To celebrate Ark Nova’s recent climb to second place on BoardGameGeek, I’m excited to share some insights into its incredible tactics and brilliance. As you know, Ark Nova is a zoo-building game. Since its 2021 release, it’s become a favourite for couples and friends alike, even gaining popularity on websites like BGA. With a high ceiling of skill and numerous winning strategies, Ark Nova is all about the race.
One key tactic to remember is that the goal is to reach 100 points as quickly as possible. New players often complain that the game drags on, with some claiming it can take three or four hours at higher play counts. However, this is simply because players haven’t yet developed the necessary efficiency or understanding of the game mechanics. While you’re certainly building zoos and attracting animals for appeal, you also earn conservation points by supporting specific regions or animal types within your zoo. These combined efforts contribute to your victory. Appeal provides income every time there’s a break, which is a great strategy to pursue early on. Conservation rewards you with the ability to draw any card from the display or build a free two-size.
Personally, I believe people should stop supporting projects after they’ve backed the base ones, especially in two-player games where some slots are locked. For the rest of the game, don’t play any more projects. Many forget the value of release projects. While you might lose the appeal and feel like you’ve lost an animal, you regain the enclosure and almost all the animals earn more points for being released than they do as their own. Consider this: an animal might give three or four appeal points on its own and claim to live in a two-size enclosure. Would it be released for free conservation points, worth nine points? Subtracting three from nine gives six. So, you’re gaining points and reducing the cost of your enclosures.
Another key tactic is to remember that as the game nears its end around 70 points, you should calculate both conservation and appeal points simultaneously. Fortunately, newer versions display conservation points, allowing you to quickly assess your current score. Therefore, reaching this stage is crucial. Avoid taking any cards actions or building additional enclosures. Ideally, you’ve spent the early game building and drawing the necessary cards. These two actions don’t contribute to your score. Focus on supporting projects or playing animals with high appeal and conservation points. Sometimes, you’ll be close to the end but lack the right cards. That’s perfectly fine. Occasionally, you might need to take a card action or build a five-size enclosure with an elephant. However, ensure you have sufficient funds. These elephants, despite potentially earning ten points each plus the bonus card’s potential, require a minimum of ten points.
Be open to including animals not typically featured in the base Conservation projects. This is because you might not have access to them. Therefore, create alternative plans and hope to unlock them later. Some are particularly difficult to obtain, so factoring in all these animals is crucial, especially in a two-player game where the rightmost project requires two tags. To earn either three or four conservation points for some of the more challenging ones, you’ll need at least four animals. I’m not worried if you start with a good hand of sponsors, as using moves to sponsors can be a significant advantage. Consider cards that offer extra appeal each time you play a tag, like the Meerkat den, which provides two appeal points for every herbivore you play. There are other cards for animals as well. Another excellent card is the cable car, which rewards you with points based on the number of rock icons you have. These cards also have in-game scoring, which can help you win the game or outscore your opponents. This allows you to focus on these goals throughout the game but don’t overdo it, as they only offer three points each. However, when combined, they’re a great way to secure victory.
Another great feature of Ark Nova is that you retain your end-game scoring cards until about midway through the game. This gives you the flexibility to decide which one to keep or discard. Unlike other games where you must discard them at the start and are stuck with your choice, Ark Nova offers a bit more choice as you reach that point.
Here’s a quick overview of the fantastic and meticulously designed Ark Nova. This game’s popularity is well-deserved, thanks to its immense replayability. The deck of cards is fantastic and the expansion adds even more depth. A couple of years ago further boosted its popularity. Hopefully, these tactics will be helpful. Later blogs will delve deeper into specific strategies like the Association action and highlight some great early animals to consider. We’ll also rank sponsor cards. Stay tuned on Zatu for more!
