Card Racer. By Brad Bachelor and Mike Nicholson

2-4 Players 30-50 Minutes Ages 10+ Card Racer By Brad Bachelor and Mike Nicholson It s 2066, and you race the barren desert of Indianapolis. The crowd s attention span isn t what it used to be, however. No longer is winning the race enough; just winning is boring. You need to win and preferably do some sort of death defying stunt along the way. And, competition is fierce. So, power up your X-1 rocket engine and bolt on your grenade launcher, because only the fastest, the boldest, and the cleverest racer is going to win the crowd s favor and gain immortal fame. OBJECT OF THE GAME Gain the most Fame. Fame can be earned by performing stunts, placing well in the race, and by upgrading your car. CONTENTS: 307 Cards 1 Junkyard card 12 Overdrive cards 64 Player Fuel cards (4 Player Fuel decks; 16 cards each) 106 Track cards (2 Track decks; 53 cards each) 4 Reference cards (Including Start Player card) 4 Score cards 4 Start/Finish cards 4 Stunt Anticipation cards 20 Stunt cards 8 Stunt Ramp cards 80 Upgrade cards Page 1

CARDS = Suited Cards Track Deck & Player Fuel Deck Overdrive Start/Finish Stunt Stunt Ramp Junkyard Upgrade Score Card Stunt Anticipation Reference / Start Player Page 2

Set Up 2 Player Track (10 Rows, 3 Cards Per Row) 1. Shuffle both sets of Track cards individually, then place one set on top of the other to create one large Track deck. It doesn t matter which set is on top. 3 Player Track (8 Rows, 3 Cards Per Row) 2. Create the Track median (seen in the photos to the right) by dealing out rows of random Track cards face up in a long column. Cards in the same row may overlap as long as the suits are visible. Place the Start/Finish cards and the Stunt cards next to the median in the rows as shown (see the next page for help assembling stunts). 4 Player Track (9 Rows, 4 Cards Per Row, and a Start/Finish Line at Both Ends) Page 3

Stunts are assembled by placing panoramic cards next to each other. The in the four corners, and on the back, can help with orientation. One card in each stunt has an A and B on opposite sides. For this game, use the A side for the Hoop of Fire, and the B side for the Car Jump. The ramps are double sided as well. Use jump ramps side depicted to the left. Leave the other stunts in the box for now. After your first game, you will be able to build tracks with varying architecture and a diverse range of stunts (see Advanced Rules). 3. Place the Junkyard, the Track deck, the Upgrade Deck, and the Overdrive cards off to the side, but within reach. 4. Hand out Reference cards. Choose a start player to receive the Start Player Reference card. Play will go clockwise. 5. Each player should choose a car (box). Then, arrange your individual play area similar to below (or the mirror opposite). Your Score card should show the side without the / Penalties face up. Your Stunt Anticipation card can have either side face up. Play Area Page 4

6. Each player should take the 5 Starter Upgrade cards with the car icon in the bottom right hand corner matching their player color into their hand. In future games, you ll learn to draft Upgrade cards (see Advanced Rules). In general, you may look at your own cards, but do not show them to other players. A Starter Upgrade for the red player. 7. Place your car in its starting position and take bonus Overdrive cards based on player order. 8. Fuel up! 2 Player Game: Shuffle your Fuel deck. Draw 4 cards. 3 Player Game: Shuffle your Fuel deck. Draw 6 cards, then place 2 of your choice into your discard pile, in any order. 4 Player Game: First take out 1 of each suit from your Fuel deck. Put them into your discard pile in any order. Then, shuffle your Fuel deck and draw 4 cards. Page 5

