Beast Builders: Claws & Jaws

Build a deadly Beast.
Defeat your opponents.
Acquire Lithium Salts!

OVERVIEW

Beast Builders: Claws & Jaws is a fast-paced strategy card game. You are an alien gamer in the far future, using Earth-animal DNA to play an arena-combat spectator sport.

You will combine animal cards into a uniquely dangerous Beast, battling against your opponents for a prize of rare and valuable Lithium Salts. To win you must reduce opposing Beasts to 0 Health, but be careful not to let another player strike the final blow!

You will love Beast Builders if you are a fan of games with direct player interaction, like Evolution/Oceans, King of Tokyo, or Radlands!

30–75 min

2–6 players

Ages 14+

Human-Made

Mix and Match Animal Families

FEATURES

Beast Builders is a light-medium game that plays quickly. It has a compact form factor that fits easily into your gaming bag or shelf. Setup time is minimal, making it a great choice to begin or end a gaming session!

Beneath its svelte appearance is an elegant core of hand-management decision making and wild free-for-all combat. Players take turns based on the Speed value of the animal they choose to play.

Will you use your fastest animals to gain an early advantage? Or will you save them for a later round when your opponents will be more vulnerable?

Each of the 70 unique animal cards is designed with an approach to balance and realism, drawing inspiration from its actual behaviors in the wild.

With the vast quantity of possible animal combinations, plus alien player characters with differing abilities, and biome environments that change with every game, it all adds up to plenty of replay value, ready for you to discover!

COMPONENT LIST

70 Unique Animal Cards
10 Unique Biome Cards
6 Unique Character Mats
6 Threat Tracks
6 Defense Tracks
24 Stat/Ability Rings
18 Section Rings
15 Lithium Salt Tokens
1 Six-Sided Die
1 Rules Document

HOW TO PLAY

1

Choose a Beast Builder alien character, and draw a starting hand of 4 Animals. Randomly reveal an Active Biome.

2

Each round, play an Animal from your hand simultaneously with all other players. The highest-Speed Animal resolves first.

3

Take your turn by Building your Animal to your Beast, then either use its Skill effect or Attack an opponent. Optionally use a unique Player Ability.

4

Building Animals strengthens your Beast with extra Threat or Defense, plus a bonus for matching the Active Biome.

5

When you reduce an opponent to 0 Health, you gain a Lithium Salt, but watch out for their Retaliation!

6

You win by acquiring the target number of Lithium Salts (3 for a medium-length game).

Curiously Unique Alien Characters

Ko wants to be crystal clear about one thing: She's here to become the galaxy's next top Beast Builder, and there's nothing you can do about it!

REVIEWS

"These cards are beautiful!"
Michael (playtester)

"Great game design!"
Robert (playtester)

"This is really fun! I love the art."
Jazzmine (playtester)

"Tbh we had a really good time with it. Very fun!"
Zachary (playtester)

ABOUT

Beast Builders was created by Matt Yetter (me!), founder of Sunwolf Studios and first-time game designer. I've loved playing all kinds of games since I was a kid, and I'm excited to contribute my own ideas back into the hobby.

I always enjoy learning to play new titles and I particularly appreciate those with a great match between mechanics and theme, or that have an innovative take on a particular mechanic or system. Some of my favorite board games are Android: Netrunner, Dune, 18xx, and Ark Nova. I'm also a fan of PC games and Dungeons & Dragons.

It's taken a lot of effort, plus support from playtesters and the artist Carol Lin, to create Beast Builders. I'm proud of the result and I hope you give it a shot! Please subscribe to the email list if you want to hear about updates on this game, or about new titles in the works from Sunwolf Studios.

And feel free to send me an email if you'd like to chat. Thanks so much, good luck, and have fun!