On a scale of one to t-rex
the rules
How to Play
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Goal
The goal of the game is to earn the most points by matching cards with other players.
Setup
Separate the Action Cards (square cards) by color and place them face down in three piles on the table. Turn over the top card from each Action Card pile and place them in the Play Area.
For your first game, we recommend searching through the three piles and putting "Be a T-Rex," "Flex your muscles," and "Draw a circle in the air" into the Play Area.
The different symbols on the corners of the cards are there to help our friends who are color blind.
Shuffle the Number Cards (rectangular cards), and then deal one face down to each player. Put the remaining Number Cards face down on the table. This is the Draw Pile.
Put the Good Tokens and Bad Tokens into separate piles in the middle of the table according to this chart:
Leave any extra tokens in the box bottom. Place the empty Box Top in the middle of the table.
Gameplay
The three face up Action Cards in the Play Area describe ridiculous actions that players will perform.
All players secretly look at their Number Card and note the color. The Action Card that matches your color is the action you must perform.
(If you were dealt a Swap Card, shuffle it into the deck and draw again - more on Swap Cards later.)
The value on your Number Card is between 1 and 10 and indicates the level to which you must perform your action.
For example, if these are the Action Cards...
...then your task is to be a T-Rex at level 6 out of 10. How you interpret this is entirely up to you.
This is not charades! Talk, yell, roar, and dance all you want. We're not the boss of you.
FIRST TIME PLAYERS: To get used to the levels, pick a player to demonstrate a level 1 T-Rex. Then go around the table with each player acting out increasing levels of T-Rex until you reach 10.
There are no turns in this game. Everyone will be performing their actions simultaneously.
Matching Cards
To earn points, watch the other players as you all perform your actions simultaneously and try to find someone you suspect matches the value on your Number Card.
When both cards have been presented, turn them over simultaneously to see if the values on the cards match.
Only the card value matters for a match, not the action (e.g. if you are acting as a level 6 T-Rex and you think another player might be performing “Flex your muscles” at level 6, you should try to match with that player).
Matches can only be attempted between two players. Three or more person matches are not allowed.
Points
When two players turn over their cards to see if they match, there are three possiblities:
Exact Match
The values on both cards are the same.
Reward: 2 Good Tokens Each
Near Match
The values on the cards are within 1 of each other (e.g. a 4 is a Near Match with a 5).
Reward: 1 Good Token Each
No Match
The cards are not an Exact Match or a Near Match.
Penalty: 1 Bad Token Each
In all cases, players discard their Number Cards into the Box Top in the middle of the table and take the Reward or Penalty listed above into a Personal Score Pile in front of them. Then each player draws a new Number Card from the Draw Pile and continues playing.
Swap Cards
Mixed in with the Number Cards are Swap Cards.
When you draw a Swap Card:
- Find the Action Card in the Play Area that matches the color of your Swap Card and discard it into the Box Top. (If you got a “Swap Any Color,” you can pick any of the three Action Cards.)
- Announce the color you're swapping and put a new Action Card of the same color face up into the Play Area.
- Discard your Swap Card, draw a new Number Card, and continue playing.
If an Action Card is swapped out while you're performing it, you can either continue with your action or switch to the new one.
If you were dealt a Swap Card as your first card, shuffle it into the deck and draw again.
Cheating
YOU CAN sing, dance, speak, and move.
YOU CANNOT say numbers or indicators of value like "half" or "most."
If it feels like cheating, it's cheating.
Skipping Cards
If you can't find a match or you just don't want to perform your action, you can always discard your Number Card into the Box Top and draw a new one without penalty. You can do this as often as you'd like, but you will be wasting your time while others are earning points.
Out of Cards?
If you end up running out of cards in the Draw Pile, pause play, then reshuffle and continue playing.
Ending and Winning
The game is over when either pile of Tokens (Good or Bad) in the middle of the table runs out. If the final match that depleted the pile requires extra Good or Bad Tokens to complete, take these Tokens from the box.
Calculate the points in your Personal Score Pile. The player with the most points wins!
Ties
The player(s) who did not tie should jointly choose any two Action Cards from the Action Card piles. Performing simultaneously, the tied players must perform both actions at once at level 10. The player(s) who did not tie will determine the winner based on performance, creativity, and moxie.
Start Playing
You're ready to play! Pick someone to say "3, 2, 1, go!" and all players begin playing simultaneously.
Hey, look over here!
It's super important to remember that when you're trying to match cards with someone, you're only trying to match the values on your cards. You can match with any action even if it doesn't match your own.
So if you're performing as a level 3 T-Rex, you are trying to match with anyone else performing an action at level 3. You might be looking for a level 3 “Be a T-Rex,” a level 3 “Flex your muscles,” a level 3 “Draw a circle in the air,” etc
Yeah, we know we already told you all of this, but you weren't really paying attention. You figured that if it was really important, someone would tell you again.
Well, it is. So, we are.
Playing with Two Players
Two player games are cooperative. The goal is to work together to move all the Tokens from the table into the Box Top.
Read the "SETUP" and "GAMEPLAY" sections of the rules to get started, then come back here.
Two Player Matching Cards
After watching each other perform, you both must now decide if you think the values on your Number Cards match or not. (In the two player version, it’s okay to decide that you don’t match!)
Once you both agree on MATCH* or NO MATCH, turn over your cards simultaneously to see if you were right.
Being Right
If you were right about "match" or you were right about no "match"
If an Action Card is swapped out while you're performing it, you can either continue with your action or switch to the new one.
Exact Match
The values on both cards are the same.
Reward: Move 2 Tokens into the Box Top.
Near Match
The values on the cards are within 1 of each other (e.g. a 4 is a Near Match with a 5).
Reward: Move 1 Token into the Box Top.
No Match
The cards are not an Exact Match or a Near Match.
Reward: Move 1 Token into the Box Top.
*If you both agree that you match, you do not need to specify an Exact Match or a Near Match.
Being Wrong
If you were wrong about "match" or you were wrong about "no match"
Penalty: THE GAME IS OVER IMMEDIATELY
When your team is right, move the rewarded Tokens from the table into the Box Top. Next, discard your Number Cards into the Box Top, draw new ones, and continue playing.
Read “SWAP CARDS” to learn what to do if you draw a Swap Card.
You are not allowed to skip cards in a two player game.
To win the game, your team must move all 15 Tokens from the table to the Box Top.
Warning
Winning the two player game is designed to be HARD!