What is clone-a-saurus: The Minis Game?
Hunt or be Hunted in Clone-a-Saurus: The Miniatures Game; a tabletop wargame where Humans and Dinosaurs clash in Earth-shattering primal combat! Drawing inspiration from beloved dinosaur movies, novels, and comic books, this game guarantees a thrilling and "pre"-historical experience for your next game night.
Clone-a-Saurus combines traditional and modern wargaming elements to create an immersive experience that appeals to both seasoned players and newcomers alike. Whether you're well-versed in tabletop wargaming or taking your first steps into this thrilling hobby, Clone-a-Saurus promises hours of enjoyment and fun.
Prepare to embark on an exhilarating journey where the past collides with the present with players choosing to control humans or dinosaurs, and battle for supremacy over the remote island of Petrel's Paradise. Tap into your killer instinct, whether you are engaging in intense human vs dinosaur or dinosaur vs dinosaur showdowns!
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Clone-a-Saurus: The Miniatures Game features meticulously crafted stat blocks for both "Hollywood-ified" and modern interpretations of dinosaurs, as well as a variety of stat blocks for different human miniatures to represent the six main factions of the game;
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BioGen
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Pharma Synthetics
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GeneTech
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Penward Corporation
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Great North Engineering
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Survivors
Other than the Simplified and Advanced rules for the game, Clone-a-Saurus also offers a variety of "Alternate Rules".
These Alternate Rules offer optional rules that serve to either spice up gameplay for one-off games, add a layer of depth for seasoned players, or provide options for different play formats such as utilizing a square grid. The rulebook also features an array of engaging scenarios as well as a campaign mode, offering endless excitement and enjoyment. Embrace the thrill of epic battles and let the primordial conflict unfold, where the fate of Petrel's Paradise hangs in the balance!
Clone-a-Saurus: The Miniatures Game is a "miniatures agnostic game". This means that Clone-a-Saurus exists as a ruleset, and players are expected to use (or find) their own 28mm or 32mm scale miniatures to play. An official range of dinosaur miniatures is available for purchase through our Partners as dinosaur miniatures are not commonly found at this scale.
Game overview
How do you play Clone-a-Saurus: The Miniatures Game? In order to get started on the game, players will need a few necessary components. These include:
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Miniatures: Players will need miniatures to represent the faction they have chosen to play as be it for the humans or the dinosaurs.
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Terrain: Creating a vivid and immersive gaming environment is crucial. Players can prepare different terrain based on the various biomes on Petrel's Paradise or within the abandoned human settlements and research compounds.
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Dice: Players will need to use D20s for their actions and "RPG" dice for damage. This includes Four-sided, Six-Sided, Eight-sided, Ten-sided, and Twelve-sided dice.
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Tokens: Players will need specialized tokens to denote in-game effects, and actions being taken by their miniatures, or act as reminders for special abilities.
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Measuring Tool: Players will need a tool to measure the distance that their Miniatures move on a given turn. This can be as simple as a Ruler or Measuring Tape!
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Rulebook: The rulebook contains everything a player needs to get started on their first game of Clone-a-Saurus, from the stat blocks to the game scenarios to set your primordial clash to!
Once all the necessary components are ready, players can proceed with setting up the Terrain, Objectives, and Miniatures in the play area. Once the setup is complete, the game can begin!
A standard game is played in rounds, and each round is divided into four phases:
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Planning Phase: Players use this phase to carefully strategize and plan their movements and actions. During this phase, Objectives and Scenario specific effects take place.
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Movement Phase: During this phase, the miniatures come to life as players maneuver them across the play area. Each Miniature takes its turn in ascending order of Initiative, moving according to its Speed value and performing its "Movement Actions".
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Attack Phase: During this phase, the play area becomes a fierce, primeval arena! Players will perform their attacks and other "Attack Actions" in order to get an advantage over their opponent and get one step closer to completing the objective.
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End Phase: During this phase, all lingering effects are resolved, ongoing conditions, buffs, and debuffs are applied, and the players can get ready to move on to the next round.
Players will go through these phases over the course of several rounds until one player wins by completing their objectives or eliminating all of the opposing miniatures.
Example of gameplay
Let's dive deeper into the gameplay of Clone-a-Saurus by exploring a typical encounter between the mercenary and the formidable Deinonychus;
After the setup of the Play Area, the Mercenary is the first Miniature to be placed down since it has an Initiative value of 1. Afterward, the Deinonychus is placed down since it has an Initiative value of 2.
We start with the Planning Phase; both players carefully consider their options and formulate strategies in their mind.
Once both players are ready, the Movement Phase can begin. The Mercenary activates first since it has the lowest Initiative. He advances forward 6", and he does not spend any Action Points (AP) this turn as he wants to save them for the Attack Phase. The Deinonychus activates next, as it
has a higher Initiative value than the Mercenary. The Deinonychus moves forward 6", then 2" in another direction to move behind some Terrain for cover. The Deinonychus is far from the Mercenary, however, it is still within shooting range. Although the Deinonychus can perform its dash action to get closer, it will have to go through the piece of Terrain and stop just short of the appropriate distance to activate its "Pounce" ability on the Mercenary. The player decides to have the Deinonychus stay in this position as the Terrain will offer a cover bonus to it.
Now, the players move on to the Attack Phase. Since the Deinonychus is not within attack range of the Mercenary, it does not Activate, thus skipping its turn. The Mercenary activates next, and luckily for him, the Deinonychus is well within attack range. The Mercenary spends 2 AP to perform two attacks, 1 hit, and 1 miss. The player rolls a D8 for damage and gets a result of 6, reducing the raptor's HP to 8.
With no other attacks to perform, the players move on to the End Phase. Since there are no effects to resolve, the players move on to the next Planning Phase. The two players must now be cautious; the Mercenary will want to keep his distance to continue using his most powerful weapons but the Deinonychus will want to move in and avoid taking any further damage! Once both players are ready, the Movement Phase can begin once again!
The Mercenary activates first, and pushes forward 6". The player hesitantly chooses to save his two AP once again to perform two attacks during the Attack Phase. There is now a good distance between the Deinonychus and the Mercenary. The Deinonychus activates next. The Deinonychus crosses over the Terrain, reducing its total movement by 1" and finishing its movement approximately 7" away from the Mercenary. The Deinonychus then spends 1 AP to dash! It moves forward an additional 4", which puts it in the appropriate range to activate its Pounce Ability!
Since the Deinonychus ended its turn within 3" of the Mercenary, it can automatically move into base contact with him; moving and pouncing as if the Raptor sped through the jungle and leaped into the air to tackle its target! As per the Pounce ability, the Mercenary must make a strength roll to avoid being knocked prone. The player rolls his D20 and the Mercenary fails the roll! The Deinonychus will now get a bonus modifier on its attack since it managed to knock the Mercenary prone using the Pounce ability.
Now that both Miniatures have moved, the players move onto the Attack Phase once again. With an Initiative of 2, the Deinonychus activates first. With only 1 AP left, the Deinonychus performs its attack... and scores a critical hit! The damage result rolled is now doubled! The player rolls a D8 and scores 8 for a total of 16 damage! The Deinonychus successfully kills the Mercenary!
This example of gameplay highlights the strategic choices, risks, and rewards, that will players will encounter in a game of Clone-a-Saurus. The dynamic and cinematic interplay between movement, actions, and abilities ensures an engaging and cinematic experience for all!
Find out more!
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Check out the Rulebook on our Store!
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Download our free-to-print Components on our Downloads page!
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Check out our Open License page if you want to sell Clone-a-Saurus Accessories and Minis!
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Read more about the Game and future expansions on the Developer's Blog!