Yesterday, news broke that the popular deck-building card game Magic: The Gathering will be adding Jurassic Park/Jurassic World themed cards to its roster.
They will be a part of the new Lost Caverns of Ixalan line, the ninety-eighth expansion for Magic which is currently set to be released in November of 2023, and will most likely be found in special expansion bundles and booster packs. Typical Magic booster packs start at around $7.99, and expansions usually are $35+, depending on the size.
While there are no real specifics yet as to what we can expect the line to entail, it’s reported that the Jurassic cards will be themed around all six of the films, spanning thirty years.
There is a history of Magic the Gathering having beautifully illustrated dinosaur and prehistoric-themed cards, and the inclusion of Jurassic dinosaurs, events, and powers in this game will certainly make for interesting gameplay in the near future!
The following article was submitted to us by Paolo De Bonis.
Sauria is a tabletop board game about surviving and escaping a dinosaur theme park while competing with others to accomplish secret objectives. Giving that ‘Jurassic Park’ feel with a lot of variability with different dinosaurs and map layout every game – being able to inspect the park as one of 8 unique characters with abilities that will help you try your best to do what it takes to escape the park and the erupting volcano.
“Sauria takes the story we’re all familiar with from Jurassic Park and converts it into an exciting board game. Both the artwork and mechanics are dripping with theme, making the game thrilling and engaging until the very last second.” – Tabletopping
The premise of the game is that each player has a set of goals that they must secretly complete. Each goal that they complete earns them Victory Points, and the player with the most points AND escapes Isla Sauria wins! Throughout the game, different dinosaurs will reveal themselves and wreak havoc upon the players in different, fun and interactive ways. The game takes place over 16 rounds, which equates to 48 hours in game, but just as you think things couldn’t get any worse, a volcano erupts on the 24 hour mark!
Now, the creators behind Sauria are releasing their latest expansion, “The Claw of Sauria” which introduces a handful of new Dinosaur species, as well as some new hybrids such as “Saurionyx” (aka The Claw of Sauria)! This new expansion also adds a new co-op mode, and, characters. You do not want to miss this!
The first game was originally funded via the crowdsourcing platform called Kickstarter. The campaign was fully funded in 3 days and ended at $20,000. Millian Games’ goal was to create an “escape from a dinosaur island theme park” experience rather than another run of the mill park builder as it would help set them apart from most dinosaur tabletop games.
In the world of Sauria, a genetics company called Genitech purchased the island known as Isla Sauria. On the island, they began their genetics research in manufacturing life, specifically prehistoric life. Their goal is to create the ultimate tourist attraction, a Dinosaur Theme Park. Before opening for the public, Genitech brought in experts for their opinion on the park. During their inspection, the Dinosaurs broke loose and the volcano began to erupt. In a chaotic twist of events, they now have to escape the lava, call for a helicopter or repair the boat, and try not to get eaten alive by the most vicious predators on the planet.
Meanwhile, the new expansion, Claw of Sauria, focuses on the rebuilding of Isla Sauria after the devastation during the first game. Once again, those experts must return to inspect the park, but an unforeseen development took place… the creation of a Hybrid Dinosaur, the Saurionyx!. This hybrid is part T-rex, raptor, poison dart frog, Sauropelta, scorpion and more. This hybrid has unknown abilities that are only discovered after reaching zero health and returning even stronger, possibly even venomous!
The game is available for backing on Kickstarter until the end of March! Make sure to check out their Kickstarter page if you are interested! Let us know if you’ve played Sauria before and what your thoughts on the game are!
During this event we had the immense privilege of interviewing two of the top minds behind the development of this brand new tabletop legacy game: Deirdre Cross, Vice President of Funko Games, and Ruby Wishnietsky, Editorial Lead for Prospero Hall. These two are big fans of the Jurassic franchise and have done an incredible job with this game. Read on to hear how they injected their passion for Jurassic and tabletop gaming into Jurassic World: The Legacy of Isla Nublar!
