Game Profile: La Isla

The game sets up with a compact modular board that is randomly populated with one animal in each section. Board sections are denoted with a 2, 3, or 4 indicating how many of a player’s explorers it takes to capture the animal and how many victory points it is worth upon capture. On each turn, every player will draw 3 cards. Each card has 3 sections. One section gives a special action. Another section claims a resource cube. Another section moves the scoring marker for one of the animals. Each player must use 1 of their 3 cards for each of the 3 sections, keeping one for its special action, one for its resource cube and one for moving a scoring marker ahead. This decision process is the heart and soul of La Isla. The special action can be used for all turns where it is visible. Players can have 3 special actions visible at one time. By turn 4, players will have to cover one action with

Game turns are fairly quick, draw 3 cards, determine the 3 different uses, reveal cards simultaneously with other players, place one card in a special action slot, take a resource cube, pay to place an explorer, and move up a scoring marker. Game decisions are really interesting. The end game trigger is unique. As the scoring markers move up for the various animals, it is the total value of the animals added together that signals the end of the game. In a 4-player game that total is 11. End game scoring includes points for sets of all 5 animals and the number of animals of each type captured times the number reached on the scoring track for that animal. May the best explorer win!