# Dominant Species

Dominant Species is a board game for 2–6 players. It plays in 120–240 minutes and is meant for ages 14 and up. Ludoya players call it best with 4. It is rated 7.8 out of 10 by 83 Ludoya reviewers. The cheapest copy in stock is $90.95 (United States).

- **Players:** 2–6 (best with 4)
- **Playing time:** 120–240 minutes
- **Minimum age:** 14+
- **Complexity:** 4 out of 5
- **Year published:** 2010
- **Categories:** Animals, Prehistoric, Environmental
- **Mechanics:** Variable Player Powers, End Game Bonuses, Action Drafting, Worker Placement, Map Addition, Hexagon Grid, Action Queue, Turn Order: Claim Action, Grid Movement, Tile Placement, Area Majority / Influence, Take That
- **Ludoya rating:** 7.8 out of 10, from 83 reviews
- **Owned by:** 120 Ludoya players
- **Plays logged on Ludoya:** 273
- **Unique players:** 488

**Designers:** Chad Jensen

**Artists:** Tomek Zarucki, Eric Williams (I), Bartek Jędrzejewski, Ian O'Toole, Rodger B. MacGowan, Chad Jensen, Chechu Nieto

**Publishers:** GMT Games, 狗吠火車

## Where to buy in United States

| Shop | Price | Link |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Mathom | 79.16 € | https://mathom.es/es/otros-juegos-de-tablero/50941-dominant-species-734191441518.html |
| Svet deskovych her | 1490 Kč | https://www.svet-deskovych-her.cz/produkty/1491/dominant-species-4th-edition |
| Milan Spiele | 62 € | https://www.milan-spiele.de/dominant-species-2020-deutsch-2-wahl-p-41152.html |
| Good Games | 112 $ | https://www.goodgames.com.au/products/dominant-species |
| Spelexperten | 829 kr | https://www.spelexperten.com/sallskapsspel/strategispel/dominant-species.html |
| Ludifolie | 74.9 € | https://www.ludifolie.com/2156-dominant-species.html |
| World of Board Games | 895 kr | https://www.worldofboardgames.com/dominant-species |
| Spilforsyningen | 599.95 kr | https://spilforsyningen.dk/products/dominant-species-eng |
| La Gameria | 80.95 € | https://gameria.es/juegos-de-mesa/dominant-species-19299.html |
| Magia de Tinta | 81.95 € | https://www.magiadetinta.com/es/juegos/7605-dominant-species-734191441518.html |
| Alphaspel | 949 kr | https://alphaspel.se/491-bradspel/40331-dominant-species |
| Games Empire | 139.99 $ | https://gamesempire.com.au/products/dominant-species-3rd-edition |
| Spielezar | 82.9 Fr. | https://www.spielezar.ch/brettspiele/dominant-species |
| TLAMA games | 2299 Kč | https://www.tlamagames.com/deskove-hry/dominant-species-6th-edition/ |
| Game Ninja | 1099 kr | https://www.gameninja.no/produkt/dominant-species/ |
| Fantasiapelit | 102.3 € | https://www.fantasiapelit.com/index.php?main=ai&kat=single&mista=indeksi&etsittava=_130995 |

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## Rules questions

### Do I have to place all my action pawns before any actions resolve, and can I skip actions?

During the Planning Phase players take turns in Initiative order placing APs until everyone has no APs left; once that is done the Execution Phase begins and APs are removed in a fixed top-to-bottom, left-to-right order to perform actions. Actions are voluntary — when your AP is removed you may forfeit that action entirely. (p.9)

### How does the Initiative action work — how do I move up the Initiative track and when do I get to place another AP?

When your Initiative AP is removed you swap your initiative marker with the animal directly to your left (unless you are already first), then place the AP you just removed into any vacant eyeball space, effectively making the last AP placement of the turn and improving your turn-order position for the next Planning Phase. (p.10)

### How do I count matching elements on a tile, and what makes a species 'endangered'?

To count matching elements, sum the number of occurrences on the tile of your animal's left-most element, then add counts for its second element, third, etc., to get a total match number. A species on a tile that matches exactly zero elements is 'endangered' — endangered species cannot claim dominance and are vulnerable to extinction. (pp.6–7)

### Does dominance happen automatically when I match the most elements, or do I have to do something?

Dominance is held by the animal that matches more elements on a tile than any other single animal with presence, but it is not automatic — a player must verbally and physically claim (place a dominance cone) and players are responsible for calling and updating dominance when elements or species change; ties mean no dominance. Endangered species can never claim dominance. (p.7)

### When do I move species and when can I eliminate opponents — can birds move two spaces during Migration?

Migration happens after Wanderlust with APs resolved left-to-right; you pick up to X of your species (where X is the eyeball number) and move each to an adjacent tile — birds may move up to two tiles but cannot move over blank hexes. Competition happens after Migration, letting you choose tiles of specified terrain to eliminate one opposing species on each chosen tile; eliminated species are removed from earth and out of play. (p.15)

### What exactly happens during Glaciation to tiles, species and elements?

Glaciation converts a non-tundra tile adjacent to tundra into a tundra by placing a tundra tile on top, you remove and set aside all species from that tile then return one species of each animal to the new tundra while the remainder go back to their owners' gene pools, elements surrounded by exactly three tundra tiles are removed, and you score bonus VPs based on adjacent tundra. (p.13)

## Links

- [This page](https://www.ludoya.com/games/dominant-species)
- [Dominant Species in the Ludoya app](https://app.ludoya.com/g/dominant-species)
- [BoardGameGeek entry](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/62219)

_Data from Ludoya, updated 2026-09-18. Ratings, ownership and play counts are Ludoya's own._