From left to right: Jennifer Durst (Jurassic Jen), Brad Jost (The Jurassic Park Podcast), Deirdre Cross (Funko Games), Ruby Wishnietsky (Prospero Hall), Nima Neemz Nakhshab (JurassicYourWorld), and Caleb Burnett (Jurassic Outpost).
What is your relationship with Jurassic Park and Jurassic World, and how did that influence developing this game?
Ruby Wishnietsky:
“My relationship with Jurassic Park and Jurassic World was definitely deepened through the development of this game. I am a huge amusement park fan. So honestly, my clearest relationship to them is riding the ride in Florida – going through that wonderful boat ride and getting freaked out by dinosaurs.”
Deirdre Cross:
“My relationship with the Jurassic World franchise is, I would say, very deep and quite intimate. I reread the book every year and I don’t even know how many times I’ve seen the first film. But really, I celebrate the whole thing. I’m so into Jurassic World that I have two cats at my house – one of them is named Dr. Grant and the other one is named Dr. Malcolm. And they’ve both grown too big to fit in our game box.”
That is so awesome. So the word “legacy” – it feels like that’s important. How does the word legacy connect with the franchise, this game, and everything that’s going on with the new films?
Ruby:
“Well, the, the word ‘legacy’ in the title of the game, Jurassic World: The Legacy of Isla Nublar, has a few different meanings. One of the meanings of course is that the whole story is John Hammond’s legacy, right? As it goes, you know, from the inception of the park, his dream of the park, and then carries on through the whole Jurassic story. The whole thing is his legacy.
The other meaning that it has is that legacy is a type of gameplay, which means that the game changes over time. As you make decisions, it changes permanently as you and your playgroup explore the stories and the adventure and build your own park. That’s really the meaning of legacy for us in this context.”
Deirdre:
“And as you may have noticed playing the game, and as you will continue to notice, it has even deeper meanings as you play through our particular game. Not just Hammond but other characters will leave their legacy on the island and on your part. And so you’ll see how that plays out as you continue your adventures.”
What themes from the Jurassic franchise, whether it’s the books or the films, were important to you to put into this game?
Ruby:
“I have a couple that relate to some specific aspects of the game that I love to talk about. One of the big themes that played a big role in our art direction is the early fear of how technology is going to affect the natural world. In the art direction of the game, we went very much from the perspective of what influenced the creators of the Jurassic stories: 1950s and ’60s pulp comics, monster movie posters, and even scientific textbooks. Thinking about how this exciting new technology field of genetics is going to change things for the better or for the worse – who knows?
One of the other themes that I think we play on a lot in the gameplay sense is the wonder at the unknown and learning with our new scientific knowledge – learning some aspects of what used to be and what was extinct, but not having the whole story.”
Deirdre:
“I mean, we’re filling in the gaps. You know, there’s still gaps in the code, the DNA. And we’re sort of guessing at what it was. And in the mechanical gameplay of our game, there are gaps there and the players can guess – maybe they’ll guess right and be a little more prepared, or maybe something’s going to go very differently than what they expected.
I also feel like a theme is ‘you can’t put it back in the box.’ Like, there are things you can’t undo.”
The artwork is gorgeous. Can you talk a little bit more about what it was like developing the artwork and all of the stickers and game pieces and everything?
Deirdre:
“Like Ruby was saying about where we went to look for our inspiration for the art style and everything – back to the fifties and sixties, pulp and scientific textbooks, scientific magazines. But beyond that we also had this great opportunity to do these sculpts in the game, the sculpted miniatures. And we worked very closely with Universal and Amblin to get their files for 3D dinosaurs and stuff. We’re getting all this amazing stuff and we start to realize, well, yeah, we can just make the dinosaurs.
A lot of games just have dinosaurs in them, but what if our game had a more immersive sculpture that tells a story on its own that is also a really beautiful storytelling piece? So when you look at our sculpted velociraptor game piece, it’s two raptors coming out of the door of the kitchen. It’s so cool.
