Perseverance: Castaway Chronicles - Episodes 1 & 2

Perseverance: Castaway Chronicles - Episodes 1 & 2

City BuildingDiceExplorationScience Fiction
Players
1-4
Best withThe player count this game plays best at.
3 players
Play timeHow long a full game runs once everyone knows the rules.
180 min
AgeThe minimum age printed by the publisher.
14+
ComplexityHow demanding the rules are, from 1 (very light) to 5 (very heavy).
4.2 / 5
Year
2022

About the game

Perseverance: Castaway Chronicles is a heavy dice-drafting and dice-placement strategy game for 1-4 players, telling the campaign story of shipwreck survivors building a civilization on a dinosaur-infested island. Episode 1 focuses on defending the fledgling town of Perseverance against waves of attacking dinosaurs through walls, traps, and area-majority political struggles. Episode 2 shifts to hex-based exploration and expansion as survivors venture beyond the walls to uncover a mysterious structure. Both episodes can be played standalone or linked together in a non-legacy campaign that reshapes the story based on outcomes.

Hobbli's Notes

This is an ambitious, meaty euro game that layers a dinosaur survival narrative onto a sophisticated dice-drafting and area-majority engine. Hobbli's team appreciates that the campaign evolves the ruleset between episodes without permanently altering components, keeping it endlessly replayable. It's a serious time investment given its long playtime and high complexity, best suited to dedicated strategy groups. The thematic blend of civilization-building and dinosaur defense is genuinely distinctive.

What we like

  • Innovative dice-drafting and area-majority mechanics.
  • Rich campaign narrative across linked episodes.
  • Non-legacy design allows infinite replayability.
  • Strong solo mode for single-player campaigns.

Keep in mind

  • Very long playtime and high complexity.
  • Significant rules overhead across episodes.
  • High commitment score means it's not suited for casual sessions.

Who it's for

Best for 1-4 dedicated strategy gamers (14+) who enjoy heavy euro games, dice-drafting mechanics, and campaign-style storytelling.

Mechanics

Area Majority / InfluenceDice RollingScenario / Mission / Campaign GameSolo / Solitaire GameTile PlacementWorker Placement

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