Fossil Canyon

Fossil Canyon is a competitive, lightly strategic set-collection card game developed in collaboration with the Field Museum of Chicago. Players take on the role of paleontologists hunting for fossils, aiming to construct complete dinosaur skeletons that attract visitors to their museums. Each dinosaur skeleton has a different point value, represented as visitors per year, and may consist of two, three, or four unique fossils.

Gameplay Overview:

• Digging for Fossils: On each turn, players draw cards from the dig site, which consists of face-down fossil cards. These cards represent various dinosaur fossils that players aim to collect.
• Trading Fossils: Players can initiate trades with others to acquire the specific fossils needed to complete their skeletons. Strategic decisions include determining which fossils to expose and how many trades to perform, as each trade becomes increasingly expensive.
• Completing Skeletons: When a player successfully assembles a complete skeleton, they receive a bonus dig, allowing them to draw an additional card from the dig site.
• Adjusting Fossil Cards: At the end of their turn, players can rearrange their fossil cards, ensuring that all but three are visible to other players.

Unique Scoring Mechanism:

Fossil Canyon employs a distinctive jigsaw-puzzle scoring system. Each skeleton added to a player's museum is represented by a puzzle piece whose length corresponds to its point value. This visual representation allows players to easily track their progress and standing in the game.

Educational and Family-Friendly Aspects:

Developed in collaboration with the Field Museum of Chicago, Fossil Canyon offers educational content about dinosaurs and paleontology. The game is designed to be family-oriented, with adults appreciating the beautifully illustrated cards and strategic mechanics, while children enjoy the dinosaur theme and tactile puzzle-scoring elements.

Fossil Canyon is suitable for 2 to 6 players and typically takes about 30 minutes to play, making it an engaging and educational experience for players of various ages.