New dinosaur game on Kickstarter: "APEX"

If you're a brave soul and willing to throw your money into an unfinished product, there is a new deck-building card game currently on Kickstarter that may appeal to dinosaur fans. Titled "APEX: Theropod Deck-Builder Game," it is the brainchild of artist and game designer Herschel Hoffmeyer. Here is the description on the official website:

Apex is a theropod (two-legged, meat-eating dinosaur) deck-building game where you play as one of five apex theropods (Acrocanthosaurus, T.rex, Spinosaurus, Giganotosaurus, and Utah Raptor). The game supports 1-5 players which means it is designed to play by yourself or with up to four friends. The game will feature over 300 cards and a game mat to keep things organized and flowing easy.

In the game you fight for territory, expand your species, and evolve your dinosaur all while competing against other player controlled Apex predators for the same thing. As you progress through the game, many different environmental effects happen to territories such as tropical storms, super volcano eruptions, and botulism. The game has a built-in timer mechanic (doomsday) that makes games usually last around 30-45 minutes but it can be adjusted to make games longer or shorter.

The game is won by dominating 3 territories or having the most territory dominated at the end of the game. The game will feature over 30 dinosaurs and 8 territories with each territory having it's territorial boss that you must defeat to dominate the territory. These bosses consists of dinosaurs such as Carcharodontosaurus and Mapusaurus.

The art looks lovely and the theme is a welcome break from the many Dungeons & Dragons clones populating the market when it comes to these types of games. The creator also claims the mechanics for the game are finished - the only thing left to work on is the art. This is the first Kickstarter project I have backed, although only at a level to get me the basic game. Higher pledge levels can earn you additional swag, such as a game guide and poster. You have until April 2 to determine whether you want to back the project. Click here for the Kickstarter page.