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Construction |
The racetrack is on a plywood base, covered by 1" of expanded polystyrene (so the pit could be dug)
and a polystyrene bank around the track.
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Where It has Been |
1993 Present arms (Rochford)
1993 Broadsword (Loughton)
1995 Rampage (Illford)
1995 Salvo (Colchester)
1996 Fiasco (Leeds)
1998 Fantasy Partisan (Newark)
1998 Rampage (Illford)
1998 UK Games Fest (Harlow)
1998 The Other Partisan (Newark)
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Rules |
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Marshals |
One or two marshals administer the game,
arbitrating on the rules and moving the chariots according to the wishes of the charioteers.
Up to four charioteers may participate in a single race.
They direct the movement of the chariots.
To start the game, each charioteer is dealt 6 cards.
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Each Turn |
Each charioteer takes a card.
If the chariot completely crossed the finish or halfway line in its previous turn,
the charioteer's hand is made up to 6 cards.
If any charioteer has a magical effect card, it is played now:
magical effect cards cannot be held.
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Movement |
Each charioteer places either 1 or 2 cards face down, it is illegal to play 0 cards.
If the charioteer wishes to play a special move card, this is also played now.
Resolve movement, starting with the leader.
If the chariot crashed into a stationary obstacle last turn,
it plays only 1 card and only turns.
Move the distance indicated by the first card.
Turn up to the angle indicated, in either direction,
with the turn indicator placed at the rear of the chariot.
The chariot may be turned none, full,
straight (to align with the straight) or until the charioteer says when!
Drift sideways upto the distance indicated, in either direction.
If the card states or drift, this is instead of turning.
If the card states and drift, this may be in addition to turning.
Repeat for the second card.
Repeat for each charioteer.
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Leader |
The chariot that has completed the greatest angle around the course is the leader.
In the event of a tie, the chariot on the inside is in the lead.
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Crashes |
Crashes are resolved as they happen.
If a chariot crashes into a stationary obstacle during its move,
it may not move or turn further this go.
If a chariot crashes or is crashed into before it moves,
it may still attempt to move this turn.
If two chariots are involved,
each charioteer draws a card at random from the other's hand
and the other chariot suffers the effect stated.
If the chariot hits an obstacle,
the marshal takes a card from the charioteer
and the chariot suffers the effect on the card.
If the obstacle is the outer ring of stakes,
the number of cards depends upon the chariot's speed:
- 1 card if speed 4 or 6,
- 2 cards if speed 8 or 10,
- 3 cards if speed 16,
- 4 cards if speed 20.
If the charioteer does not have enough (or any) cards,
the cards are taken from the top of the deck.
Repeat for the next turn.
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Jumping The Pit |
The pit in front of the stadium may be jumped.
To successfully jump the pit,
the chariot must play a single card which takes the chariot up the ramp
and clear on the other side.
The chariot may start on the ramp.
Note that this distance is more than 8".
If any part of the chariot is over the pit
or the chariot is overhanging the ramp after the play of a card,
then the charioteer is unsuccessful and crashes.
If the chariot crashes,
each of the other charioteers and marshals take a card
from the unsuccessful charioteer's hand to resolve as a crash.
If the charioteer is successful, the charioteer takes a card
from the hand of each of the other charioteers to resolve the magical damage that they take.
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Winning |
The winner is the leader at the end of the second lap.
Experienced players might wish to extend this to three laps.
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Game Accessories |
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Playing Cards |
A complete deck of playing cards. (199K)
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Damage Chart |
A chart to record the damage to your chariots. (14K)
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Playing Area |
A diagram showing the size of the playing area that we used. (14K)
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Turning Templates |
The combined movment and turning templates uses in these rules. (6K)
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Designer's Notes |
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The Cards |
A suggested mix of cards is supplied in the cards.pdf file.
Since the text can be seen through a single layer of paper a suitable backing sheet is suggested,
such as the CWA version supplied.
Otherwise you could get it copied on to thin card.
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The Chariots |
The suggested base size is 40mm x 100mm.
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The Start |
Start with the full length of the straight ahead,
since starting halfway down the straight (at the card replenishment point) significantly favours the inside chariot.
You start with 6 cards and are immediately dealt another, for a total of 7.
You might like to try removing the magical effect cards until the initial hands have been dealt and then shuffling them in to avoid silly starts.
More than 4 chariots => 2+ grid rows, => more laps.
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Movement |
Careful experimentation is required if you consider changing the movement distances.
With a lap distance of about 9 feet and an average move of 18 inches,
making the move distances shorter means the game is easier and slower.
If you make the moves longer, the spikes beckon, increasing the turn may not help.
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Turning |
Turn from the inside rear of the chariot.
Swinging out from the front has two problems: firstly the shape of the move is wrong,
secondly you tend to hit the spikes around the outside.
Similarly, if you turn then move instead of move then turn, the chariots look wrong on the track.
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Serious Racing |
The pit and the magic cards were added to give fun and variation to a short show participation game.
Playing without them is as much fun, but does require more laps.
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Marshals |
It is not the function of the marshals to cause accidents by deliberately
pointing a chariot at an obstacle that a charioteer wishes to avoid,
letting the charioteers move their own chariots will risk arguments about placement.
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Combat |
Originally we had a combat system,
but it did not seem to add much since charioteers only tended to use it on the first corner,
which is slow enough anyway.
If you wish to experiment, fine, otherwise just point your chariot and charge.
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Any Ideas? |
If playing suggests any improvements, I would be interested in receiving a copy.
Permission is given to make and distribute copies of this game for any purposes other than commercial gain.
This notice must be part of all such copies.
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