First Giants is a reimplementation of 2015’s Elysium, a set-collection game set amidst Greek mythology. This time around, we’re still looking back into history, or more accurately, pre-history. First Giants is a game where players dig up and collect fossils before displaying them in their exhibitions. There’s an element of engine-building, the presentation is superb, and everyone I’ve introduced to the game has had a great time playing.
VERDICT
players 2-5 | playing time 30-45 mins
A gorgeous mixture of set-collection and engine-building, which quickly turns competitive. Wonderful stuff.
set-collection
engine-building
worker-placement
dinosaurs
I never played Elysium, but I always heard good things. The prospect of a fossil-themed game based on the original was a big draw for me, as someone who was obsessed with dinosaurs as a kid. The theme of First Giants is actually pretty sound, as far as games go.
You play the roles of palaeontologists trying to collect the best fossils for display at your museum. There are four dig sites (boards) on the table, each of which has two fossil cards on it at any given time. You plonk your marker on one of the four dig sites and take one of the two cards, then place it in your study above your player board.
Taking a card triggers a number of different reactions. Some give you points, some give you amber (the game’s currency), and some let you move fossils into your exhibitions. Some of them give bonuses to the other players at the same time, and some even have a herd icon which triggers the card’s effects again every time any player takes a card with a herd icon on it.
If you cannot place another marker because you’ve run out, or if you just choose to retrieve them instead of placing another, that’s the point where you can flip your cards over, if you can pay for them, and place them on display instead.
During the game, you’re trying to collect sets of a single colour/type. If you can get the 1, 2, and 3 of the flying creatures, you get lots of points for it. Similarly, you can also collect sets of the different types of a particular size. So, for example, you could collect all of the 2s in the different colours.
At the end of the game, if you have the most points by collecting them during the game and from your sets, you win.
Is it fun though? Yes, it is. It’s a lot of fun.
Racers, start your engines
First Giants is a racing game in disguise. If you’re the first player to start a set of one type, you claim a news token worth a bunch of points at the end of the game. If someone else starts collecting the same set and their set gets bigger than yours, they take the token from you. If you’re the first one to finish a particular set, nobody can take that new token from you for the rest of the game.
Every time you extend a set by moving a card from your study to your exhibition, you take a little set token that looks like one of those posts they tie exhibition ropes to. If and when those tokens run out (there’s a fixed number of them based on player count), the game ends. So there’s some real impetus behind you to get cards from your study to the display instead.
However…
While those cards are sitting in your study, they can be really powerful cogs in your machine. Herd cards, as I mentioned before, trigger each and every time anybody takes a herd card. Some cards reward you based on the number of a certain colour you have, or the number of different colours you have. So while you need to get the cards out of your study and into the exhibition, the sooner you do it, the sooner you start missing out on the bonuses they could be earning you.
What I really like about First Giants is that some of those triggered bonuses are really good. And some are good for everyone. There’s a great one that gives you stuff, but also gives every other player amber each and every time it triggers. So you’re trying to balance how long you benefit from it against how long everyone else benefits from your good fortune, too.
Often, in these slightly lighter games, there’s a real focus on always taking what you want or need, while taking note of what the other players want is more on the periphery of your attention. First Giants forces you to pay attention, and at times to even spite draft cards to stop other players from getting them. Taking a news token from someone is the equivalent of a 10-point swing, which is significant.
Final thoughts
There’s been an abundance of great lighter games so far this year. Bella Vista (review), Yotei (review), Carnuta (review), Dewan (review). First Giants is right up there with them. I’ve taught it to three separate groups so far, and every one of the players has had a good time with it. The most difficult part of it is getting your head around the iconography, which could be difficult were it not for the excellent appendix book in the box, which explains every card in detail.
The production is superb. The cards are really pretty, the player markers are muted colours with embossed gold printing, and the amber markers are individual glass beads. Better still, the box comes with three well-fitted internal boxes to store it all in. For a game that cost me a paltry £25 (you can get yours from Roll The Dice Cornwall for the same price!), it punches well above its weight.
First Giants is a great choice for fans of set-collection. Yes, there’s some kind of worker-placement, but make no mistake, this is a game of sets. I really enjoy the decisions it forces you to make about when you choose to take a part of your engine and convert it to points. Evenfall, which I love, does a similar thing, but First Giants asks you to make the choice much more often, which is fun. It’s a great game that I’m really glad I bought.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Lovely mix of set collection and engine-building
- First-rate components
- Works well at all player counts
Cons
- The iconography can be a bit hard to intuit at first
Where to buy First Giants
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First Giants (2026)
Design: Matthew Dunstan, Brett J Gilbert
Publisher: Space Cowboys
Art: Maud Chalmel, Jessica Cognard
Players: 2-5
Playing time: 30-45 mins
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