Game play In Card Racer, you will be racing your car around the outside of the Track cards, row by row, up one side, back down the other, and taking a card from the median at the end of your turn. In this course, you will go counter-clockwise. Other than which side of the Track you are on, the side to side position of your car usually doesn t matter; just the vertical position (row to row). As such, when moving, feel free to swerve your car around other cars -with sound effects if you like- as you see fit. Note, there is no limit to the number of cars that can occupy the same row. A Leg Corners When a car reaches the end of a column, the next row forward is the one around the corner. Sharp turns are a stressful part of racing. In Card Racer, whenever your car goes past a corner, you must discard one suited card from either your hand or from the top of your Fuel deck. Rounding the corner at the end of the column completes a leg. Rounding the corner to reach the Start/Finish line again completes a lap. The distance of the race, and when missing Track cards get replenished, is determined by player count: A Lap 2 Players: 2 laps. Replenish the Track after the lead car completes each lap. 3 Players: 2 laps. Replenish the Track after the lead car completes each leg. 4 Players: 1 lap + 1 leg. The race starts at one checkered Start/Finish line, goes around one and a half times, and ends at the other. You may remove the first Start/Finish line after everyone has taken their first turn. Replenish the Track after the lead car completes each leg. Replenishing Track Cards & Ending the Race When the car ahead on the Track finishes a lap (or a leg in a 3 or 4 player game), immediately pause the game, and replenish any missing cards in the Track, dealing face up from the Track deck, starting in the row closest to the Start/Finish line. Don t do this again for the cars that follow. Respect row limit: 3 cards per row in a 2 or 3 player game, 4 cards per row in a 4 player game. Continue to replenish when the lead car finishes further laps or legs, except for the final one. In this instance, the Track is not replenished, but rather the game will end at the end of the current round. A round consists of every player, starting with the start player, taking a turn. Page 6

Turn Sequence On your turn, you must move your Base Move, and you may play cards from your hand or perform stunts. You may play cards or perform stunts before or after your Base Move. Your Base Move is only done once, however, while playing cards and performing stunts may be done multiple times in a turn, without limit. Base Move: All cars, unless otherwise stated, have a Base Move of 1. Once, on your turn, move your car 1 row forward. This is mandatory. Playing Suited Cards Cards from the Track and cards from your Fuel deck are both suited cards, and are treated the same. When you play a suited card for an effect, you must resolve that effect completely before playing another card or using an Upgrade. Unless otherwise stated, suited cards are played into your play area, and are put into your discard pile at the end of your turn. Speed: Move a number of rows forward equal to the number on the card. You must complete the full movement. Refuel: A played Refuel card is placed immediately into the Junkyard (out of the game). Take a number of cards off the top of your discard pile equal the number on the card. Place one of these cards -your choice- face down on the top of your Fuel deck. Place the rest (if you played greater than a 1 ) face down on the bottom of your Fuel deck in any order you wish. Battery: A Battery card is played face up at the top of your play area. This card will remain here for the remainder of the game, and will not be discarded. This is now a slot that can hold an Upgrade (see Playing Upgrade Cards). You may play any number of Battery cards, regardless of the number of Upgrades played. Page 7

Fame: A Fame card is played face up onto your Stunt Anticipation card (leaving the Stunt A or B visible at the top). If your Stunt Anticipation card is empty, when you first play here you must declare to the crowd which stunt you are going to perform next by flipping your Stunt Anticipation card to its A or B side. Each successive Fame card played goes on top of the previous card (slightly staggered), and must be of greater value than the card underneath it. You may skip numbers, but you may not duplicate numbers already out. Okay Okay Not Okay Not Okay Fame cards stay here, and are not discarded at the end of your turn. In this way, you are building anticipation for your performance. When you reach the ramp of your declared stunt, you will either perform the stunt and score these Fame cards (moving them to your Score card), or not perform the stunt, in which case you will disappoint the crowd, and have to discard these cards. A Fame card scores you Fame (points) equal to the number on the card at the end of the game, but only if it is in your Score pile (i.e., on your Score card). Performing Stunts When your car reaches a row with the start ramp for a stunt you have declared for, you must do one of two things: 1) Perform the stunt. Discard the 3 suited cards shown on the stunt. Note, the value of those cards does not matter, just the suit. If you do, move all cards on your Stunt Anticipation card to your Score card, face down; move your car past the stunt to the end ramp; and lastly, take 1 Overdrive card as a reward (The on the stunt is a reminder). (see Overdrive Cards). 2) Pass by the stunt. If you cannot, or choose not, to perform a stunt you have delcared for, you must discard all cards on your Stunt Anticipation card. You have let the crowd down. Move your car off to the side of the stunt to show you are not performing it (you may move and take Tracks cards in the same rows as the stunt like normal). Page 8

