Author Topic: Zooloretto  (Read 8141 times)

Offline Whaleyland

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Zooloretto
« on: July 01, 2014, 04:13:02 PM »
Any Zooloretto fans out there? If so, I am thinking of creating a Complete Zooloretto Companion book similar to my Complete Dominion Companion or the Carcassonne CAR here. Have any of the wonderful gamers here played any Zooloretto expansions and, if so, which ones? Do you feel there is a market for a combined Zooloretto rules book?

Linkback: https://www.carcassonnecentral.com/community/index.php?topic=856.0

Offline kettlefish

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Re: Zooloretto
« Reply #1 on: July 01, 2014, 10:26:29 PM »
here you can find some small comanions for Zooloretto - Spielefreun.de - all in German...

http://www.spielefreun.de/zooloretto/

At this homepage from spielefreun.de you can find when and where all the expansions have been first published.

Offline kettlefish

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Re: Zooloretto
« Reply #2 on: July 02, 2014, 12:44:11 AM »
...and this homepage is also useful (English Version):
zooloretto.com

Offline Whaleyland

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Re: Zooloretto
« Reply #3 on: July 02, 2014, 09:43:26 AM »
Thank you, kettlefish. I didn't know about the first link, though everything is in German. I knew about the second and, honestly, it's not very helpful. The website is terribly designed. BoardGameGeek has been much better at finding information on the various expansions. I do like all the release information on that first link, though. It proves that I got a few releases wrong in my promo file.

Offline Whaleyland

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    • Derek R. Whaley, PhD | Librarian, Historian, and Writer
Re: Zooloretto
« Reply #4 on: August 31, 2014, 03:43:32 PM »
I'm about 75% done with the Complete Zooloretto Companion rules booklet that I've been working on since July. Lots of delays but I think the final product will be nice. It combines the base game with Exotic, Boss, and XXL, as well as the Familiarization Area. Additional rules are included for Aquaretto, Aqua-Zoolo, and the various mini expansions that have already been collected in a different guide.

Zooloretto was the last addition to my games collection I brought to New Zealand. Despite my wife's general dissatisfaction with it, I think she may enjoy it better with the expansion components mixed in. It certainly makes for a more complex game, which we both prefer. Aquaretto is out of print right now, unfortunately, so I wasn't able to pick that up before we left. It really is disappointing since I just picked up Rio Grande Expansion #2 which included the two Aquaretto expansions. Those got left in the United States since they'd just be dead weight otherwise.

Offline dirk2112

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Re: Zooloretto
« Reply #5 on: March 21, 2016, 12:10:40 PM »
We tried Zooloretto for the first time this weekend and my son really enjoyed it.   We may try to acquire it since it seems to be back in print.  I am hoping they come out with a big box because from what I have read, this game has more expansions than Carcassonne. 

Offline Whaleyland

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Re: Zooloretto
« Reply #6 on: March 21, 2016, 12:24:14 PM »
We tried Zooloretto for the first time this weekend and my son really enjoyed it.   We may try to acquire it since it seems to be back in print.  I am hoping they come out with a big box because from what I have read, this game has more expansions than Carcassonne.
Not even close to true. There are about a dozen single-tile expansions and a half-dozen small expansions but there are only three large expansions plus Aquaretto. Even if they released a big box, I imagine it would only include the two base games and the three large expansions, plus maybe the Familiarisation Area expansion. Probably none of the other promos.

Offline dirk2112

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Re: Zooloretto
« Reply #7 on: March 21, 2016, 12:41:12 PM »
Not even close to true. There are about a dozen single-tile expansions and a half-dozen small expansions but there are only three large expansions plus Aquaretto. Even if they released a big box, I imagine it would only include the two base games and the three large expansions, plus maybe the Familiarisation Area expansion. Probably none of the other promos.

Alright, maybe I am guilty of hyperbole and a half, but that sounds like a lot of stuff.   I'm not sure how long the base game will hold our attention, so hopefully they make a big box or reprint Aquaretto or some of the necessary expansions. 