It’s so great to get to really pour so much creativity into those tiny pieces that are on the table. And I think as you look at the whole product, from the stickers to the card art to even the liner of the box, everything is bespoke and original to the product.”
Last question: You said you read the books often. Was there anything from those that influenced this game at all?
Deirdre:
“I think, like what Ruby’s saying about the exploration of science and the tension of the unknown… If you’ve also read the books, you understand what Steven Spielberg was doing when he created the films, because that was his source material. The story he’s trying to tell, when you also read the books as more backstory, there’s a lot more in there about that tension. Though our game does not technically cover the books, you can definitely feel their DNA.”
We cannot thank Deirdre Cross, Vice President of Funko Games, and Ruby Wishnietsky, Editorial Lead for Prospero Hall, enough for taking the time to speak with us about their passions for Jurassic and this fantastic new game. It’s clear their love for all things Jurassic and board games has been woven into this product, and the beautiful result speaks for itself. Jurassic fans are going to love experiencing this game.
You can still secure your copy of the game by backing its Kickstarter campaign here! What do you think so far about this game, its visual style, and the influences of the creators? Let us know in the comments below, and stay tuned to Jurassic Outpostfor all Jurassic news!
The campaign for Jurassic World: The Legacy of Isla Nublar, the brand new tabletop legacy game from Prospero Hall and Funko Games, has launched today on Kickstarter! Click here to back the campaign and reserve your copy, and read on for more information and photos from this incredible game!
From Prospero Hall and Funko Games:
A Tabletop Game 65 Million Years in the Making – Jurassic World: The Legacy of Isla Nublar – Available on Kickstarter Today!
“Hold onto your butts!” After months of anticipation, Jurassic World: The Legacy of Isla Nublaris available on Kickstarter starting today from Prospero Hall, the acclaimed design studio of Funko Games. This marks Prospero Hall’s introduction to tabletop’s growing legacy game genre and the first-ever legacy game based on a major motion picture franchise.
“This is the biggest and most ambitious project we have undertaken as a board game studio and it seems only fitting it is rooted in one of the most epic franchises of all time – Jurassic World,” said Deirdre Cross, Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Development at Funko Games. “We continue to push the envelope for what’s possible with licensed games, and Universal has always been an enthusiastic partner. Now after two years of creative development, we can’t wait to bring Jurassic World: The Legacy of Isla Nublarto fans of tabletop gaming, legacy gaming and Jurassic World.”
Jurassic World: The Legacy of Isla Nublar tells the franchise’s story in 12 one-to-two hour long adventures, encompassing the entire Jurassic World franchise from before the events in Jurassic Park all the way through Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and everything in between, including original stories that fill in the gaps between films and a spoiler-free ending for fans eagerly awaiting the premiere of Jurassic World Dominion in June 2022.
In Jurassic World: The Legacy of Isla Nublar, players have the chance to unlock up to 12 dinosaurs, and more than 21 new and familiar characters with unique abilities, knowledge and powers that can be unlocked as the campaign advances. Ultimately, players work together throughout the game’s entirety to shape their own Jurassic Park. From building placement to character selection and dinosaur development, every choice leads to a consequence – good or bad.
Additional details for Jurassic World: The Legacy of Isla Nublar can be found in a series of behind-the-scene videos, including a First Look, Gameplay Preview, Art & Design and What’s Inside the Box. Visit the game’s Kickstarter page and pledge to receive a copy; fulfillment expected in Fall 2022.
About Prospero Hall
Prospero Hall is a collaborative game design studio in Seattle, Washington. Each project starts with a vision – the kind of game we want to make, the vibe, the look and feel, the reason for it to exist. Today, all games developed by Prospero Hall are published by Funko Games and deliver inventive game mechanics and engaging stories for shared experiences that bring fans and families back to the table again and again.