Any number of players may perform the same stunt in a round. Once you have passed the start ramp of a stunt, you may declare for another stunt, or for that same stunt again, next lap. When there are no cards on your Stunt Anticipation card, you may change its A or B side at will. Once there are cards on it, however, if you decide to change your declaration (flipping A to B, or B to A), you must discard all cards currently on your Stunt Anticipation card. There are two additional rules when performing stunts: 1) The Run-Up Rule: you cannot perform a stunt if you start your turn on the start ramp. You must move to it on your turn. 2) The Over-Reach Rule: when performing a stunt, you do not have to land exactly on the start ramp. Any movement past the start ramp, however, is wasted (you cannot split it, and save it for later). You will always end the stunt at the end ramp. Yellow plays a 2, moving to the start ramp, then discards to perform the stunt, and moves her car to the end ramp. Here, Yellow plays a 3, moving over the start ramp, then discards to perform the stunt. She still moves her car to the end ramp. After you have completed a stunt, you may then continue with the rest of your turn (moving more by card play, taking your Base Move, etc.). Playing Upgrade Cards To play an Upgrade card, there must first be an available slot, which is created by playing a Battery. Then, you must pay the Upgrade s cost. To do this, discard the suited cards depicted in the upper left hand corner of the Upgrade. Note, the value of these cards does not matter, just the suit. Put the Upgrade card into play on top of the Battery. Page 9

You may play any number of Upgrades if you have open slots. One Time Use Upgrades take effect immediately. Upgrades are not discarded, even after use (One Time Use Upgrades continue to take up a slot). Overdrive cards An Overdrive card can be used in place of any other card when paying the cost of an Upgrade. It cannot be used for any other purpose. An Overdrive card never goes into your discard. Put it back on top of the available supply once used. End of Turn At the end of your turn, you must do the following, in order: 1) Draw one card from the Track in the row where your car has ended this turn. 2) Draw one card from the top of your Fuel deck. 3) Check for hand limit. If you have more than 6 suited cards in your hand, you must discard down to 6 suited cards. Upgrade cards and Overdrive cards never count towards hand limit. 4) Gather all cards you ve played this turn (those that do not stay out, such as Batteries, etc.), and all cards you ve discarded and put them face up on top of your discard pile in any order. Do not change the order of cards previously placed into your discard pile. The Discard Pile Rule: On your turn, cards you play or discard (either from your hand or your Fuel deck) both go into your play area. They do not immediately go into your discard pile. At the end of your turn you will gather them and put them there. This prevents you from playing a Refuel card to put a card you ve played or discarded this turn immediately back on top of your deck. On turns you don t play a Refuel card, it won t matter, and you can ignore this rule. If you need help remembering this, try always playing/discarding your cards onto your Player Reference card, then at the end of your turn taking those cards and putting them into your discard pile. Penalties Or It is dangerous to run out of fuel, or fall too far behind. You must take a Penalty if 1) on anyone s turn you are required to draw or discard from your Fuel deck and you have no cards left in your Fuel deck. After taking the Penalty, take all cards in your discard pile and put them into your Fuel deck. Shuffle your Fuel deck. Lastly, continue on with the effect that caused you to take a Penalty (i.e., draw or discard). 2) at the end of any round (after all players have had a turn) you are 15 or more rows behind any other car on the Track. You may only take one Penalty per game for this reason. At the end of a later round, if you find yourself 15 or more rows behind again (or still), do not take a Penalty. Page 10

Each Penalty is worth -10 Fame. The first time you take a Penalty, flip your Score card over (you may have to temporarily remove scored Fame cards there and then put them back). Make sure the is showing at the top. If you take a second Penalty, rotate your Score card so the is showing at the top. If you take a third Penalty, you immediately lose the game. Game End When the lead car finishes the last lap, the game will end at the end of the current round. Players will add up the value of all cards on their Score Card, subtract any Penalties, and add to it: 1) Bonus Fame From Upgrades: Every Upgrade you play after your 2nd earns you bonus Fame. 3 rd Upgrade: 1 Fame 4 th Upgrade: 2 Fame 5 th Upgrade: 3 Fame In this way, if you play all 5 Upgrades, you will get 6 Fame. 2) Bonus Fame From Track Placement: Whoever is furthest ahead on the Track will get Fame. Ties are broken in player order (1 st player beats 2 nd player, etc.). 2 player Game: o 1 st Place: 6 Fame o 2 nd Place: -none- 3 Player Game: o 1 st Place: 7 Fame o 2 nd Place: 2 Fame Winner! o 3 rd Place: -none- 4 Player Game: o 1 st Place: 8 Fame o 2 nd Place: 3 Fame o 3 rd Place: 1 Fame o 4 th Place: -none- Whoever has the most Fame is the winner. If there is a tie, the player who placed further ahead on the Track is the winner. Further ties are broken by player order (1 st player beats 2 nd player, etc.). Page 11

