Killer snails: Assassins of the sea is a dynamic deck-building game in which the players are scientists on an adventure to build their best deck (hand) by collecting predatory marine cone snails that prey on fish, worms and other mollusks. Each snail has a unique strength and prey type, and produces a venom cocktail of different peptides. To win the game, players must build a venom arsenal of the peptide combinations selected at the beginning of the game. The winning combination of peptides always changes as it is drawn at the beginning of each game. The killer snails game is similar to other deck building games: In addition to a starter deck for each player, players can expand their decks by purchasing cards from a card market. Cards for purchase include other snails with different strengths and prey types, instant cards which feature a series of occurrences to manipulate game play, such as “research” which provides a peek at peptides in the winning venom arsenal, "tsunami", which shifts all the prey cards on the table, and “ocean wave” which allows players to swap prey or draw new ones from the play deck. Each snail must be fed otherwise it goes into hibernation and is vulnerable for attack by other players. Lobsters, stingrays and other predators may be deployed to attack the competition's snails. The game offers a play experience that mimics what happens in the real world laboratory of marine biochemist mandë holford who co-developed the game. Players react and adjust their strategy much like scientists devise new hypotheses and test them. Designed by a team of acclaimed scientists, educators, and game designers in collaboration with the American museum of natural history and with support from the u.S. National science foundation. Winner of the 2016 play crafting best tabletop game.
L**T
Quirky sea game
My friend loves this game! I got it as a gift for him, and even grown adults love this game!If you like to play munchkin or any other "card building" games with friends that are a bit quirky then this is the game for you!
N**S
game
got for grandson, he said he loved it
A**S
This family loves playing Killer Snails!
We bought this deck-building card game because our young boys (6 & 8 yo) were fascinated with the Mollusks to Medicine exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History several years back. They also loved Pokemon cards and were just getting into card games so we thought we'd take a chance when we found this great game at the AMNH gift shop. The box says 12+, which is very generous. My 8 year old dove in and can play solo while the 6 year old can play with a little help from the grown-ups. Is it a little long the first few times? Yes. But the content on the cards is so interesting and they're so beautiful time it flies by.I love playing it because I can see it developing my kids ability to strategize using concepts in science. They are not only learning about how scientists research but about the oceans where these creatures are found, what they eat, what eats them, and how the whole planet has a delicate ecosystem that must be respected and understood (an ocean wave moves prey and changes what your snail has access to eat).We are so excited to have a fun family game that is a little more challenging that those in our regular rotation that is educational AND fun for conversation (a cone snail kills a human in under 3 minutes, who knew?). We're hooked!
N**S
I've never had more fun learning.
Killer Snails Assassins of the Sea is a great game!I've never had more fun learning. This game is not only educational, but super competitive and entertaining. There is so many opportunities in this game to sabotage your opponents and strengthen your deck that sometimes you forget that you are also learning about interesting sea creatures.I would recommend this not only to middle school students, but anyone interested in science and/or party games.
J**X
Fun to play
I played this game at the Origins Game Fair and loved the wacky premise. I played it that night with some friends and we really enjoyed it! The deck building mechanic is a little different from other deck building games, and I like that the game moves quickly. Highly recommend for people who like learning random science facts (“The purple cone is believed to be the only cone snail fatal to humans along the Pacific coast from Baja California to Ecuador.") and people who like strategic games.
B**H
deck-building games are awesome and the new twists in Killer Snails advances this ...
It's about time we get a deck-building game about snails. No, seriously, deck-building games are awesome and the new twists in Killer Snails advances this mechanic in a wholly original way and make for a exciting new way to do deck-building. Killer Snails is Dominion + Clue + something new!
Trustpilot
3 days ago
2 months ago
