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Game Info
Year
2020
Collection
Mechanic profile
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Description
An incredible new dinosaur graveyard has been discovered, and if the early findings are any indication, it could be a treasure trove of fossils and bones like the world has never seen! In Fossilis, 2 to 5 players become paleontologists working the dig site with shovels, whisk brooms, and chisels looking for a find that could make their career.
Each round, players get two actions to dig at the site or make an extraction. As they remove the top layers of sand, clay, and stone, they'll discover trace fossils, which can be exchanged for tools, the plaster necessary to extract bones, and discovery points. As they delve deeper, precious bones will be exposed. They can make a careful extraction if they have the right amount of plaster, but sometimes shifting the earth to cover up a find and slow down the competition is the right move. Bones on their own can be valuable, but museums are really interested in more complete specimens. Sets of bones can be exchanged for museum cards worth big points!
Fossilis features a unique 3D dig site board, with recessed pockets filled with dinosaur bones, and thick, chunky terrain tiles that cover the dig site. Players have to use strategy, timing, and a little bit of luck if they want to make the best discoveries, get their name in all the paleontology journals, and of course, win the game.
—description from the publisher
Note: The Kickstarter edition supports solo play and includes other game related content. It may be found here Fossilis: Kickstarter Edition.
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Fossilis Review!
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All mentions
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 3
This page: 3
Sentiment:
pos 3 ·
mix 0 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–3 of 3
Video 5s8K2e57gEs
Top List at 6:39 sentiment: positive
video_pk 67563 · mention_pk 163696
Click to watch at 6:39 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Fantastic game for families.
- Kids love the tactile fun of sliding terrain tiles.
- Can easily customize difficulty based on age.
- List of changes and reasons included in the rule book.
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- Dinosaur bone excavation
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- modular difficulty — Suggestions for adjustments to accommodate different levels of difficulty, customizing based on age.
- modular terrain — Sliding chunky terrain tiles to find dinosaur bones.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- I'm referring to games where the core experience involves plugging in one or more modules that are part of the core game that have a significant impact on gameplay.
- I'm not just talking about variable setups where maybe you have a few tokens or tiles that are slightly different than in a previous game.
- I'm also not talking about player asymmetry where each player is a different character or different faction, things like that.
- I'm also not including expansion modules.
- I'm talking about the where the core game is designed around the idea where modules shape the core game experience.
- This game is essentially infinitely modular.
- this is perhaps the the best example that I'll have on this entire list of a truly modular game where the core experience of Shackleton base depends on you plugging in these three modules that have a significant impact on the game.
- To say this is a large game is an understatement, but with these different region modules comes a ton of variety.
- you are plugging in different elements to create a new unique experience rather than a scenario where it says like this is the scenario that you're playing.
- all modular setup that all that all modular setup does take some work to put together and reset.
- I think the takedown is almost worse because you're like, "Oh, we finished playing the game. Now we get and you have to sort out all of these different components."
- I think that is a great space for modularity in a game like this.
- You can really play the same temple track over and over again in Lost Arms Vernac and get plenty of replayability out of it.
- I think Clank I think is my favorite modular game where just with the map modularity uh just flipping over which side of the board you're going to play on um can add can really make each game feel quite different every time you play.
- We are talking about big modules that you are plugging into the game in from that are built into the core experience and they are making the game feel different or unique or harder or easier um or shorter or longer.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video j9zMe_IIFE0
Ryan and Bethany Board Game Reviews Review at 1:09 sentiment: positive
video_pk 62324 · mention_pk 154829
Click to watch at 1:09 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Strong integration of theme and mechanics (digging, pushing, tile manipulation)
- Dual-purpose components (board + micro-board) that are more than gimmicks
- Engaging decision-making with resource management (plaster) and timing
- Very satisfying tile- and card-driven synergies (hammers and ability tiles)
- Exciting end-game choices between completing big dinosaurs vs. chasing set-collection bonuses
Cons
- Plaster economy can feel punishing; it runs out quickly over the course of a game
- Well-depth and opaque wells can make bones hard to see, affecting tactile play
- Initial learning curve around costs, actions, and when to push for effects
- Some fiddliness with pushing off tiles; requires care to avoid accidental misplays
Thematic elements
- paleontology and dinosaur reconstruction
- a fossil dig site with bones hidden under layers of earth; a lab to assemble dinosaurs
- explanatory and enthusiastic
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- card market and purchases — cards (tools and supplies) are bought using resources from the dig site and grant various bonuses
- digging for bones — players spend plaster and actions to extract bones from dig sites and assemble skeletons for scoring
- end game bonuses — game ends when plaster piles run out and event cards are resolved; scoring includes set collection, dinosaurs, and cards
- end-game and event cards — game ends when plaster piles run out and event cards are resolved; scoring includes set collection, dinosaurs, and cards
- hammers and ability tiles — digging yields hammers that can be traded for special ability tiles with powerful, rule-bending effects
- lab claiming of dinosaurs — complete dinosaurs can be claimed into your lab for victory points; end-game scoring tallies these and other bonuses
- pushing and sliding on the board — players move and shift sand, clay, and stone tiles; heavier items push lighter ones and can reveal holes
- Resource management — plaster is a key resource with a limited supply; actions and digging costs hinge on plaster availability
- resource management with plaster — plaster is a key resource with a limited supply; actions and digging costs hinge on plaster availability
- set collection — collect bone components to complete dinosaur cards for victory points; partial sets yield smaller points
- set collection and dinosaur cards — collect bone components to complete dinosaur cards for victory points; partial sets yield smaller points
- Tile/Map Shifting — players move and shift sand, clay, and stone tiles; heavier items push lighter ones and can reveal holes
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- it's all about dinosaurs
- you need to become a paleontologist
- it's always better to complete an entire card rather than just a partial card
- i loved the fact that the two components that you use to set up the game, that board and a tiny board to pull everything off, i love that that's just not a gimmick
- there's this tug and pull of how you're going to use your resources
- i wish that there was more plaster just you can play more of the game
- this is a really interesting game
- we don't have a single game like this
- fossilus was something different that earned a place in our collection
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 1WM9qMtE_BU
Our Family Plays Games Top List at 16:08 sentiment: positive
video_pk 3912 · mention_pk 11449
Click to watch at 16:08 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- 3D board
- Unique looking
- First KTBG game for hosts
- Truly underrated
- Moving 3D tiles
- Tweezers component
Cons
- Does not get enough love
Thematic elements
- Digging for dinosaur bones
- Dinosaur excavation
- Archaeological discovery
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- contract fulfillment — Construct dinosaurs from bones
- dexterity — Use tweezers to extract bones
- Resource management — Dig through sand and stone for bones
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Once we discovered how to really play Azul we started playing 8 times
- If someone ask me to give a favorite I have to give you a list
- It all depends on if you're learning the game the right way
- Fossilis is truly underrated
- This is Phil Walker-Harding y'all you know one of the 3,000 games he made in like one day
- We want the whole family we want them all
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–3 of 3