Advanced Rules Draft After your first game, you might wish to try a draft for the Upgrade cards. Shuffle all the Upgrades cards together (including the Starter Upgrades). 1) Deal out 6 random Upgrade cards to each player. 2) Each player looks at their hand of Upgrade cards and secretly selects one, putting it face down in front of them. 3) Once everyone has selected, give your hand of Upgrade cards to the player sitting on your left, and receive another hand of Upgrade cards from the player on your right. 4) Repeat steps 1-3 until you receive a hand of just 2 Upgrade cards. Select one to keep, and discard the remaining Upgrade card. Put all discarded Upgrade cards on the bottom of the Upgrade deck. Alternate Stunts You may use any stunts you wish when building your track. Try substituting the Hoop of Fire or the Car Jump with the Pendulum or the Loop the Loop. Or, build something more adventurous (see Alternate Tracks). When placing two stunts, make sure one is labeled A, and the other B. The Tunnel While other stunts are done for the crowd, what happens in a tunnel is done in secret. What s in there? Spikes? Sharks? Those in the know can tell you there s just an on-the-go ATM machine and a judge hanging around, waiting to make a deal. The Tunnel does not have an A or B, and thus does not require you to play Fame cards on your Stunt Anticipation card. Instead, when you reach the start ramp, discard the two suited cards depicted on the Tunnel (again, value does not matter) plus any third card. This third card is the bribe. Put that third card immediately into your score pile (it does not have to be a Fame card). You will score the value of that card at the end of the game. Move your car to the end ramp of the Tunnel. Just as with stunts, the Run-Up Rule and Over Reach-Rule apply. However, Tunnels do not give Overdrive cards as a reward, and for the purposes of Upgrade cards, are not considered stunts. Add tunnels to race tracks as you see fit. Page 12

5) The Stunts Assembled Alternate Tracks Try out some of our alternate race courses, listed at the end of this book, or create your own. When creating your own, leave at least 3 empty rows in between the start line and a stunt, and between two different stunts. And, don t include more than one A or B stunt in a race, otherwise, it ll get confusing (unless you have another way to mark which stunt you ve declared for, such as with tokens or coins). Corners In the advanced game, corners don t just happen at the end of columns. Any turn of the Track is a corner. For example, the Track on the left has 6 corners. Whenever your car goes past (or around) a corner, you must discard one suited card either from your hand or from the top of your Fuel deck. Page 13

FAQ What happens if a row I end my turn at is empty of Track cards? Do I skip over that row? You do not skip over that row. You simply do not draw a Track card at the end of your turn. If multiple rows are empty, and you feel you need a spatial reminder where one row starts and another ends, you may mark each empty row with a face down, sideways Track card. Do I need to draw a card from my Fuel deck at the end of my last turn of the game? If you have made it to (or past) the finish line, you do not need to draw from your Fuel deck (your car no longer needs fuel); if you have not, then you do. Can I voluntarily discard a card for no reason? No. Can I count the number of cards in my Fuel deck or discard pile? What about an opponent s? You may look through your own discard pile at any point. You may count the number of cards remaining in any player s Fuel deck at any point. Do I have to discard a card if I go around a corner backwards? No. Where do I put Track Cards discarded from the Track or Track deck (those not discarded from a player s hand or personal Fuel deck)? Where do I put discarded Upgrade cards? Put these cards face down on the bottom of their respective decks (i.e., Track deck or Upgrade deck). It should be noted that Upgrade cards never go into a player s discard pile. Track cards placed on multiple use Upgrades as markers should, likewise, go to the bottom of the Track deck when discarded. If I m forced to discard when it s not my turn, do those cards go directly into my discard pile? Yes. Cards discarded when it is not your turn go directly into your discard pile. What happens if the Track deck runs out when replenishing the Track? Place as many Track cards as you can, starting with the row closest to the start line of the race. What happens if the Track deck runs out, but an Upgrade tells me to draw from it? Draw a card from the Track instead, selecting any card (your choice) from the row closest to the Start line. Repeat for additional cards drawn. Intelligence Report, for example, says to draw 5 from the Track deck, select 3 and put 2 back. After taking 5 cards from the rows closest to the start line, select 3 to keep, then put the other 2 back on top of the empty Track deck (it s now no longer empty). What happens if the Track is devoid of one (or two) suits during set up? Page 14

