Terrible Lizards
Rule Book
If you have:
2 - 4 Players
Play the game as a free for all, the last one alive wins!
4 Players
The best way to play with 4 players is to play with teams, 2 vs 2. Each team builds a single dinosaur and is considered a single player. You may look at your teammate’s hand but you can only use cards from your own hand. You can even use Effects on your teammate!
OBJECT OF THE GAME
Each player begins the game with 50 health. Reduce other players' health to zero and be the last dinosaur standing!
SETUP
TYPES OF CARDS
There are 3 types of cards in Terrible Lizards.
Parts: Part Cards are the building blocks of any good dinosaur.
There are 4 main types of Part Cards: Heads, Bodies, Arms, and Legs, and 2 Wild parts. The type of part will be under the name of the dinosaur.
You may have up to 1 of each type at a time and up to 4 Parts total. When you Play a Part of a type you already have, the old one is discarded.
Every part has 2 numbers on it. The number on the left is the Attack and the number on the right is the Weight. These are used to deal and block damage during Strikes.
Effects: have the title in the middle of the card and say Effect in the top left corner.
When you Play (or Use) an Effect, you do what the text says. It does not cost an action to do what an Effect tells you to do, it only costs an action to play it.
An Effect is discarded after its effect ends.
Adaptations: have a title box at the top and say Adaptation under the name of the card.
When you Play (or Use) an Adaptation, place it face-up on the table next to your dinosaur and keep it until you replace it or an opponent discards it with an Effect.
You may only have 2 Adaptations at a time. If you have more than 2 after you play an Adaptation, you must discard one of the old ones.
You only spend an action to play them and they are always active as long as you have them in play. It does not cost an action to do what an Adaptation says unless it specifically says so. Otherwise, you can use them freely!You can discard any of your Adaptations during your turn and it does not cost an action.
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TURNS
Your turn has five phases, which must happen in order. You can only do what a phase allows during that specific phase. You may not save abilities or actions for different phases or turns.
After you finish your turn, you can pass to the next player.
Keep your reference card handy, it can help you keep track of your turn in a pinch!
STRIKING
When you Strike:
SET BONUSES: If you have all 4 parts of a single dinosaur you get the following abilities!
- Gain 5 Attack and Weight.
- Use your higher stat as your ( Attack and ) Weight.
- You may have an unlimited number of Adaptations.
- You may take 3 actions per turn.
- If a card you play says to take no damage, gain health instead.
2 - 4 Players
Play the game as a free for all, the last one alive wins!
4 Players
The best way to play with 4 players is to play with teams, 2 vs 2. Each team builds a single dinosaur and is considered a single player. You may look at your teammate’s hand but you can only use cards from your own hand. You can even use Effects on your teammate!
OBJECT OF THE GAME
Each player begins the game with 50 health. Reduce other players' health to zero and be the last dinosaur standing!
SETUP
- Shuffle all the cards and place the deck facedown in the middle of the table. Make sure there’s space beside it for a discard pile.
- Make sure all players can reach the deck and the dice.
- Select a player to go first, then deal each player 5 cards and you are ready to get started.
TYPES OF CARDS
There are 3 types of cards in Terrible Lizards.
Parts: Part Cards are the building blocks of any good dinosaur.
There are 4 main types of Part Cards: Heads, Bodies, Arms, and Legs, and 2 Wild parts. The type of part will be under the name of the dinosaur.
You may have up to 1 of each type at a time and up to 4 Parts total. When you Play a Part of a type you already have, the old one is discarded.
Every part has 2 numbers on it. The number on the left is the Attack and the number on the right is the Weight. These are used to deal and block damage during Strikes.
Effects: have the title in the middle of the card and say Effect in the top left corner.
When you Play (or Use) an Effect, you do what the text says. It does not cost an action to do what an Effect tells you to do, it only costs an action to play it.
An Effect is discarded after its effect ends.
