Dino Racer
Dino Racer Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents
- 5 Dino cards (T-Rex, Raptor, Steggy, Tri-Top, Bronto)
- 100 Race cards (22 T-Rex, 21 Raptor, 20 Steggy, 19 Tri-Top, 18 Bronto)
- 30 Checkpoint cards
- 1 Race End card
- 1 Starting Line card
- 1 Checkered Flag card
- 1 Scorepad
Setup
- Place the Starting Line card on the table.
- Line up the Dino cards directly beneath the Starting Line card in the order shown.
- Shuffle the Checkpoint cards and place 7 face-down in a row to the right of the Starting Line to form the racetrack. Place the Checkered Flag at the end of the track. Set all remaining Checkpoint cards aside.
- Shuffle the Race cards and form a deck.
- Place the Race End card at the bottom of this deck.
Give the deck to a random player. That player will be the first announcer.
Gameplay
The announcer flips Race cards from the top of the deck, calling out each Dino as it's revealed.
Immediately after flipping a card, move the matching Dino 1 space forward so it is positioned under the next Checkpoint card on the racetrack.
The number of Race cards flipped each round depends on the number of players in the game:
- 2 players = 3 flipped
- 3 players = 4 flipped
- 4 players = 5 flipped
- 5 players = 6 flipped
- 6 players = 7 flipped
Easy way to remember: Flip one more card than the number of players.
As you flip and move Dinos, imagine invisible "lanes" that each Dino stays in as they race.
Example: In a 4-player game, 5 Race cards are flipped and the matching Dinos are moved forward.
Drafting Cards
Once all Race cards have been flipped for the round, players draft them.
Starting with the announcer and proceeding clockwise, each player selects one revealed Race card and keeps it face-up in front of them.
Tip: Try to take Dinos who you think will win or place!
After each player has taken a card, one card will be leftover. Advance the Dino shown on the leftover card 1 space. Then, discard the leftover card.
Finally, pass the Race deck to the next player clockwise. That player becomes the new announcer.
You are ready for the next round.
Note: The Race deck is only passed if drafting occurred that round. If the race ends (see Ending a Race) before players can draft, then the announcer remains the same.
Checkpoints
Whenever all Dinos have reached or passed a Checkpoint, pause flipping Race cards. Flip that Checkpoint card and resolve its effect. Then resume flipping Race cards.
Example: Bronto moves to the first Checkpoint. Now that all Dinos have reached this point or beyond, that Checkpoint card is flipped and its effect is resolved. In this case, the Raptor SLIPS and moves backward 1 space.
Ending a Race
Eventually a Dino will reach the Checkered Flag. This ends the race! Stop flipping cards; skip drafting and discard any Race cards flipped that round.
Identify which Dinos came in 1st, 2nd and 3rd place. These will be the three Dinos who are furthest along on the racetrack.
Sometimes, more than one Dino will be lined up under the same Checkpoint. In these cases, the tie is broken by the Dino positioned in the higher lane.
Example: Raptor and Tri-Top both appear to be in 2nd place, but since Raptor is in the higher lane, it claims 2nd place and Tri-Top comes in 3rd.
Scoring
Each Dino is worth a different number of points depending on whether it finishes in 1st, 2nd, or 3rd.
For each Race card you collected, score the number of points shown for that Dino's finishing position. Dinos that finish in 4th or 5th place score no points.
Example: 2 T-Rex cards (worth 4 points each for 1st place) + 1 Raptor card (worth 3 points for 2nd place) + 2 Tri-Top cards (worth 1 point each for 3rd place) = 8 + 3 + 2 = 13 points.
Record each player's points on the scorepad.
Set Up For A New Race
After scoring, players discard all Race cards they collected. Tip: Use the game box as a discard area.
Move all Dinos back beneath the Starting Line in their original order.
Discard any Checkpoint cards that were flipped during this race. Build a new racetrack by adding additional Checkpoint cards to the front of the remaining unflipped Checkpoints.
- If this is the 2nd Race, the track is 8 Checkpoints long.
- If this is the 3rd Race, the track is 9 Checkpoints long.
Example: In the 1st race, 4 Checkpoints were flipped. These are discarded and 5 new Checkpoint cards are added to the front of the racetrack, making it 8 Checkpoints long for the 2nd race.
Game End
The game ends after the 3rd race, or earlier if the Race deck runs out revealing the Race End card. In either case, score the final race, then total each player's points from all three races. The player with the most total points wins.
Tiebreaker: If there is a tie for most total points, the tied player who scored the most points in a single race wins. If still tied, those players share the victory.
FAQ
Q: What happens if the Race deck runs completely out of cards? A: If the Race deck runs out, the Race End card is revealed and the game ends immediately. Determine which Dinos are in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place based on their positions closest to the finish line, then score the round as usual. (Note: Games rarely end this way.)
Q: How many checkpoint cards are in each round? A: Round 1 = 7, Round 2 = 8, Round 3 = 9
Q: Can the effects of a Checkpoint card cause a Dino to reach the Checkered Flag and win the race? A: Yes.
Q: Can a Dino be moved back behind the Starting Line? A: No, they stop at the Starting Line.
Q: What happens if more than one Checkpoint needs to be flipped? A: Always resolve Checkpoints one at a time, starting with the furthest one back. After resolving each effect, check to see if the field has changed—it's possible that a newly resolved event will prevent additional Checkpoints from triggering.
Q: How does the Checkpoint UPSET work? A: The positions of the 1st place Dino and 5th place Dino are swapped. This includes which lane the Dinos are in. After the race finishes, the swapped Dinos are returned to their original lanes at the Starting Line.
Q: How does the Checkpoint WIPEOUT work? A: The Dino in 1st place is moved back to the position under the Wipeout Checkpoint, no matter how far ahead it is. The Dino stays in its lane. If it is already at that Checkpoint, it does not move.
Q: How does the Checkpoint TURBO work? A: Draw a single card from the Race deck. The Dino shown on that card moves forward 2 spaces. Then discard the drawn card; it is not drafted.
Q: How does the Checkpoint NECK AND NECK work? A: The 3rd place Dino is moved forward until it is at the same position as the 1st place Dino. It stays in its lane. If it is already tied with the 1st place Dino, it does not move.
Optional Rules
Hidden Cards Variant
In this variant, players keep the Race cards they draft face-down instead of face-up. You may look at your own cards anytime, but they are kept secret from others and not revealed until the race ends and scoring happens. All other rules remain the same.
2 or 3 Player Variant
At lower player counts, you may choose to increase the number of Race cards drafted each round by flipping more cards:
- 2 players = 5 flipped
- 3 players = 7 flipped
Players take turns selecting Race cards one at a time until each player has taken 2 cards. One card will still be left over. All other rules remain the same.