Usually, this isn t a problem, even if a suit is particularly absent, but in rare instances it can make for a slow, or wonky game. If you want more even gameplay, replace cards until each suit has at least 3 cards represented somewhere on the Track during set up. What happens if the Overdrive cards run out? If you are supposed to take one, but there are none left, you are out of luck. The supply of these is limited. How far apart are cars on different laps (for the purposes of using Upgrades)? What does 15 or more rows behind really mean? Continue counting rows going around the corner. Below, the Yellow car is on its 1st lap; the Green car its 2 nd lap. For the purposes of taking a Penalty, the Yellow cars is 15 rows behind the Green car. For the purposes of using an Upgrade, however, treat the Yellow car as being three rows ahead of the Green car. Can I change the order of my discard pile? No. Not unless an Upgrade lets you. If you play a 1 Refuel, you must take the top card of your discard pile. You get bonus Fame for every Upgrade after the 2 nd. Do I count facedown Upgrades? Yes (with the exception of cards turned facedown for the Tinker Bot Upgrade). What happens if I have to discard an Upgrade that has scored Fame cards underneath it? Return those Fame cards to your Score Card. Can multiple people be on a stunt ramp space at the same time? Yes. A car never blocks another car from performing a stunt. In fact, it never blocks a space/row at all. What does Refuel 1 (Refuel 2, etc.) mean on an Upgrade card? Move 1 (Move 2, etc.)? Same as using a suited card. Refuel means take one (two, etc.) cards off the top of your discard pile. Place one of these cards face down on the top of your Fuel deck. Place the rest (if Refueling is greater than 1) face down on the bottom of your Fuel deck in any order you wish. Move means to move your car one (two, etc.) rows ahead. When an Upgrade card tells me to discard from my Fuel deck, does that mean the top? Yes, always discard from the top of your Fuel deck. If I play a 2 Refuel and a 3 Refuel, do I draw five and put one on the top? No. Treat them as separate cards. So, first draw two, put one on the top of your Fuel deck and the rest on the bottom. Then, draw three, put one on the top of your Fuel deck, and put the rest on the bottom. Page 15

Do I have to land on the Start/Finish line exactly to finish a lap, or at the end of the game? No. To complete a leg or lap, you simply need to reach, or pass over, the row in question. On your last turn of the game, continue moving past the finish line, if you are able. Alternate Race Courses Note, while the Tunnels here are Tunnels, the other stunts depicted could be any of the four included in the game. THE HOOK 2 Players 10 Rows 2 Laps THE DEAD ZONE 2 Players 8 Normal Rows 3 Dead Rows (with 1 facedown card) 2 Laps Cars ending their turn next to the dead zone do not take a Track card at the end of their turn. Page 16

THE U Version 1 & 2 3 Players 15 Rows 14 Rows 1 Lap THE BROKEN ELBOW 4 Players 10 Rows 1 & 1/2 Laps THE CRANK 2 Players 10 Rows 2 Laps Page 17

THE SNAKE 2 Players 17 Rows 1 Lap Do not replenish the Track. THE MOUNTAIN 2 or 3 Players 14 Rows 2 Laps When a player starts their turn on the orange side of the Track, their Base Move is increased by 1. THE GAUNTLET 2 Players 6 Rows 3 Laps Take a Penalty if you are at least 13 rows behind another car. Page 18

THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE 2 or 3 Players 17 Rows 2 Laps Drive along the outside only. 2 Players: Do not replenish the Track. 3 Players: Replenish the Track after the 1st lap. THE PIECE OF CAKE 2 Players 20 Rows (requires 2 sets of Track cards) 2 Laps Drive along the outside only. Do not replenish the Track at the end of a lap. Treat this course as if it were one long straight line (no corners). THE TUNNEL 4 Players 9 Rows x 2 Columns (2 cards in each row) 2 Laps Cars go in the middle of the two Tracks at first, and may take their Track card at the end of their turn from either side. At the 8 th row, you must choose to either go right or left. Whichever direction you go, you may only take cards from that column until you pass the start/finish line again. Replenish columns individually at the end of each leg (shown by red dots). Page 19

THE DETOUR 2 Players *12 Rows 2 Laps Cars may go straight, driving on top of the face down cards (grey in the photo), or take the detour, in which case the next row is around the corner. Turn your car and place it to the right of these face down cards. If you end your turn next to face down cards, do not take a card from the Track at the end of your turn. Taking the detour earns you additional Fame. Place all three cards you discard for the detour s three corners face down underneath your score card. Each card here is worth 2 Fame at the end of the game (ignore the card s face value). Discarding for the detour s corners is mandatory (you may not use an Upgrade to ignore it). Only count the detour rows when accessing the 15 behind Penalty if a relevant player is on the detour. Variants 1) Pacifism: All particularly aggressive Upgrade cards are marked with a. Remove them before set up for a friendlier game. 2) Power Up!: Everyone starts the game with 1 Battery already out. Page 20