This preview used a prototype of the game so some elements may change when the final game is shipped. Kindly provided by Paper Boat Games.

Overall: 3.5 / 5

Snapshot was a pleasant surprise. It managed to balance out the dice rolling / push your luck mechanic very nicely. We all enjoyed taking snapshots of the animals and visiting the varied landscapes.

Rulebook: 4 / 5

Well explained and simple rules for younger gamers to quickly learn and play. There is also plenty of game here for the more experienced gamer.

Fun factor: 3.5 / 5

I loved the decision making on where to allocate your 6 dice! Do you risk not rolling enough for the environment so you allocate more dice there but then risk not having enough dice to actually take a photo?

Components: 3 / 5

Lots of nice photo of all your favourite animals can be found while playing Snapshot and the icons are simple to understand.

Replayability: 3 / 5

Ideal for family game times or a quick boardgame filler. It’s quick to setup and play and it’s small box footprint means it can be taken out and about.

Preview

In Snapshot you are a wildlife photographer hired by Snapshot magazine to head out and snap beautiful photos of animals from all around our planet. The player who has the most prestige at the end of the game will become the Wildlife Photographer of the Year!

Snapshot is a mix of card-collecting, dice-management and push your luck mechanics. I am usually wary of this type of game due to the high luck factor but the designers have balanced this throughout the game very nicely indeed. You get plenty of decisions to make when trying to get that precious snapshot. Do you go for an easier environment to visit or the snap the more common creature and then do you try to take more than one photo?

To win you need the most prestige which you earn by tracking, exploring and of course, photographing animals. You can also gain them via your secret objective card which has some specific assignments which the magazine has asked you to complete, as well as completing sets of animals within your portfolio.

Snapshot has three phases each round:
🔹 Phase 1: Research phase. Players draw cards which are added to their respective environments and are available for photographing. The environments you can visit are: The Shoreline; The Savannah; The Mountains; and The Rainforest.

🔹Phase 2: Assign dice. The players now assign their six dice to the environment cards and animal cards that are on the table that they wish to photograph. They can also assign tracking tokens to guarantee minimum dice pips.

🔹Phase 3: Roll the dice. The player now rolls the dice and can also use tracking tokens to re-roll. If they meet the number requirements they take the photo (card).

Finally, the player can check to see if the photographs they have taken allows them to claim a set award.

Each animal photograph really brings it to life and each card also contains characteristics about it, including the species; lifespan; eating habits; and position in the food chain.

We really enjoyed our games of Snapshot and would gladly play this as a quick filler with my game group or when we have non gamer families visit. The photography of the animals is excellent and helps bring it all to life!
Well worth checking out!

Tap the link to go to Kickstarter page: Snapshot kickstarter