Played it for the first time last Sunday. We started with five players but one guys wife just gave up confused during the first round, overwhelmed by the card play options. I rode a long necked, fertile, herd animal to a narrow win. I pushed up its size and population early on to avoid the carnivores and luckily the waterhole was well supplied for most of the game. I added a symbiotic, cooperative, forager late in the game. I think the final scores were 53, 48, 43, and 26. Everyone enjoyed it and are plotting what to do next time we play.
I love the fact that you have to decide whether to play a new species to score some quick points or hold on to some cards for a round or two and hope to get a more survivable one out later.
I backed the expansion in the last minutes Sunday just to expand the options but I have a feeling it will be a while before the base game is exhausted.
I've had my eye on this for some time. It's next on my "buy" list. I'd already have it, if I hadn't got waylaid by Arcadia Quest, the dumb, good looking, expensive blonde I couldn't for some reason, resist. Now I can't afford it. Ah well ... Evolution 2nd edition, with several card tweaks and some adjusted art including a re-designed watering hole, will be out in the fall.
My copy is the 2nd edition, so I can't speak to the changes...it is a really, really nice looking game with some thoughtful components. I also got (thanks to Dom) a couple of the Kickstarter bonuses and they're mostly cosmetic, but the Unstable DNA card is pretty awesome.
I love the fact that you have to decide whether to play a new species to score some quick points or hold on to some cards for a round or two and hope to get a more survivable one out later.
Or, you play that new species specifically to feed one of your carnivores...but them somebody else goes carnivore and eats your feeder species before your meat-eater has dinner. There are so many neat nuances like that in the game.
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