Dino Dorks!
ABOUT ROWAN & HOW DINO DORKS! CAME TO BE
Rowan is a fun-loving 9-year-old who loves dinosaurs and drawing!
Dino Dorks! was born from Rowan's love of drawing and our love of family game nights. Over the years, we have enjoyed many board games, as well as card games, including Uno, Old Maid, Go Fish, Skip-Bo, and Crazy Eights, just to name a few.
One day, while crafting and drawing, Rowan drew a bunch of small, card-shaped dinosaur pictures, wrote up some rules about matching pictures and finding a winning Parasaurolophus card, and we all sat down to play his game. His prototype card-box was a tissue box that he commandeered and decorated, and he named his game "Dino Plosu" (Palooza).
While playing Rowan's new game together, we realized that it had real potential to become a game that could be enjoyed by all. We discussed tweaks to the rules, making more matching cards, and adding some special-rule cards. From that conversation and brainstorming session came the idea of borrowing elements of all our favorite games. He also decided to change the name to Dino Dorks!
Rowan drew all the dinosaurs, the special-rule cards, and we wrote up the rules together as a family. We printed a prototype deck of the game, have made a few more tweaks, and believe that it is ready for the masses.
Dino Dorks! is incredibly fun and we cannot wait for you to enjoy it like we do!
Game Card Examples
(Prototype Deck - Final Product May Differ Slightly)
Buy Dino Dork! Now
Buy Dino Dork! Now
Dino Dorks! is a fun, family-friendly card game that combines elements of multiple classic games that have been enjoyed for generations. It’s our belief that Dino Dorks! will be a wonderful addition to your family game nights for years to come.
Dino Dorks! Game Rules
2+ Players, Ages 7+ Total Cards: 102
Types of cards:
1. Parasaurolophus (2 cards) – play this winning card after you collect 5 pairs of Dinosaurs and declare yourself a Dino Dork!.
2. Dinosaurs, Prehistoric Reptiles, Pterosaurs, and Mammals – these cards are collected to make pairs (you need to collect 5 pairs to win the game)
a. Tyrannosaurus Rex (4 cards)
b. Triceratops (4 cards)
c. Brachiosaurus (4 cards)
d. Velociraptor (4 cards)
e. Stegosaurus (4 cards)
f. Spinosaurus (4 cards)
g. Allosaurus (4 cards)
h. Ankylosaurus (4 cards)
i. Pterodactyl (4 cards)
j. Megalodon (4 cards)
k. Therizinosaurus (4 cards)
l. Plesiosaurus (4 cards)
m. Ichthyosaurus (4 cards)
n. Pachycephalosaurus (4 cards)
o. Dilophosaurus (4 cards)
p. Psittacosaurus (4 cards)
q. Iguanodon (4 cards)
r. Titanoboa (4 cards)
s. Deinosuchus (4 cards)
t. Meganeura (4 cards)
u. Archelon (4 cards)
3. Asteroid (4 cards) – you can play this card at any time, even if it’s not your turn. If you play this card, you can choose any player (including yourself) and that player must discard their hand into the Discard pile and draw five new cards.
4. Reverse (4 cards) – if a player discards this card, their turn is over and play reverses direction.
5. Tar Pit - Skip a Player (4 cards) – if a player discards this card, their turn is over, and the next player has now fallen into a tar pit! While they struggle to get out, their turn is skipped, and play moves on to the next player.
6. Microraptor (“small thief”) (4 cards) – if a player plays this card at the beginning of their turn, they can take 2 cards from another player, or 1 card from each of two players. Then, they take a card from the Draw pile and continue their turn as usual.
Rules / How to Play the Game
The object of the game is for a player to collect 5 pairs of matching dinosaur cards and then play the Parasaurolophus card (when they have one), declaring themself the Dino Dork!
To begin, the dealer will shuffle the deck and deal 5 cards to each player. The remaining cards will be the Draw pile and a Discard pile will be created next to it.
Important note: if you ever discard a Parasaurolophus card (such as when an Asteroid Strike card is played), do so in a second Discard pile. If both Parasaurolophus cards are in this second Discard pile, shuffle them back into the Draw pile.
The youngest player will go first, then play will continue clockwise.
To begin your turn, choose any other player and select any one of their cards (without looking) to add to your hand. Next, you may choose to draw one card from the Draw pile or, if you can use the last discarded card, you may add it to your hand instead. If you have any pair/s of matching dinosaur cards, lay them in front of you. If you have 5 pairs of Dinosaurs and a Parasaurolophus card, play it and you have won the game. If you cannot win on this turn, discard one card, then game-play moves on to the next player.
Important note: if you ever have an empty hand, draw 5 new cards from the Draw pile.
Play continues in this manner until one player has collected 5 pairs of Dinosaur cards and plays a Parasaurolophus card, thus winning the game and declaring themself the Dino Dork!