Very Bad Lands: T-Rex Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Winning & Losing
• Contents
  • Disaster Card Components
  • Dinosaur Card Components
  • Annexe: Dinosaur Powers
  • Annexe: Combine the 2 Boxes
• Setup
• Two Golden Rules
• Round Overview
  • 1. Disaster Card Distribution
  • 2. Swapping Phase
  • 3. The Reveal
    • Lives and End of Game
    • Protected
  • 4. New First Player
• Disaster Card Effects

Winning & Losing

If your Dinosaur goes extinct, you lose the game. All the other players win!

Contents

• 1 First Player card
• 1 Annexe (double-sided)
• 11 Disaster cards
• 12 Dinosaur cards
• 6 Player Aids (double-sided)

Disaster Card Components

Each Disaster card shows a Value (top left), a Disaster Name, and an Effect.

Dinosaur Card Components

Each Dinosaur card shows the Number of Lives, the Species, the Power, and a Box symbol.

Annexe: Dinosaur Powers

The Annexe lists the power of each Dinosaur.

• Baby Parasaurolophus: Imprudence. At the Reveal, if I have the Meteorite (1) card and I don't lose a Life, I gain a Life. → This applies regardless of the value of the Meteorite card at the Reveal.
• Plesiosaurus: Marine Monster. If the total value of the River is 11 or more, I am protected (the value of my card is ignored at the Reveal).
• Dilophosaurus: Venomous Spray. When I lose a Life, anyone who is protected also loses a Life.
• Protoceratops: Protection. On my turn, instead of swapping, I can reveal my card and add 4 to my value. → If the Oviraptor swaps with me when my card is visible, my new card is face-down, and therefore my +4 power is cancelled.
• Dimetrodon: Instinct. On my turn, instead of swapping, I can put a card from the River on the bottom of the Disaster deck. → Because of this, there could be no cards in the River, meaning that the option of swapping with the River will not be available for the next players.
• Saltasaurus: Invulnerability. At the Reveal, my Disaster card's effect does not activate. → My card's value still counts.
• Injured Edmontosaurus: Lamentation. On my turn, if I swap and I am unsatisfied with the result, I can take my card back.
• Oviraptor: Thief. I can swap with any player who decided to keep their card. → I can even swap with the Protoceratops and the Tyrannosaurus.
• Pachycephalosaurus: Hard Head. At the Reveal, I add 4 to my value. However, if it's Night, I subtract 2 from my value. → The Night only triggers when the Night (11) card is face-up during the Reveal.

Annexe: Combine the 2 Boxes

COMBINE THE 2 BOXES FOR EVEN MORE CHAOS! Combine your Very Bad Lands T-Rex and Brachio boxes! Now you can play with up to 10 players!

Setup

• Give each player a Player Aid.
• Give the First Player card to any player, or the oldest player (who is clearly the person who lived closest to the age of the dinosaurs).
• The First Player shuffles and deals 2 Dinosaur cards to each player. The players each choose one and put the other one back in the box.
• For your first game, use only the Dinosaurs with the darker symbol. Give one to each player.
• In turn order, starting with the First Player, reveal your Dinosaur and introduce your species and your power out loud.

Beginner's Game: If you want, you can ignore the powers on the Dinosaur cards.

From now on, you are your Dinosaur!!

Two Golden Rules

1. Whenever a Dinosaur's power and/or a Disaster card's effect contradicts a rule, the power and/or effect overrides the rule!
2. You are responsible for your Dinosaur. If you forget to use your power, too bad for you!

Round Overview

A game takes place over a number of rounds. Each round has 4 phases:

1. Disaster Card Distribution
2. Swapping Phase
3. The Reveal
4. New First Player

1. Disaster Card Distribution

• The First Player shuffles the Disaster cards, deals one to each Dinosaur, and then places one card face up in the middle of the table: this is the River.
• They place the rest of the cards in a face-down pile next to the River; this is the Disaster deck.
• Look secretly at your Disaster card.

2. Swapping Phase

Important: There will only be one chance to swap your card!

• In turn order, starting with the First Player and going clockwise, players now have the chance to swap their Disaster card.

On your turn, you have 3 options:

1. Keep your Disaster card; OR
2. Swap your Disaster card with the face-up card in the middle of the table; the River. OR
3. Swap your Disaster card face-down with your neighbour (the player to your left). This player cannot refuse to swap their card with yours. Look secretly at your new card.
   • If you are the last player in turn order, you cannot swap with the First Player. You can, instead, swap with the top card of the Disaster deck.

Careful! Cards swapped with the River are placed face up.

• The Heatwave (4) and Flood (5) Disaster cards have an immediate effect when they are placed in the River (see the Disaster Card Effects section).
• When all players have taken their Swapping Phase turn, play moves on to the Reveal.

3. The Reveal

• Card Reveal: Simultaneously, everyone flips their Disaster card.
• Who Loses a Life? Compare the value of each Dinosaur's Disaster card. The Dinosaur who has the Disaster card with the lowest value loses 1 Life. Ignore the number on the card(s) in the River.

Apply all Dinosaur powers that trigger 'at the Reveal', as well as the effects on all face-up Disaster cards.

Example:

• The Hurricane (7) makes the Dinosaur with the second lowest value lose a Life.
• Glaciation (3) protects P-1 who has the lowest value. With my 7, I now have the lowest value! I lose a Life.
• My Mudslide (6) card is the lowest value, so I lose a Life.
• I have the Night (11) card. I survive!

Note: The value of a Disaster card can be modified by a Dinosaur's power, but the name and the effect remain, regardless of the card's value. For example, if you are the Iguanodon and you have the Glaciation (3) card, its value is 13. It remains 'Glaciation,' and its effect still applies. (see the Disaster Card Effects section).

Lives and End of Game

Dinosaurs start with 3 Lives.

When you lose a Life, turn your card so that the new number of Lives is facing you.

When you don't have any Lives left, you are extinct. You've lost the game and all the other Dinosaurs win!

Protected

A Dinosaur that is protected has their Disaster card value ignored during the Reveal. This means that they cannot lose a Life, and that the Dinosaur with the next lowest value loses a Life. If THAT Dinosaur is also protected, it passes to the next lowest, and so on. Believe it or not, the highest value can also end up being the lowest!

4. New First Player

Once all effects in the Reveal have been completed, the First Player passes the First Player card to the player on their left. This continues until a Dinosaur becomes extinct and the game ends!

Disaster Card Effects

• 1 Meteorite: When the Night (11) card is visible during the Reveal, the Meteorite is worth 12.
• 3 Glaciation: The lowest value is protected (the value of that card is ignored during the Reveal).
• 4 Heatwave: When this card is placed in the River (either during Disaster Card Distribution or during the Swapping Phase), all players whose Disaster card has a value of 6 or higher must let the others know (by knocking on the table or making their Dinosaur's sound!).
• 5 Flood: When this card is placed in the River (either during Disaster Card Distribution or during the Swapping Phase), immediately add another card from the Disaster deck to the River.
• 7 Hurricane: The Dinosaurs with the 2 lowest values (who are not protected) each lose a Life.
• 8 Earthquake: The Dinosaurs with values between 5 and 7 (inclusively) are protected. (The values of those cards are ignored at the Reveal.)
• 11 Night: It's Night! The Meteorite (1) is worth 12 and the Night powers of some Dinosaurs are triggered.