Dinosaur Princesses

In Dinosaur Princesses by Hamish and Dana Cameron, players play as literal dinosaur princesses (regardless of gender). Unlike many role-playing games, all you need to play is a 47-page rulebook, a fistful of 6-sided dice, and a first-grade education. For players ages 6 and up, Dinosaur Princesses is a simple game to learn and to play. Players choose their dinosaur kind and princess kind, such as an Ankylosaurus Astronomer or even a Ghost Writer—”dinosaur” is a loosely defined term in this game. Then you choose two words each to describe your strengths as a dinosaur and for your princess strengths. The Ghost Writer could be Big and Quiet and Kind and Thoughtful. The players choose a name and their pronouns and then boom! They’re ready to play.

The gamemaster, called the “Paleontologist” in this game, presents the players with a problem they must work together to solve. Using the words they chose for their characters to overcome obstacles contributes extra dice to the players’ dice pool to be rolled against the Paleontologist’s own dice pool. The results of these contested rolls determine the outcome of any given situation and, ultimately, the problem’s resolution. Gameplay is that simple. There is no lore or setting to study and memorize. Just grab some paper and crayons and start creating a story together.

For a better understanding of the nuances, you should consult the rulebook. If you opt for the print version (available at Indie Press Revolution which includes a PDF version) then your players can color the rulebook (it really is a coloring book as much as a rulebook). Or you can just get the PDF version for less money from DriveThru RPG. And honestly, it’s all you need unless you’re a collector with a thing for print versions. There are resources for download at ardens.org/games/dinosaur-princesses.

Dinosaur Princesses won the 2019 Ennie Awards for Best Family Game and was nominated for Best Electronic Book and Product of the Year. This game is so easy and accessible to play that you may run out of ideas for problems for your players. At least that was my experience. Here are 36 potential problems to present to your players. Some are for more advanced players. Use your best judgment. You know your table better than anyone else. And have fun with this one! Definitely don’t take it too seriously.

I’d love to hear about your experiences with Dinosaur Princesses.

About Author

Patrick

Patrick began playing RPGs around 1994 when his brother introduced him to AD&D and Cyberpunk 2020. His current favorites are D&D 5E and Forbidden Lands. Raised on a steady diet of jalapeños, MTV, 80s action, sci-fi, and horror movies, his gut has been wrenching for nearly 40 years. He lives in North Georgia with his family and way too many books.

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