About the JURASSIC WORLD Franchise
From Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment, Jurassic World immerses audiences of all ages in a new era of wonder and thrills where dinosaurs and humankind must learn to coexist. Jurassic World is more than a film franchise. At every turn, this $5 billion film series delivers a larger-than-life destination for exploration, discovery, and epic adventure. Dinosaurs live again and they live in Jurassic World. Jurassic World Dominion debuts in theaters June 2022.
The creative minds behind Jurassic World: The Legacy of Isla Nublar have created an absolutely incredible, visually gorgeous game that Jurassic fans will love. It is truly worth the support of their Kickstarter to receive your own copy. Be sure to check out the game and their campaign, and follow Jurassic Outpost for the latest Jurassic news!
This weekend we were fortunate to be invited to Funko’s Hollywood HQ and store for a special event centered around the upcoming legacy game from Prospero Hall and Funko Games: Jurassic World: The Legacy of Isla Nublar. During the event we got to spend time with other great Jurassic folks as well as the people responsible for developing this new game. Read on for our first impressions and exclusive photos of our playthrough!
From left to right: Jennifer Durst (Jurassic Jen), Nima Neemz Nakhshab (JurassicYourWorld), Caleb Burnett (Jurassic Outpost), and Brad Jost (The Jurassic Park Podcast) posing in the immersive Jurassic Park section of the Funko Hollywood HQ and store.
“A gripping journey of ambition and adventure.”
Our first impression of Jurassic World: The Legacy of Isla Nublar is that it is visually gorgeous from start to finish. The art of the box, instruction materials, gameplay pieces, and more were all inspired by science fiction art, comic books, and B-monster movies of the 1950s. This game is an absolutely massive, intricate story that gives players the chance to experience what it would be like to build John Hammond’s dream from the ground up. Up to four players collaboratively work to set up the Isla Nublar we all know and love, building everything from the Visitor Center to the genetics lab to dinosaur paddocks. View exclusive images of our first playthrough and the special edition “chase” game box cover in the gallery below:
“Welcome to Isla Nublar.”
That phrase is what players are greeted with upon their entry into Jurassic World: The Legacy of Isla Nublar. The game’s title communicates important aspects of what’s in store for its players: A ‘legacy’ board game requires that many decisions you make with your characters and in placing things on the island can be quite permanent. After choosing from a few classic Jurassic characters and a new one or two (with more to be unlocked as you play), the adventures of the game begin. Including the tutorial, the game contains twelve story based adventures with five “rounds” in each. Players must work together to learn how to build their own Jurassic Park while completing objectives, solving puzzles, and running away from newly created dinosaurs. Players are aided by their characters’ unique special abilities, and once you get the hang of it, this game is an absolute Jurassic blast.
“Creation is an act of sheer will.”
Jurassic World: The Legacy of Isla Nublar is a wonderful expedition into what it would be like for players to leave their own Jurassic legacy on the island of Isla Nublar. We were only able to get through a couple of the adventures in our allotted time, but there was already so much to love about this beautifully complex game and the immense amount of interwoven Jurassic franchise lore. Funko Games and Prospero Hall consulted with Industrial Light & Magic, Amblin, and Universal Pictures to create the stunning artwork, instruction booklets and stickers, sculpted game pieces, and game boxes that will keep Jurassic fans and players engaged in the awesome experience they’ve crafted.
“Next time it’ll be flawless…”
We cannot thank the folks at Funko, Funko Games, and ProsperoHall enough for the invitation to this playthrough event and for the experience of the amazing game they’ve put together. During the event we also had the opportunity to speak with the developers and the leading folks at Funko Games about their philosophy and experience when developing this game – be on the lookout for those interviews very soon!
Jurassic World: The Legacy of Isla Nublar is headed to Kickstarter on March 22, 2022, and supporting upon launch reserves your copy of the game. Retail pickups for the game are expected to be announced in the near future. Are you excited for Jurassic World: The Legacy of Isla Nublar? Let us know in the comments below and stay tuned to Jurassic Outpost for all upcoming Jurassic news!
