Stack-O-Saurus is a card game where you stack one dinosaur on top of the other until you have created a big Dino Tower!
It may sound silly but this game is a perfect balance of strategy and fun. Be the first player to complete your Dino Tower and you win!
Components
- 9 Apatosaurus Cards
- 3 Lucky Pterodactyl Cards
- 24 Balancing Dinosaur Cards
- 8 Scared-by-T-Rex Cards
- 2 Tyrannosaurus Cards
- Instructions
Object of the Game
Be the first player to complete the Dino Tower determined at the beginning of the game, by playing a sturdy Apatosaurus followed by four dinosaurs in order.
Setup
A Dino Tower is created using cards from the deck.
The Dino Tower must:
- Consist of five cards
- Start with an Apatosaurus (black edge)
- Contain exactly one of each type of Balancing Dinosaur
Each card is placed slightly over the card below it so the dinosaurs are right on top of one another.
We suggest the youngest player gets to choose the order of the Dino Tower. The Dino Tower is laid out in sequence for all players to see and reference throughout the game.
Shuffle the remaining cards and deal three to each player. Each e holds his cards in his hand; out of view of the other players.
Each player holds his cards in his hand; out of view of the other players. The remaining cards are placed in a pile, face-down, within reach of all players. This creates the draw pile. The top card is flipped and placed face-up to create the discard pile.
Game Play
Play starts with the youngest player. Draw one card from either the draw pile or the discard pile. After drawing a card, play one card:
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Apatosaurus (Black)
Play an Apatosaurus to start your Dino Tower! Place the card face up on the playing surface in front of you.
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Balancing Dinosaur (Blue, Orange, Purple or Green)
Play a Balancing Dinosaur on top of your Apatosaurus or on top of the last Dinosaur in your Dino Tower. Balancing Dinosaurs must be played according to the Dino Tower order determined at the beginning of the game.
For example, according to the Dino Tower order above, an orange must be played on top of a blue which must be played on top of the black Apatosaurus.
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Scared-by-t-rex (Blue, Orange, Purple or Green)
Scare an opponent's top dinosaur into falling off of the Dino Tower! Play a Scared-by-T-Rex card on another player's Dino Tower. The Scared-by-T-Rex card must match the color of the last Dinosaur played on that player's Dino Tower.
The scared dino topples off the tower! The Scared-by-T-Rex card and the matching Balancing Dinosaur card are placed at the bottom of the discard pile (so that neither card can be drawn by the next player).
Scared-by-T-Rex cards cannot be played to knock off a Lucky Pterodactyl.
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Luck Pterodactyl (Yellow with Star)
Pterodactyls are lucky because they can be played in place of any Balancing Dinosaur to work towards completing your Dino Tower.
They are also lucky because they can fly, so they don't easily lose their balance! No Scared-by-T-Rex card matches a Pterodactyl.
Play a Lucky Pterodactyl on top of your black Apatosaurus or on top of the last Balancing Dinosaur in your Dino Tower in place of any Balancing Dinosaur. A Lucky Pterodactyl cannot replace a black Apatosaurus.
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Tyrannosaurus (Red)
Scare an opponent's top dinosaur into falling off of the Dino Tower! Play a Tyrannosaurus card on another player's Dino Tower. The Tyrannosaurus scares the last dinosaur played in your opponent's Dino Tower.
It plays just like a Scared-by-T-Rex card but does not have to match the last dinosaur played. The Tyrannosaurus even scares Lucky Pterodactyls! The scared dino topples off the tower!
The Tyrannosaurus card and the Dinosaur card are placed at the bottom of the discard pile (so that neither card can be drawn by the next player).
If you cannot play, discard one card onto the top of the discard pile. Play moves to the left (clockwise).
Notes:
Once all players have started their Dino Towers by playing a black Apatosaurus, discard any extra Apatosaurus cards you have in your hand and replace them with cards from the draw pile.
From then on, if you draw an Apatosaurus discard it and draw another card.
If the draw pile runs out, shuffle the discard pile and place it face down to create a new draw pile. Flip the top card to create anew discard pile.
End of the Game
The first player to stack the correct sequence of Dinosaurs to complete the Dino Tower wins!
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