“For it is only when a man goes out into the world with the thought that
there are heroisms all round him, and with the desire all alive in his
heart to follow any which may come within sight of him, that he breaks
away as I did from the life he knows, and ventures forth into the
wonderful mystic twilight land where lie the great adventures and the
great rewards.” - Arthur Conan Doyle, quote from The Lost World.
No big surprise that we have been playing a lot of board games lately, and recently I played one of my old time favorites from Avalon Hill, Dinosaurs of the Lost World based on the novel The Lost World by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. We had not played it in years so I was pleasantly reminded of the game when Honorable Son #5 (The skirmisher) suggested we play.
Cover art of the boxed game.
Dinosaurs of the Lost World is inspired by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s
classic work of fiction: The Lost World. And just as that famous book was
the prototype for a whole genre of “Lost World” literature, Dinosaurs of the Lost World broke new ground in the field of innovative game
design. We purchased the game in 1998 and there was not any other "interactive" game like it that we see so commonly today. Players explore this Lost World, ever aware of its horrible
inhabitants, in search of sites where they can embark on adventures
yielding great scientific discoveries and means of escape.
When you "discover an adventure site" you move through it comic book style, hoping to gain Victory Points and materials to escape from the plateau.
Each
adventure site leads players through an illustrated trek of great peril
and reward. Comic book style story lines give vent to the player’s
imagination as his adventures are visually pictured before him in an
ongoing narration as he proceeds from frame to frame. Front and back
full-color views of the dinosaurs actually stand erect and loom
ominously across the plateau.
How we visualize exploring and trying to escape "The Lost World".
At the time Dinosaurs of the Lost World was different from anything you played before
and changes with every game you play. Although simple in concept, the
game comes in two versions — a basic game suitable for 8-year-olds, and
the full game which will challenge even the most erudite game player
while allowing his children to be competitive in the same contest. With a
playing time of approximately 90 minutes per game, it is great family
fun. Actually three games in one, Dinosaurs of the Lost World also
contains a really great and challenging solitaire version for those wishing to play alone –
pitting themselves against the forces of prehistoric nature in a race
against the clock.
In the solitaire game, you must escape before the volcano blows!
The game board itself is rather busy with three main areas. The first is
an outer movement track. On your turn, you roll two dice and move the
same number of spaces as the result. The space you land on tells you:
1. Which action you perform – such as draw an event card or move a creature
– and
2. The number of hexes you can move on the central map, the
second main area on the board.
Getting ready to leave camp.
The map is covered with counters
depicting various locations in the lost world where you can have
adventures. These counters are face down, so you don’t know which
location is which until you reach it and flip the counter.
The game has a great atmosphere as you move around the board and explore.
I discovered the Lava Pit!
Yikes! A stegosaurus discovers me and beats me in combat. Time to run away.
Since I lost the combat I have to flee and try to escape.
Whoops. It caught me and I lose a tool. Fortunately after that I was faster, escaped to camp and lost a turn.
The third
area is a chase track running along one side of the central map. This
only comes into play if you lose a battle against a dinosaur or other
inhabitant of the lost world: The creature chases you back to your camp,
and every time it catches up to you, you lose one tool or a victory
point.
Tools and useful items to escape can be found.
Honorable Son #5 moving along an adventure.
You roll one die to
determine how many panels you move along the adventure track, or you can
use an experience card to move a predetermined number of spaces, as
indicated by the card. The trick is to balance your die rolls with your
experience cards to avoid the hazards and land on the discoveries.
Experience Card.
But it is worth noting that quite often players are instructed to draw
event cards, which can either be helpful or very, very bad. Also,
players start the game by equipping their expeditions with eight tools,
which is easier than it sounds. (Hint: You usually want to equip two
rifles and a camera.)
An Event Card. If the lettering is in red, you have to play it right away.
This game is dripping with theme and atmosphere: you really feel like you’re exploring a
prehistoric wilderness. A lot of little touches, like the chase track,
make the theme come to life, as does the game’s excellent black and
white comic book art.
As far as game mechanics, I really enjoy the simplicity of the design,
but at the same time realize they may be the biggest drawback for
serious gamers. Dinosaurs of the Lost World is not a game of deep strategy. If you are a gamer who enjoys outsmarting your opponents or challenging gameplay, this is not a game for you. But if you like an atmospheric, pulp adventure that is different every time - this is the game.
