Re: Dominant Species?
Dominant Species is a great game. Very deep, very brain burning, and the cards involved can change the game in very significant ways.
The randomness in the game (through cards) is actually quite minimal. The cards take effect at the end of the turn so you know what's coming. You can adjust your position to minimize harmful effects and amplify good ones.
End game scoring is powerful but a good player can position himself to take advantage of that.
Game length is an issue. 3.5 hours is about average as long as you have a game shepherd to move things along. I, as an unrepentant wargamer, am un-phased by a game length of this nature. But people who get itchy after an hour on one game will probably get irked by this game.
This game rewards repeated plays as a knowledge of the entire card deck is helpful and there is just no way to grasp all the strategies and options in just one game.
The people I have found that like this game the least are those who hate to adjust a game strategy half way through a game. If their initial strategy doesn't pan out they get pissed and can't form a new one. It is possible to have an initial strategy get squashed in this game, adapt to the new situation, and end up winning but it takes an agile mindset.