Funko Games‘ acclaimed design studio Prospero Hall has announced a new board game: Jurassic World: The Legacy of Isla Nublar, slated for release in 2022!
Prospero Hall Reveals Details of Jurassic World: The Legacy of Isla Nublar Legacy Tabletop Game
With more than 24 hours of thrilling customizable adventures, Jurassic World: The Legacy of Isla Nublar will be coming to Kickstarter in March 2022.
“Life finds a way,” and so does the passionate team at Prospero Hall, the acclaimed development studio of Funko Games, who has created a legacy game based on a blockbuster entertainment franchise — Jurassic World: The Legacy of Isla Nublar, which will be launching on Kickstarter on March 22, 2022. First Look Known for its inventive game mechanics and gorgeous design, Prospero Hall delivers more than 24 hours of customizable, unique gameplay that transforms into an endlessly re-playable board game upon completion of the final adventure.
The game concept, based on the Jurassic World franchise from Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment, was announced this September at Gen Con. The game takes you through storylines found in all five films in the Jurassic Worldfranchise – from the creation of “Jurassic Park,” through the fall of the “Jurassic World” theme park! Over the course of 12 thrilling adventures, you will transform Isla Nublar into an astonishing paradise, build your own vision of the theme park, and breed new dinosaurs. Each adventure takes about two hours to complete – delivering more than 24 hours of rich, immersive game play experiences.
Players can team up and play as familiar characters such as Dr. John Hammond, Dr. Alan Grant, Dr. Ellie Sattler, Claire Dearing, Owen Grady, and more fan favorites and all new characters while developing the park and unlocking new dinosaurs. Each decision made during play will uniquely and permanently affect the course of the game, resulting in dramatically different outcomes.
“We always aim to create games we want to play around stories and characters we love most,” said Deirdre Cross, Vice President of Prospero Hall. “This project has been in development for years, which has allowed us to experiment and innovate. We believe we are redefining the legacy game genre in a way that will surprise and delight tabletop and Jurassic World fans.”
Gameplay begins with detailed miniatures of four dinosaurs: Tyrannosaurus rex, Velociraptor, Brachiosaurus, and Triceratops. As players research and expand the park, they will unlock more dinosaurs from the mystery boxes while keeping park employees and visitors safe. The players’ experience will culminate in an endlessly replayable game shaped by their own unique park.
Jurassic World: The Legacy of Isla Nublar will be coming to Kickstarter on March 22, 2022 for $120, distributed by Funko Games. Weighing a whopping 7 pounds, Jurassic World: The Legacy of Isla Nublarhas a unique 1950s art style inspired by the comic books and media that influenced the creation of the beloved franchise.
Those interested in learning more about the game are encouraged to follow the Kickstarter page at funkogames.com/JWLKickstarter for updates and to be notified on launch day.
About Prospero Hall:
Prospero Hall is a collaborative game design studio in Seattle, Washington. Each of our projects starts with a vision – the kind of game we want to make, the vibe, the look and feel, the reason for it to exist. Today, all games developed by Prospero Hall are published by Funko Games and deliver inventive game mechanics and engaging stories for shared experiences that bring fans and families back to the table again and again.
About the JURASSIC WORLD Franchise:
From Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment, Jurassic World immerses audiences of all ages in a new era of wonder and thrills where dinosaurs and humankind must learn to coexist. Jurassic World is more than a film franchise. At every turn, this $5 billion film series delivers a larger-than-life destination for exploration, discovery, and epic adventure. Dinosaurs live again and they live in Jurassic World. Jurassic World: Dominion debuts in theaters June 2022.
Funko Games will also be sharing an exclusive first look at Jurassic World: The Legacy of Isla Nublar at PAX Unplugged 2021:
Going to #PAXUnplugged? Join us in Booth #3207 for a first-look at Jurassic World: The Legacy of Isla Nublar!
