Sauros Components Overview and Impressions
When I saw that Sauros was available from online retailers in Canada for almost 50.00 CAD, I was a bit miffed – how could a light trick taking and tile laying game cost so much money. Our friends at Tangerine Games sent over a copy of the game through Ilo, and I had to see what was inside that made the game cost what it cost. Trust me, the price matches the production, no doubt about that.
What I knew about Sauros was that it was a tile laying game in part, so understandably the game would have tiles included. I was confused, though, how it planned to do the trick taking element of the game. Turns out, you’ll use tiles for both, but we will talk about that more in our review. I fully expected these tiles to be screen printed and relatively thin – thick enough to stand on their own so you can hide them when playing the trick taking portion of the game, but still thing as the box didn’t look that big. Boy was a I wrong. This box is a good size, but it is FULL of domino style pieces that are etched, not screen printed.
This is actually a really big deal, because I think Sauros is a game that people will play again and again, and relatively frequently because of its deep strategy and light rules. I’ve used screen printed tiles and dice before, and with enough play, the screen printing begins to rub / chip off the game pieces, making them almost useless in some situations. I’m looking at your Dinosaur Island: Roar and Write! Having etched pieces means that even if the paint start to fleck away over time, the dinosaur shapes and the icons used for scoring will remain; and that’s a big deal.
This feels like a deluxe experience, one that you’d expect to get out of a Kickstarter campaign, put perhaps not from a retail release. I’m so glad to see Tangerine Games making a solid production a priority with this release. Less premium ,perhaps, are the player mats which are pretty thin, although seem to have some kind of coating on them for protection. They aren’t card stock, but about as thick as cardstock. I’m actually more than OK with this. Yes, it does feel cheap, but cardboard boards are becoming a thing of the past because of their size and weight, and I’m actually OK with that. I think within a few years, player mats will replace cardboard player boards in most games.
That said, there is some cardboard in the game, used for points. They are perfectly acceptable, and are nice and vibrant! In fact, I think the artwork across the game is really well done. Who doesn’t love dinosaurs?
I’ve played a number of games of Sauros already, and can tell you it’s a great experience. This will be a game you play often I think, so this solid production is really valuable!
Article By Adam
