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Animalcatraz box art
2023 Ranked #16,995

Animalcatraz

A sandbox prison brawler has convicts commit crimes, recruit gangsters, and raise reputation or escape before rivals. Hidden contraband, moving guards, and riot events make every upgrade, alliance, and breakout plan vulnerable.

Animals Fighting Admin: Unreleased Games

Players

2-8

Play time

90-120 min

Age

14+

Complexity

?/5

Rating

8.86

Harder to teach Highly interactive Deep strategy

Overview

At a glance

Is this game right for my group?

ABG editorial scores on a 1–5 scale.

Teachability 2.3/5

Harder to teach

Replay value 4.0/5

High replayability

Interaction 3.9/5

Highly interactive

Player scaling 4.0/5

Scales well

Strategic depth 4.5/5

Deep strategy

See all 4 specifications

How it plays

How does it play?

You are ferocious convicts locked up on ANIMALCATRAZ island with savage psychos, corrupt guards and ruthless gangs. It's a jungle in there.

Read the full game description

You are ferocious convicts locked up on ANIMALCATRAZ island with savage psychos, corrupt guards and ruthless gangs. It's a jungle in there. BE KING...or BREAK OUT! Take on rivals Solo or in 2 player Co-op Teams in this SANDBOX PRISON BRAWLER for 2 to 8 players. Take turns playing unique feral Convicts from their 1st day behind bars. Commit crimes to raise your Reputation to KINGPIN status or plan the perfect ESCAPE to win! 2 WAYS TO WIN: 1- With REPUTATION points earned by committing crimes: raise your reputation to Kingpin rank before your rivals do or be the one with the most points after the Riot (the last Event card!) OR... 2- Be the first to ESCAPE. OVERVIEW: Convicts start with unique Cunning and Strength levels, 2 specific skills to unlock, a weapon of choice to acquire, 3 Carry Item slots and the capability to go Primal to rage-boost stats. Strength is for attacks, Cunning for theft and corruption, both for escaping and recruiting Gangsters. Commit crimes and succeed at the above to raise your Reputation and gain ranks and perks. But fail, then lose REP! Each day in prison has 5 rounds. A Convict has 5 Actions to spend per round. Rounds are dynamic: Guards change position after a dice-roll, altering options, Contraband is distributed in cells and Events come into play. Then, lockdown for the night. All in cell! Gain REP from recruited Gangsters still alive, lose REP or not fighting rivals that taunted you with Bitch coins. Then choose how to upgrade your convict with a read and/or workout. A new day begins! On your turn, pick from your Cell Stash what Contraband your Convict pockets as hidden Carry Items. Then, move him from his cell passed Gangster filled cellblocks, prowling rivals and guarded rooms, while managing spent Actions. Choose to spend more Actions by upgrading your Convict’s Strength or Cunning with a workout in the Courtyard, game of chess and more. Corrupt Guards, recruit Gangsters etc. Trade Contraband on the Black Market for improvised Weapons, Escape tools, Armor, Upgrades, nasty Traps and more! Keep traded items hidden and your rivals guessing. Is it a toothbrush shank, an Escape tool...Need to attack or steal to find out! Planning a breakout? Get the Tools matching your Escape Card then secure them. Added to your Strength and Cunning, they improve your odds. Preyed upon? End your turn next to a Guard for protection, and pray he won’t move. Or better! Corrupt a Guard aided by Contraband bribes like booze, pills and porn. Owning Guards grants you access to restricted areas and no-cost Actions while leaving rivals unprotected. Take control of the board! The more the bloodier! In advanced mode, hire skill-specific Gangsters to do your dirty work, break bones in riots, steal or gang up on rivals. These Thieves, Brawlers, Pushers and Hookers will pimp up your Reputation too. So use them to complete Crime Assignments such as Fight Clubs, Cartels, Bordellos etc. It will boost your rank in the race to be crowned KING. -description from designer

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Editions

Language and publisher variants currently recorded in the catalog.

Edition Year Language Publisher / Region
No editions imported yet.

Player resources

Rulebooks, player aids, FAQs, and solo resources.

No files imported yet.

Game and edition data

All specifications (4)

Play and group

Players
2–8
Best with
2
Play time
90–120 min
Age
14+
Credits and catalog connections

Credits

Designers

1
Alain Matte

Artists

1
Alain Matte

Publishers

1
(Self-Published)

Linked items

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