Game Info
Year
2019
Players
1-6
Age
8+
Playtime
20 min
Collection
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Mechanic profile
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Description
Ecosystem is a card-drafting game in which players choose cards and place them into their play area turn by turn. The cards in a player's grid make up their own personal ecosystem, and at game's end, a player will have twenty cards in their ecosystem, with the game including eleven types of cards. Bears score by being placed next to bees and trout; trout score by being placed next to streams and dragonflies; and streams are compared at the end of the game, with the player who has the largest stream earning points. These are just a few examples of how scoring works in Ecosystem. Don't forget to diversify!
—description from the designer
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All mentions
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 5
This page: 5
Sentiment:
pos 3 ·
mix 1 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 1
Showing 1–5 of 5
Video SK_09TcPjB4
Ryan and Bethany Board Game Reviews Top 100 List at 15:06 sentiment: positive
video_pk 86191 · mention_pk 222307
Click to watch at 15:06 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Two-player variant works well
- Interesting interaction through adjacency bonuses
Cons
- Can be fiddly in some playgroups
Thematic elements
- Array
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Card Drafting — Draft cards to build a tableau with ecosystem-themed placements and adjacency scoring.
- card drafting / tableau — Draft cards to build a tableau with ecosystem-themed placements and adjacency scoring.
- card drafting / tableau building — Draft cards to build a personal tableau representing an ecosystem; adjacency and placement matter.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- it is insanely clever
- this is a full Cooperative game by Matt Leacock
- it's a sandbox game you can do whatever you want
- this has replaced Code Names for me
- it's elegant design
- it's so silly and so funny
- two stages in this game you're placing trees everywhere
- you will not win it by chance
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video G5A7SG0f5V4
Meeple University Review at 4:20 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 69950 · mention_pk 235559
Click to watch at 4:20 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- familiar drafting core for players of Coral Reef
- original concept with its own scoring tension
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- diversity-based scoring in the original ecosystem
- marine ecosystem with various animals
- drafting with grid-like placement and diverse scoring
Comparison games
- Coral Reef
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Compound Scoring — Original scoring includes a diversity bonus that penalizes scoring nothing from any animal type.
- diversity_bonus — Original scoring includes a diversity bonus that penalizes scoring nothing from any animal type.
- Drafting — Similar drafting mechanic to Coral Reef, forming a familiar core.
- grid_placement — Drafted cards contribute to a grid-like player area with scoring rules tied to species.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- "It's a stand-alone sequel. They're not combinable. It is a separate game."
- "The game itself is very simple and the game itself plays the same way as the original Ecosystem. It's a draft."
- "This one has an easier entry point... it has these categorizations that make it easier to organize your thoughts"
- "I like the Coral Reef newer version better while Tarrant like the older version better."
- "It's an easy one to get to the table with really simple rules."
- "Quite um quite a good getaway game."
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video eE0Glmd2N0o
Meeple University Review at 0:04 sentiment: positive
video_pk 64701 · mention_pk 158194
Click to watch at 0:04 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Light and approachable design that remains engaging
- Rules are thematic to the game
- Includes helpful player reference cards
- Balanced ecosystem scoring with a diversity penalty encourages strategic play
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- Balancing biodiversity and proximity-based scoring within an ecosystem
- A natural ecosystem with landscapes and animals depicted on a 4x5 grid
- Rules are thematic to the game
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Card Drafting — Players draft from 10 cards each round.
- Compound Scoring — Different animals/landscape types score points with specific proximity rules (e.g., fox near none of wolves/bears; eagles near trout/rabbit within two spaces).
- diversity penalty — Negative points if you lack certain numbers of animals or landscapes.
- grid placement on a 4x5 grid — Cards placed orthogonally adjacent to at least one previously placed card.
- round-based play — Game goes for two rounds.
- scoring by proximity and type — Different animals/landscape types score points with specific proximity rules (e.g., fox near none of wolves/bears; eagles near trout/rabbit within two spaces).
- Set Collection — Gathers landscapes and animals to create a scoring setup.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- The game is a nice light draft game that gets you think a little bit, but not too much.
- There's also a diversity penalty.
- The rules are also thematic to the game.
- The game comes with some player reference cards.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video BvKKM9EUWvI
The Dice Tower Discussion at 4:23 sentiment: positive
video_pk 13508 · mention_pk 39510
Click to watch at 4:23 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- accessible, educational
Cons
- rushed tension at times
Thematic elements
- biology / ecology
- drafting and ecosystem building
- educational yet competitive
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Drafting — players draft cards to build ecosystems
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- One of the greatest experiences I've ever had playing a board game ever.
- It's all about board games, but especially the people who play them.
- This is Look Back, a series that I do where I talk about games that I reviewed one year ago, 5 years ago, 10 years ago, and 20 years ago during this time frame.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video yjl88nV7sts
3 Minute Board Games Top List at 3:19 sentiment: negative
video_pk 12012 · mention_pk 35177
Click to watch at 3:19 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
negative
Pros
- family-friendly and quick to teach
- easy to pick up for non-gamers
Cons
- looks uninspired; feels like a tableau of unrelated pictures
- scoring system is complex to learn
Thematic elements
- ecology and interdependence
- a grid-based drafting where ecosystem relations matter
- educational yet lighthearted
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Card Drafting — hand of 10 cards is drafted and placed into a tableau
- grid adjacency scoring — points come from spatial relationships like salmon by rivers and bears by salmon
- Tile Placement — place cards to form a 4x5 grid with adjacency scoring
- tile/area placement — place cards to form a 4x5 grid with adjacency scoring
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- it's just a simple nine card puzzle game
- it's fine for what it is
- it's not going to be a deep game that holds Brass's attention
- it's actually surprisingly fun
- oh hanami is a great game
- small box games can be great games
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–5 of 5