I just noticed that I can download and print some of the expansions.  That is pretty cool, but I need that cardboard feel.
« Last Edit: March 21, 2016, 12:45:41 PM by dirk2112 »

Offline Whaleyland

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Re: Zooloretto
« Reply #8 on: March 21, 2016, 01:16:32 PM »
My personal recommendation: buy XXL, Exotic, Boss, and the Familiarisation Area and just always include them all in your games. They are 100% cross-compatible and GREATLY increase the options and breadth of your games. After I picked up all three, I never once even considered going back to just the base game. The base game is just so...slow. I know people hype the Aquaretto/Zooloretto combo, but that really just plays more like two separate games being played simultaneously. But if you use all the big box (and Familiarisation) expansions, you are on the right track. I honestly never play with any of the smaller gimmicky stuff even though I own all of it. As a stand alone game, I prefer Aquaretto, but with all the large expansions, I greatly prefer Zooloretto.

Offline dirk2112

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Re: Zooloretto
« Reply #9 on: March 21, 2016, 01:24:16 PM »
Thanks for your advice.  I will keep my eyes open. 

The guy that owns the local store told me XXL ruined the game, but he didn't say why.  He didn't have it or anything other than the base game in stock, so he had no reason to try to sell me on it I suppose. 

Offline Whaleyland

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Re: Zooloretto
« Reply #10 on: March 21, 2016, 02:19:33 PM »
Thanks for your advice.  I will keep my eyes open. 

The guy that owns the local store told me XXL ruined the game, but he didn't say why.  He didn't have it or anything other than the base game in stock, so he had no reason to try to sell me on it I suppose.
It ruins the game IF it is played by itself. It allows players to sell an entire enclosure for points, thereby opening it up for further animals. But you can only do that twice/game and the expansion comes with more animals to make it less impactful. Honestly, that expansion by itself accomplishes nothing except adding more points to your final score. But when played with Boss, it allows players to empty the donation enclosure twice, which means you get more donation chits that can be used to buy animals and vendor stalls. That's literally the only thing I use the XXL bonus for.

Offline dirk2112

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Re: Zooloretto
« Reply #11 on: March 21, 2016, 02:29:21 PM »
Great thanks!  My son will thank you.  My wallet, not so  much.

Merit for the info. :(y)

Offline Whaleyland

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    • Derek R. Whaley, PhD | Librarian, Historian, and Writer
Re: Zooloretto
« Reply #12 on: March 21, 2016, 02:41:18 PM »
Just because I'm a nerd, also check out The Complete Zooloretto & Aquaretto Companion I created. I'd also recommend buying Familiarisation Area while it is still available. They also have at the BGG store Chameleon (highly recommend for Exotic), Kiwi, Tapir, Reindeer, Polar Bear, and Catta (none of which are great but they do add a reward for finishing your 6-space enclosure. For two players, I'd just buy the best two of the batch.).

Offline CKorfmann

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Re: Zooloretto
« Reply #13 on: March 23, 2016, 08:37:21 AM »
I got this for the kids for Christmas.  They like it pretty well I think.  I've gotten a few little expansions available from BGG, but that's it.  Struggling with wanting to complete it, but I have heard that some of the expansions are not very good.  I'd really like to get my hands on the RGG expansion sets, especially the first one since I'm not interested in Aquaretto.
Flee the fleas.

Offline dirk2112

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Re: Zooloretto
« Reply #14 on: April 19, 2016, 05:56:57 AM »
So I wanted to try print and play.  I used leftover cardboard from Mysterium, Steam Park, and die pest to give the print and play that solid cardboard feel.  I used my friend's crappy Lexmark laserprinter because I didn't want to waste all of my green Canon ink.  Attached you can see my mediocre results.

I printed the petting zoo, the extra enclosures, the job boards, the polar bear, the gorilla, the catta, and the lynx.





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