Jurassic Park III: The Spinosaurus Chase Game
Jurassic Park III: The Spinosaurus Chase Game Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Assembly
Carefully detach the perforated parts sheet (flap) from the gameboard and punch out the 5 die-cut pawns.
Remove the pawn stands from the plastic bag. Discard the bag.
Game Setup
Set the gameboard on a level surface within easy reach of all players.
Insert the die-cut pawns into the pawn stands.
Each player chooses a pawn and places it on a Start space. (Place any unused pawns off to the side out of play.) Place the Spinosaurus pawn on the Spinosaurus Start space. See Figure 1 for gameboard setup.
[Figure 1: gameboard setup, showing the Spinosaurus pawn and the player pawns on their Start spaces.]
Shuffle the deck of cards and deal 7 cards to each player. (NOTE: Players should look at their cards, but keep them hidden from other players.)
Place the remaining cards facedown in a dealer's pile on the side out of play. Don't put them too far though, you will need them to refresh your hand at the start of each round.
How to Play the Cards
Before we begin playing, let's look at how to play the cards.
Play may begin with either a Dinosaur or an Escape card. Then, a Dinosaur card can be played on any Escape card but can only be played on another Dinosaur card if it is being played on a card of lower value.
An Escape card cannot be played on another Escape card, but can be played on any Dinosaur card regardless of the Dinosaur card's value.
If you play an Escape card, you get to play a second card immediately. However, the second card must be a Dinosaur card—remember—you cannot play an Escape card on top of another Escape card.
If you cannot play a card, you must pass on your turn.
Gameplay for 2 Players
The game is played in rounds. The youngest player goes first by placing a card(s) faceup within view. Play then alternates between players. Continue alternating turns until you either play all of the cards in your hand or you play a card, which forces your opponent to pass. This ends the round. If you are the last person to play a card during a round, you win the round and get to move your pawn.
Moving Your Pawn
The winner of the round gets to move closer to the Final Escape. Before you move your pawn, however, look at the last card played.
If the last card played is a Dinosaur card (BUT NOT A SPINOSAURUS) move your pawn and the Spinosaurus pawn each one space.
If the card IS a Spinosaurus, move your pawn one space and the Spinosaurus pawn two spaces.
If the card is an Escape card, move your pawn one space plus the point value on the Escape card. For example, move your pawn three spaces if the last card is the Parasail (+2). Then move the Spinosaurus one space.
Always move your pawn (forward or diagonally) before moving the Spinosaurus. You can then move the Spinosaurus pawn in any direction—forward, backward or diagonally. NOTE: Your pawn cannot share a space with another player's, therefore, you may get to jump over your opponent's pawn (traveling in a straight line) ahead to the first open space on the board. See Figure 2.
[Figure 2: labelled "Opponent's Pawn" and "You Move Ahead".]
Caught by the Spinosaurus
If the Spinosaurus catches you; meaning it has landed on the space occupied by your pawn; you must move your pawn back (straight or diagonally) one space away from the Final Escape. Remember: You cannot share a space with another player, and therefore, you may have to jump over your opponent's pawn (traveling in a straight line) back to the first open space on the board. See Figure 3.
[Figure 3: labelled "You Move Back", "Opponent's Pawn" and "Spinosaurus caught you".]
Start a New Round
When a round ends, you may discard any or all of the cards remaining in your hand. The player who won the last round then deals enough cards from the dealer's pile so that each player again has 7 cards. If there are not enough cards in the dealer's pile, reshuffle the pile of played cards, deal out the necessary cards, and set the remaining ones facedown again out of play. The opposing player then starts the new round.
Winning the Game
The first player to reach the Final Escape wins. You do not have to land on the Final Escape by exact count.
Gameplay Variations for 3 or 4 Players
Follow the Gameplay instructions for the 2-player game with the following exceptions:
- A new round is started by the player to the left of the previous round's winner.
- Passing on one turn does not force you to pass on any other turns left in the round. You can resume play on your next turn if your cards allow. You cannot pass on a turn if you have playable cards in your hand.
- The round ends when one player runs out of cards or one player plays a card which forces all other players to pass.