Capstone Games Ark Nova Card Drafting, Hand Management Strategy Board Game, 1-4 Players, 90 to 150 Minute Play

I got Ark on a whim and minor recommendation from a friend of mine, and oh man, did it follow through.Ark Nova is a very large game about running a zoo while also taking part in animal conservation efforts across the globe.Turns happen one after another were players choose one of five actions like playing animal cards, building enclosures, assisting conservations, getting sponsors or drawing more cards. While turns are short, they do require quite a bit of strategy and forward thinking as another players action could force you to change your next move.There are a multitude of winning strategys available as well. My fist game was focusing strictly on primates, another player mainly aimed towards getting animals of a certain continent while someone else goal was to increase his fame through sponsorships.The game also supports nearly 250, beautifully photographed cards of animals all across the globe, making it a aesthetically pleasing as well!My only real gripe with the game is that the rules can be difficult starting out.Our group started the game and didn't really get into the flow of the turns for the first 2 hours; and when the box say an average game takes about 2 and a half to 3 hours, they mean it.So while the game is great, it's not really for new board game players or people looking for a casual game.All-in-all, a great game and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a great time killer or who has a love of all things animals!

This game arrived on time in good condition.This game is not an easy learn! the first play through was about 2.5 hrs and was confusing. 2-3 play thoughts went easier but it has a learning curve that can discourage play in the beginning. Fun dynamics and there are endless strategies to win.

Love the base game. Normally don’t care for expansions.However, this one addressed some imbalances in the original cards (with this many cards, sometimes that happens).It also introduced some new mechanics (animals, sponsors, action cards) that alleviated some frustrations with the base game and/or provided additional variety in gameplay. Like the wave mechanic that flows through cards. Everyone has their favorites and those they hate, and this makes it more challenging to pick up a card showing before it goes away - and it lets you get through the deck quicker.

Well worth putting the time and effort in to learn how to play. It’s a hefty game but fun. Beautiful components. We really like the tile placement aspect of building your zoo.

It did take a few YouTube videos to help figure out the game. The first game took about three hours and we made multiple mistakes. However, we were hooked about 20 mins into the first game. There is so many options of how to play the game. We are a family that LOVE to play board games. Ark Nova may be our new favorite - it will be a top pick when we have 2 hours available to play a game. We love to play board games, but have found not everyone in the family likes the same games. This game crossed the gab and seems that everyone agree it's a great game. Remember - you will need a couple hours open to play. There are multiple ways to be successful in the game. Love that your don't really know who's winning until the very end. Love how many different options there are to play the game. Multiple successful strategies that can be used to win. There is a more aggressive game play where you can do damage to other players. We do have some who love this type of game play and others who do not - so for us, we did not play with this option. I have heard this is similar to Transforming Mars. We've not play TM, so I don't know if this is true. Highly recommend Ark Nova.

Others have covered all the good points of this game. Definitely worth it. Takes up a lot of room. Way more than a card table. Expect to clear off the dining room table to play.

First off, let me say I am not a novice - I am a frequent board game player, and own somewhere around 60 strategy board games.Cons:This game is good, but I think the ratings are over inflated. It is not on the same tier as Twilight Emperium and GloomhavenI found this game to be extremely difficult to learn and the difficulty rating on BGG is not high enough. It would probably be a bit easier to learn if the instructions were better designed. The format and content of the rulebook is garbage. There are a number of symbols throughout the game that are not clearly identified in the rulebook. The majority of the symbols in the rulebook are sprinkled about and not easy to find. They have a glossary that only covers certain types of cards and other cards are completely vague, leaving the players to interpret what they mean.The size of the board is excessively large. If you do not have a large table to play this on, you are going to be in trouble. The game length is also very long. I've read some people say that "if played properly, it's not that long". You shouldn't have to play this game with a turn timer or a specific type of strategy in order to get through it in the suggested time.Pros:This is a very well designed strategy game. As with most games, there are some minor elements with luck. This game is good if you are comfortable with quickly altering your strategy throughout the game. The round structure is irregular and more or less controlled by the players, which makes for more interesting replayability. Overall, there are new and interesting concepts in this game and (if you have a lot of time, it is a good play.