Adaptations: have a title box at the top and say Adaptation under the name of the card.
When you Play (or Use) an Adaptation, place it face-up on the table next to your dinosaur and keep it until you replace it or an opponent discards it with an Effect.
You may only have 2 Adaptations at a time. If you have more than 2 after you play an Adaptation, you must discard one of the old ones.
You only spend an action to play them and they are always active as long as you have them in play. It does not cost an action to do what an Adaptation says unless it specifically says so. Otherwise, you can use them freely!You can discard any of your Adaptations during your turn and it does not cost an action.
______________________________________________________________
TURNS
Your turn has five phases, which must happen in order. You can only do what a phase allows during that specific phase. You may not save abilities or actions for different phases or turns.
After you finish your turn, you can pass to the next player.
Keep your reference card handy, it can help you keep track of your turn in a pinch!
- Start Phase
- Refill Phase
You may draw until your hand is full. You are not required to draw cards. - Action Phase
You may take 2 Actions each turn. Playing an Effect, Adaptation or body part, and discarding a card from your hand all count as actions. If a card tells you to do something, it does not cost an action to do it. It only costs an action to play the card. You don’t have to use all of your actions. Some cards may let you break the rules! Do what the card says, the card is always right! - Strike Phase
- Refill Phase
You may draw until your hand is full again. - End of your turn
- Play: The act of putting a card in play. It costs an action to play a card.
- Use: Using a card is the same as Playing a card but does not cost an action. You may only Use a card if it is Stored or if another card says you can.
- Store: When you Store a card you place it facedown next to your dinosaur. You may flip a Stored card and USE it at any time. You may only Store cards if a card says you may.
- Dodge the Strike: If a dinosaur avoids damage with an effect that says "Dodge the Strike" it is like the Strike never occurred. If a Strike deals less than 1 damage because the target Weight is higher, they still take 0 damage.
- Reveal: When you reveal a card, place it face-up on the table next to your dinosaur. Add the Attack and Weight of the card to your dinosaur as long as it is revealed.
- Refill: Drawing cards until your hand is full.
STRIKING
When you Strike:
- Pick a target.
- Add up the total Attack of all of your Parts, Adaptations, and Effects.
- Finally, roll 1 die and add it to your total Attack.
- Your target adds the Weight of their Parts, Adaptations, and Effects. Subtract your total Attack from their Weight and they take the remainder as damage.
SET BONUSES: If you have all 4 parts of a single dinosaur you get the following abilities!
- Gain 5 Attack and Weight.
- Use your higher stat as your ( Attack and ) Weight.
- You may have an unlimited number of Adaptations.
- You may take 3 actions per turn.
- If a card you play says to take no damage, gain health instead.
Game Modes
If, like a lot of Terrible Lizards fans, you've put in quite a few hours on the standard game, you might be looking for some variety. Here are a few variant playstyles if you want to mix things up!
- Standard: The standard Terrible Lizards, tried and true. 2-4 players
- Team Battle: 4 players play on 2 player teams. Players take turns controlling their team's dinosaur. Every player has their own hand but teams only have 1 dinosaur. This is my favorite way to play, and an excellent way to teach new players.
- Mono-Hand: All players have their own dinosaur but pass the hand from player to player. You get the cards as long as it is your turn, but pass it to the next player when your turn ends!
- Speed Lizards: Play with 25 health instead of 50. If you are playing multiple games, discard all cards when someone wins, then all players draw 5 new cards and start a new round. You can keep playing that way until the deck is gone. If the deck runs out mid-round, players must attack until only 1 dinosaur is standing! Who ever won the most rounds is the winner. Recommended for 2 players. Egg Stealers:
- Selective Evolution: Before the game begins, remove all the Adaptations from the deck and lay them out. Each player selects 3 of them and the remainder are removed from play. The Adaptations you chose can be played on a your turn for free and cannot be affected in anyway until it enters play.