Bios Mesofauna

The Cambrian “Explosion” led to a diversity of creature body types. Could the trilobites have persisted? Will the arthropods colonize more territory than the crustaceans? What features may have led to the wide range of successful insects? All this and more can be explored in Bios Mesofauna, the latest chapter in the Bios series of games designed by Phil Eklund with streamlined new versions courtesy of Ion Game Design. 

 

Mesofauna shares many of the game mechanics with the second edition of Megafauna, but it is even more streamlined. It’s easier to teach and to learn – a major plus for introducing newer gamers to the Bios series. Gone are some of the more fiddly rules, although at the expense of scientific realism. While I personally miss factors related to sea level and amount of CO₂ in the atmosphere, a full game of Mesofauna retains shifting continents and cosmic environmental events. There are two introductory levels you can attempt before sinking your teeth into the full game. I felt that the introductory versions worked well for introducing new players to the feel of the game before layering on more complexity.

 

The game can be played with 1-4 players (yes, there’s a solitaire scenario) and can even be combined with Megafauna, if you want some extra competition and more players. The heart of the game comes from acquiring mutation cards that provide new organs for your growing organism! These come in four colors: red for sensory, blue for reproduction, yellow for respiratory, green for digestive. The green and yellow organs are helpful to herbivores, the red ones for carnivores, and the blue ones allow you to spread more quickly. But the faster you spread, the less choice you have in acquiring new mutations.

 

Mutations can be “promoted” by flipping the card over allowing the formation of new species or the further complexification of your organisms. The lopopod player (purple) has two species in the mid-game snapshot below. In the top row, the primitive Aysheaia has three basal organs (one yellow and two green cubes), a crop (green card with two yellow cubes) which is a foregut for predigestion, and male contest behavior (blue card with cubes).  The Tully Monster also has three basal organs, and in addition you can see a profile of the creature composed of three cards: book gills for swimming, a web-spinner tarsus, and Batesian mimicry. This “portrait” contains two “pheromones” (one yellow and one blue in its shilouette) which provide protection against mutagenic events and score points. There’s something very satisfying about building up your organisms this way!

 

While the game begins with a single supercontinent (Pangaea), events may cause the land masses to break up or recombine. In the three-player mid-game shown below, the lopopods (purple) occupy the eastern continent. The crustaceans (light blue) are spread out over two continents although predominantly in the northwest. The arthropods have representation on all three continents. The wooden pieces are dubbed “creeples” and have aesthetic bug-like shapes. Most are terrestrial, some can swim, some can fly.

 

On your turn, each of your species you have can only take one action. There aren’t many to choose from, which keeps the game streamlined. You can “purchase” a mutation card. You can “promote” a mutation card by flipping it over either adding to your portrait or to create a new species. Or you can “populate” by dispersing creeples of your species across the lands (and lakes). There are two others mentioned, but the aforementioned three P’s constitute what you’re doing most of your turn. When creeples advance into each other’s territory, there’s a simple way to determine the winner. Each mapboard hex is divided into a lower trophic half for herbivores and an upper trophic half for carnivores. There are a few other special features and rules, but that’s the gist of it. What I haven’t told you is the range of sneaky strategies you can employ. Evolution and adaptation are at the heart of Bios games – you have to keep an eye on what your opponents are up to. And a change in the environment, outside of anyone’s control can wreak havoc on the best plans.

 

Above is the end-game map. The southwest continent is solely occupied by the arthropods, a combination of venomous firebrats, millipedes and spiny caterpillars. On the large northern continent, the arthropod player has a small colony of dragonflies in the west; the lopopods and crustaceans fight for dominance. A small group of blood-feeding trilobites has survived, while their descendants the sand crabs occupy much more territory. Not shown is a small continent in the southeast, also contested by both the purple and blue players.

 

End-game scoring comes from adding up the number of creeple counters in play, the number of pheromones in portraits, and fossil scoring markers that are awarded periodically during game events. Scores were close in this three-player game. The arthropods (grey) won with 19 points, while the other two players had 15 points apiece. Here’s a picture of three of the four arthropod species in play. The firebrats (top row) have evolved silk ballooning, a head that sprays venom, and yolk proteins. The millipedes (middle row) have muscle shivering for warmth, hinged wings, and are slavers. The spiny caterpillars have evolved kidney-like nephridia and claws. Not shown are territorial dragonflies with jumping legs and a central brain.

 

Overall, I think Mesofauna is an excellent addition to the Bios series. With its streamlined rules and decent introductory games, it is probably the easiest to learn for new players. The full game has enough meat to satisfy the gamer looking for more oomph and flavor. The variety of map combinations and different tactical moves should keep the game fresh over multiple plays. What remains to be seen is how much staying power the game will have over the long haul. But then one can try the other Bios games and combine them into one huge super-game. I’m still partial to the first edition of Origins (How We Became Human) since it’s the one I’ve played the most. And while I rarely play Bios Genesis much anymore (it’s brutal and unforgiving), it still has a place in my heart because it’s about the origin of life – my area of research!