Ark Nova Review

boardgamequest.com:

We review Ark Nova, published by Capstone Games. Ark Nova is a tile laying and card drafting game that will have you creating your own zoo.

I opened the door to Tony’s house and was immediately greeted by a flying object. Luckily, my cat-like reflexes allowed me to catch it before it hit my face.

I turned the box in my hand over. “Ark… ARK NOVA. Why are you throwing this?? It’s like… THE hotness right now!”

“Dude, I live in a house with twin toddlers, a dog, two cats, and an unwanted family of skunks. I do not want to play a game about building a zoo. I live in one.”

“OK. I get it…” I fumbled with my phone in my pocket like Matt Damon in The Departed. It buzzed loudly.

“Crap… that’s Sarah. She flooded the basement.”

“Again?” said Tony, dumbfounded.

“Yeah, I need to go home to pla-err, to clean up. Sorry!”

I hurried out before he could stop me.

That is the true story of how I received my copy of Ark Nova.

Ark Nova is played over many turns. During each turn, players pick one of five action cards to play from a slot numbered between one and five. Once played, the card moves to the first slot, and all other cards slide to the right. The higher the numbered slot, the more powerful the action.

The five actions (which can be upgraded to their more powerful version on the other side) are as follows:

Note: The only interruption to the game flow is when a Break is triggered, during which an administrative/upkeep phase is performed. After that, play resumes.

Your zoo is measured by three tracks—the Reputation Track, as well as an Appeal track, and a Conservation Track. Similar to Rajas of the Ganges, the scoring counters on the Appeal Track and the Conservation Track move towards each other. When a player’s Appeal and