When
I first found out about this racing game, I still had the idea of
a "Shoots and Ladders" type game, where you roll the dice and "race"
around the board hoping to be the lucky one that wins. When I actually
gave the game a shot, I found a pleasant surprise. This game uses
skill. Careful planning, along with some luck, will help you win the
game.
The game uses 6 different dice to represent gears, with the smallest
die being 1st gear, allowing your car to move only 1 or 2 spaces,
up to the largest die being 6th gear, allowing a move of 21-30 spaces!
This game really makes you feel like you are controlling a race car!
In addition to tracking which gear your car is in, you also have
a status sheet for your tires, engine, transmission (or fuel), body,
and a couple other stats. During the course of the race you may run
into problems, such as burning up your brakes or shreading your tires,
so you may need to hit the pits. While in the pits you might also
want to change the type of tire on your vehicle incase the weather
turns to rain.
The basics start you off with a double sided board (2 different race
tracks) which you can expand by purchasing other tracks to play on.
The game also starts you off with simple 1-lap rules and gradually
expanding to the full 3-lap game (although I have heard of larger
variation for serious gaming groups). All in all, I have to say I
am very impressed with this game and it has lots of room for expansion.
I'd also highly suggest getting Circuits
3 & 4: Zandvoort II (Netherlands) and Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium)
to expand your track options.