- BGG rating
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Everdell: The Complete Collection
- 1–6 players
- 40–120 min
- Complexity 3.1/5
- 2022
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- BGG #17,527
- BGG rating
- 7.1
Fossil Canyon
2022
Rules assistance for Fossil Canyon
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 1–6 players
- 20–40 min
- 8+
- Complexity 1.5/5
Rules assistant for Fossil Canyon
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Fossil Canyon is a board game released in 2022 for 1–6 players, 20–40 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Kevin Lynch and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Set Collection, and End Game Bonuses.
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About the game
Fossil Canyon is a competitive, lightly-strategic set-collection card game developed in collaboration with the Field Museum of Chicago. You are a fossil-hunting paleontologist with the goal of constructing complete dinosaur skeletons that attract visitors to your museum. Each dinosaur skeleton has a different point value (represented as visitors per year) and may consist of two, three, or four unique fossils. On each turn, you dig fossils from the dig site (scattered face-down fossil cards), initiate trades with other players, take a bonus dig if you manage to complete a skeleton for your museum, and rearrange your fossil cards so that all but three are visible to other players. Strategic choices include deciding which fossils to expose and the number of increasingly expensive trades you perform to try to complete a skeleton or win a research award. Random events, such as erosion, may force you to alter your strategy. Fossil Canyon uses a unique jigsaw-puzzle scoring method, where each skeleton or research award is represented by a puzzle piece with a length proportional to its value. No adding victory points or moving pawns on a board; the length of your puzzle-museum indicates your standing in the game. Fossil Canyon is a family-oriented STEM game. Adults will appreciate the illustrated cards and the unique set-collection mechanics that make Fossil Canyon a fast-playing, lightly-strategic game. Children will love the dinosaur theme and the tactile jigsaw puzzle scoring, turning the game into a race. -description from publisher
Categories
Designers
Publishers
- Polymath Play
- Field Museum
Questions and answers
Fossil Canyon supports 1–6 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Fossil Canyon is 20–40 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Fossil Canyon for ages 8 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Fossil Canyon has a complexity rating of 1.5 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Fossil Canyon belongs to these categories: Card Game and Educational. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Set Collection, and End Game Bonuses. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Fossil Canyon are: Kevin Lynch. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Fossil Canyon as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.