How to Play

APEX: Carnivore

1-2 players 20-30 min 7.5 Board Game Geek Rating

Players evolve competing carnivore species from a shared ancestor, choosing between cats, bears, or weasels. Using dice rolls against difficulty classes, you activate traits and acquire new ones without currency, building your evolutionary deck. Combat compares power and defense values, dealing population damage. Victory comes through driving your opponent's population to extinction and claiming apex predator status.

Published 2025

Get Ready

Setup the game with these step-by-step instructions before diving into your turn.

Distribute starter decks

Each player receives an identical starter deck (marked A/B in the top left corner) containing 8 Lineage cards and 2 Instinct cards

Shuffle starter decks

Each player shuffles their starter deck and places it face-down in their play area

Create the trait deck

Shuffle all other trait cards into a face-down pile within reach of both players

Reveal the trait pool

Draw 5 cards from the trait deck and place them face-up where everyone can reach them

Set life counters

Each player takes a green D20 die as a life counter and sets it to 20

Take skill check dice

Each player takes a white D20 die for performing skill checks

Prepare play areas

Each player reserves space for a discard pile and play area

On Your Turn

What you can do during your turn.

Draw Phase - Draw cards

Each player draws 5 cards from their deck and immediately plays them face-up in their play area

Draw Phase - Determine initiative

Each player counts 1 initiative point for each card with a blue-hued difficulty class icon; the player with the highest total becomes First Player

Draw Phase - Handle empty deck

When drawing from an empty deck, choose one card in your discard pile to prune (remove from the game), then shuffle your discard pile to form a new deck

Activation Phase - Perform skill checks

First Player attempts to activate each card in their play area by rolling the white D20 and adding any modifiers

Activation Phase - Second player activates

After First Player completes all activations, Second Player performs their skill checks in the same manner

Survival Phase - First player attacks

First Player totals the power of their activated cards (including modifiers) and attacks Second Player

Survival Phase - Second player attacks

Second Player attacks First Player using the same process

Evolution Phase - Take actions alternately

Starting with First Player, players alternate until each has succeeded at exactly one action

End Phase - Discard played cards

All players put their played cards face-up into their discard piles

End Phase - Begin new round

Start a new round with the Draw Phase

Winning

How to claim victory.

Reduce opponent to zero

The goal is to reduce your opponent's life points from 20 down to 0

First Player victory condition

If Second Player's life points reach zero during First Player's attack, the game ends immediately and First Player wins before Second Player can attack

Second Player victory condition

If First Player's life points reach zero during Second Player's attack, Second Player wins immediately

Life points represent population

Life points (0-20) represent your species population; track them using the green D20 die