On a Scale of One to T-Rex Board Game Review:
In the game On a Scale of One to T-Rex, you will act out various prompts at different intensities. Your goal is to help the other players determine how intense your acting is on a 1-10. If you and another player believe you both are acting the same intensity, you reveal your cards scoring points if you match. Whoever has the most matches at the end of the game wins.
Setup
- Place the orange, red, and blue action decks in the center of the table. Draw one card from each deck and put it beside each deck.
- Place the number deck in the center of the table, then deal one card out to each player. (If a player drew a swap card, immediately discard it and draw another until you get a number card.)
- Place the Good and Bad Tokens in the center of the table. The number of tokens you put in the center of the table depends on the number of players.
How to Play
On a Scale of One to T-Rex has no turns. All players will be acting simultaneously. Each player looks at their number card. The color of your card refers to one of the action decks. So if you got an orange number card, and the face-up orange card said “Be a t-rex,” you would pretend to be a t-rex. Your number card also has a number between 1 and 10. This represents the intensity. The higher your number, the more intense you will be acting. So a 1 t-rex might be limply holding your arms to your side, whereas a 10 may also involve stomping and growling.
When acting, you may do almost anything you want, talk, sing, act, move, and more. However, you cannot say or gesture anything related to your number. Such as holding some fingers up, saying a number, or using words referencing your number, such as “half.”
While you are acting out your card, you want to keep an eye out for other players acting with the same intensity as you are (even if you are acting out different things). If you believe you have matching numbers, you may present your card to the other player by holding it toward them face-down. They will hold their card out in response if they also believe you have the same card. Once the 2 players agree, they both flip their cards over.
- If the cards match, each player gains 2 Good Tokens, worth 1 point each.
- If the cards are only off by 1, each player gains 1 Good Token.
- If the cards are 2 or further apart, each player takes 1 bad token, worth -1 point each.
Anytime you get a card you don’t want to act anymore, you may discard your number card. Usually, this is because you don’t think any other players have your number. Be aware this will make all other players only know what your new card is once you start acting again.
If you ever draw a swap card, discard it and draw a new card from the corresponding deck, or any deck if it was wild. Place the new card on top of the old one. Replacing the old prompt. Then draw a new number card. If a player is currently acting out a prompt that was replaced by a swap, they may switch to the new prompt or continue using the old one.
Once all of either the good or bad tokens have been taken, the game immediately ends. (If more tokens are earned than the tokens remaining on the table. Provide the appropriate tokens from the box. Each good token is worth 1 point, and each bad token is worth -1 point. Whoever has the most points wins.
Pros
On a Scale of One to T-Rex is a high-action game involving everyone. It won’t take long for everyone to act out their various roles chaotically. This game is exciting right away and stops quickly, letting everyone have fun without the risk of exhaustion.
Cons
If you have a shy or physically incapable player, it may be hard for them to act to the same level as everyone else. Other players will learn to avoid making deals with these players because they cannot communicate their intensity as clearly as everyone else. Because it would result in negative points for both players.
It may be difficult for a group of players who are unfamiliar with each other. This game relies heavily on knowing how crazy each player will act given different numbers. So it may be less fun with an unfamiliar group.
Accessibility
Color Blind: On a Scale of One to T-Rex has colors as a big focus of the game. Because of this, each color has a specific pattern in its corner. This helps the colorblind quickly identify the action they should take.
Reading: while this game involves reading. It is easy to announce the action as soon as it’s flipped for the players who struggle reading.
Children: Kids will love acting out all the crazy prompts. They may need help to make matches with other players, making it hard to play the game as intended. But if you play for fun. Taking turns and guessing each other’s numbers could make the game fun for them.
Who would love this game?
On a Scale of One to T-Rex is perfect for those who want high action in a short amount of time. This game is perfect for A group of 4-8 people that knows each other very well. You will have a blast acting out all the different prompts while trying to read your friends.
Final Thoughts
On a Scale of One to T-Rex is a high-action game that brings a fun twist to charades. This game especially does well in established groups. It masters the balance of having each player take their turn simultaneously while still watching their opponents. If you are looking for a game that focuses on strategy or to introduce to a new group, On a Scale of One to T-Rex is probably not for you. But if you have a group of friends in mind that are looking for a high-action party game, consider bringing On a Scale of One to T-Rex.
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