— Funko Games 🔜 PAX Unplugged Booth #3207 (@FunkoGames) December 7, 2021
You can view a few gorgeous images of the game and gameplay below:
We are sold on this game on the fantastic artwork and font choices alone. You can view and support its Kickstarter here.
What do you think? Are you excited for the release of this new game? Let us know in the comments below, and stay tuned to Jurassic Outpost for all Jurassic news!
It’s day 2 of San Diego Comic Con, and with that comes more Jurassic news and announcements! While toys often get the largest focus at events like this, they’re not the only stars of the show, and today Mondo and Restoration Games reinforced that by announcing that Jurassic Park will be joining their “Unmatched” 2-player tabletop skirmish game!
Unmatched pits hero characters, represented by small figurines each with their own unique deck of hero cards, against one another on a small tabletop map. This is a 2-player game, featuring fun head-to-head skirmish gameplay that can be as brief as 20 minutes, but last longer depending on the scenario! Check out the press release below, which promises many more Jurassic Park themed expansion beyond the pictured InGen vs Raptots set.
Mondo Games and Restoration Games have announced the next license to appear in their head-to-head skirmish game system Unmatched. Fans of Jurassic Park will be thrilled to learn that the pair of two-player sets and a solo-hero pack are on the way, leading with Unmatched: InGen vs. Raptors in late 2019.
Sattler vs. T rex and Dr. Alan Grant’s solo expansion will expand the line in 2020, allowing players to pit even more of their favorite heroes in combat against iconic dinosaurs from the 1993 film. As with all Unmatched sets, the power to mix and match heroes and maps to create a customized play experience is not only possible but encouraged.
Marketing Manager at Mondo Games Jayme Boucher explains, “Today’s gamers have options. Not only do we have thousands of titles to choose from, but we have choices that are impeccably designed. Modern games provide quality experiences that blur the lines of art and entertainment. To that end, our goal wasn’t simply to make ‘a Jurassic Park game’. Our goal was to make a Jurassic Park game unlike any other available. Teaming up with Restoration Games has allowed us to do that, and we’re incredibly proud of how it turned out.”
Each character deck has been engineered to represent the personality and characteristics of its on-screen counterpart, and no two heroes (or dinosaurs) battle the same way. Additionally, the unique maps featured on the game boards allow players to designate specific terrain to either replicate scenes from the film or direct their own.
“We teamed up with Mondo Games to bring exciting characters and settings to the battlefield in Unmatched, and they came through in epic fashion with Jurassic Park.” Explains Restoration Games President Justin D. Jacobson. “It is a thrill to get to work with one of the world’s premier licenses. Bringing these truly unique fighters into Unmatched — from massive dinosaurs to brilliant scientists — really shows the system’s strength, with each deck capturing their combat style. It only took 65 million years, but the Jurassic Park skirmish game you’ve been waiting for is finally here!”
All three Jurassic Park sets continue to push the boundaries of art in modern games by featuring illustrations from Oliver Barrett, who also worked on Unmatched: Battle of Legends, Vol 1., Robin Hood vs. Bigfoot, and Bruce Lee. All three are all debuting at Gen Con this year. These Jurassic Unmatched releases will replace the previously announced Jurassic Park: The Chaos Gene game which is no longer in development.
Take a closer look at the game with our pictures straight from Mondo’s booth at SDCC:
Sadly, this does confirm the previously announced and showcased ‘Chaos Gene’ game from Mondo has been cancelled. We had a chance to check it out at Jurassic Park’s 25th anniversary celebration, and it did look quite interesting. However, Unmatched is a fantastic fit for Jurassic Park, and I find the smaller scale 2-player tabletop approach to be quite exciting and approachable!
Stay tuned for more news out of San Diego Comic Con 2019, as we continue to cover Jurassic Park and Jurassic World news directly from the show floor — and as always, sound off in the comments below!
