Sameness already holds red dinosaurs, while your Meadow of Differences is missing yellow. Choosing another red may improve Forest scoring, but the die might prevent placing it in that pen this turn. A yellow in Meadow could be the safer score, and a red might reach you again after the remaining hand circulates.

Tyrannosaurus bonus and scoring

A pen containing at least one T. rex earns its printed T. rex bonus under the rules; do not add repeated bonuses for additional T. rex in the same enclosure unless your board explicitly says otherwise. After twelve placements, score each pen separately, plus applicable River and T. rex points. Compare totals and award the win to the highest-scoring zoo.

How to improve your final park

Track which pens need exactly one or three dinosaurs so you do not accidentally destroy a threshold late in the game. Species-diversity enclosures become harder to improve when many copies of the same dinosaur circulate. Don’t overvalue the strongest-looking meeple: the pen’s condition and the die decide whether it actually helps. A modest River placement may be better than damaging a high-value pen.

Common mistakes and FAQ

Q: How many dinosaurs do you place? Twelve. Q: How many turns are there? Six per round, two rounds. Q: Must everybody obey the die? Everybody except the die holder. Q: Is the River a pen? No. Q: Does the Winter side use identical scoring? No. Q: Can you move previously placed dinosaurs? Not during ordinary gameplay.

Similar games and alternatives

• Sushi Go! — Another quick pass-and-draft game based on collecting scoring sets.
• Bärenpark — A larger zoo-themed placement puzzle with different spatial constraints.
• Captain Flip — A light family game about choosing and placing pieces on a personal board.

Sources and editorial scope

Publisher or published rules reference. Independent explanations and analytical examples, without claiming personal playtesting. For unusual component interactions use the printed rulebook for your edition. Editorial policy.