While the theater of the mind is an enjoyable way to play TTRPGs, sometimes a few well-chosen props can dramatically elevate a game, helping to immerse players in the game’s setting and adding extra weight to the mechanics. The Dino 65,000,000 is a fantastic example of this, as the TTRPG uses household props to create a delightfully amusing game that combines dinosaurs and racecars.
In The Dino 65,000,000 players step into a world where dinosaurs spend their time racing cars. Character creation in The Dino 65,000,000 is fascinating. Rather than creating a fictional dinosaur, the first part of the character creation process asks players to research a real dinosaur. The player will use their research to answer several questions about their chosen dinosaur, including its diet, its size, social arrangement, and any unique abilities it had.
Simple Dinos And Creative Tracks
The player then takes these answers and uses them to make a trading card for their racer (this game’s equivalent of a character sheet). During this process, the player compares the information they learned during their research to several tables to find out their dinosaur’s stats, transforms their chosen dinosaur’s unique ability into a named skill, and comes up with a name for their dinosaur racer.
After this, the player selects what type of car their dinosaur drives: dragster, F1 Car, Rally Car, or Stock Car. Each car type has three stats: Acceleration, Handling, and Top Speed, each of which is associated with different dice and modifiers. Finally, the player selects what engine type their car uses: V8, V10, or V12, each of which has a different Speed Modifier and Stall Range.
Once every player has created their dino racer, it is time to build the track. To start this process, the players gather whatever items they can find scattered around the playspace, from bits from other games to random junk like pens, pencils, and old screws. Once items have been gathered, one player lays an item on the table to mark the track’s start/finish line. After this, players take turns to lay down one item each, a process that continues until the track forms a closed loop.
When the track is ready, the players decide how many laps the race will run for and pick a token to represent their dino racer. After this, the main phase of the game begins. Each player’s turn is broken down into three parts, called Engine Era, Car Era, and Dino Era.
During the Engine Era, the player rolls a D20. If they roll a number within their stall range, they don’t move, and their turn instantly ends. If the player rolls a number outside their Stall Range, they move onto the Car Era.
In the Car Era phase, look at what is coming up ahead on the track. If the track ahead is straight, the player rolls using their car’s Top Speed stat. If a wide corner is approaching, the player rolls using their Acceleration stat, and if a tight corner is next, the player rolls their Handling stat. The player then multiplies this result by their engine’s Speed Modifier.
If the final result is positive, the player moves their token that many spaces forward on the track. If the number is negative, this value is removed from your roll the next time you perform the Car Era phase.
If a player passes another racer on their turn, or ends their turn next to another racer, they get to perform their Dino Phase to mess with the other racer. To do this, the player rolls their dice against a stat of the other player’s choice. If the attacking player wins, their target doesn’t get to roll on their next Engine Era and automatically stalls out.
Mixing TTRPGs And Board Games
The Dino 65,000,000 is a fun game that straddles the line between TTRPG and board game. While the idea of having the players build the race track from bits and bobs they have lying around the house may seem like a small detail, it dramatically enhances the game. This phase is a fantastic warm-up, gradually easing players into the game while giving them time to ponder how their dinosaur racer will approach the upcoming race.
The same is true of having the players research real-world dinosaurs as part of the character creation process, because the various fun facts the players learn while doing this research make excellent icebreakers and conversation starters, meaning that shyer players can ease themselves in and become comfortable with the group before the proper gameplay starts.
Because of this, the phase naturally leads into some fun free-form roleplay, meaning that The Dino 65,000,000 is a fantastic game for people who want to introduce a quiet or shy friend to the world of TTRPGs, as they’ll likely find themselves slowly engaging in roleplay without realizing it. Additionally, having the players design the track means that every race is unique, giving this game an immense amount of replayability.
However, while I like the game, there are a few elements I would like to see tweaked in a future update. Most notably, I think this game would be enhanced by the addition of a glossary or cheat sheet. While the game’s rules are decently intuitive, the game’s tight two-page layout and its vast number of proper nouns mean it can initially feel overwhelming for new players, especially if they don’t have much experience with TTRPGs.
The Dino 65,000,000 is a fun hybrid TTRPG and board game that’s perfect for game nights. Due to the game’s simple character creation and its focus on using household objects, it can be set up within 30 minutes, making it perfect for groups who want to dive into a game with minimal planning. Plus, the rules lead to some surprisingly tight and competitive races, meaning that the entire group will be on the edge of their seats from start to end.
