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My gaming group just had our first run of the game. Everybody loves it, but I did face similar questions from my group as Haakwurm. If you could provide some clarity, I think the biggest questions that came up are:

  1. In combat, what are the intended results for player who don't have weapons or choose not to attack, thus no way to reduce the Attack Card deck? For example, in an encounter with Compys, only one player had found a weapon and the others were doing actions like hiding or unarmed kicks/stomps. At the time, I ruled characters who successfully hide don't get attacked or kicking a Compy stuns it for one round, but I'd appreciate your advice.
  2. During an Apex Predator attack, what determines how the encounter ends? Since it uses all Attack Cards, do players just need to survive long enough through hiding and distracting to deplete the whole deck or do the Attack Cards get shuffled? Do the players all need to leave the hex they're in or does the Apex Predator follow? This kinda goes hand-in-hand with question 1, since we're trying to understand the result of non-combat related actions.

Regardless of these first-time hiccups, everybody had a blast and enjoyed the rules-lite nature of the game. We all really got into it and have decided to continue playing.

Love to hear it! And this is all super helpful feedback for the next edition of the game where I can add some additional clarity around these points, or make any adjustments if players have recommendations for improvements. Any additional thoughts or anecdotes from the session would be welcome.

1. It is an attempt to replicate the scenes from the original film where these are not characters trained in combat, but civilians trying to survive. Think Grant and the kids ducking behind a fallen log during a stampede, Grant and Ian using the flares to distract the T-Rex, Grant, Ellie, and the kids going into the drop ceiling to get away from the raptors at the end, etc. My intention in how players might approach an encounter was definitely more along the lines of running / hiding / dodging and using their environment to their advantage if they didn't have a weapon.  They might try to duck into vent systems, barricade a door, improvise a weapon out of a pile of lumber, etc. Kicking and stomping a compy definitely works, but running would be more advisable against a raptor—or, pushed into a corner, picking up a hammer from a construction site might just do the job. Or, if your character happens to have been in gymnastics, some quick thinking and a conveniently-placed set of bars could still help them take out a raptor. Because each round has a limited number of attack cards, if characters don't have weapons they can essentially use the rounds to attempt escape, or even wait out any encounter cowering, with a little bit of luck.

2. The intention was that players not only needed to leave the hex, but leave the entire territory in order to end the encounter—hence the inclusion of the territory map and rules surrounding it. The Apex Predator can and will pursue any perceived threats until they leave its territory once they are spotted. Because there are two apex predators on the island, essentially two hexes become extremely treacherous terrain and players must either risk traveling through them, or must find a way around them. The hope is that this adds variety to each session, and a little bit of extra strategy to the gameplay loop. Especially if one of those Apex Predators has decided that the territory with the Visitor Center is their new home.

Thank you for the response, that's extremely helpful guidance. We're gathering again for a game tonight so I'll relay this info. Much appreciated as always.