Driving Me Crazy!
Driving Me Crazy! Rulebook
Transcribed from the official English rulebook ("Rules v1 as Rulesheet", Simplexity Games), which is only published as page images on Canva. The page order of the variant pages was inferred from content and printed page numbers; see inline notes.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
1. Components
- 104 x base game cards
- 52 x '7-10 player' cards (marked '7+')
- 4 x double-sided reference cards (Quickstart rules)
- 56 x 'game variant' cards
2. Setup
- Sit around a flat playing area, suitable for playing cards. Make sure you're comfortable, it's a long drive!
- If playing with 7 or more players, use the additional cards marked by the '7+' symbol.
- Shuffle the deck well and deal 4 cards face down to each player. Place the remaining deck in the middle of the playing area, where all players can reach it.
- Leave space for a shared discard pile beside the deck.
- Other game variants can also be added into the game. See Game Variants.
3. How to Play
Choose a first player (ex. whoever last took a road trip). Play then continues clockwise.
On your turn: You must either play a card and do the actions on the played card, OR discard.
You then end your turn by drawing until you have a hand of 4 cards.
If you already have 4 or more cards, do not draw more at the turn's end. There is no hand limit.
4. Playing Cards
Distance cards are played in front of you, creating a 'road' of 50km and 100km cards.
Blue action cards are played for yourself to help you get ahead of the others.
Red action cards are played on opponents to hinder their journey.
Note: A red card can NOT be played to a player with a red card already in front of them.
5. Discarding Cards
On any turn, you may choose to discard one or more cards from your hand instead of playing a card.
Note: If you play any card on your turn, you may NOT discard on the same turn.
Note: The number of cards you discard is not always the number of cards you draw at the end of your turn. See Drawing Cards
6. Drawing Cards
At the end of your turn, if you have fewer than 4 cards, draw from the deck until you have 4 in your hand. If the draw pile is ever empty, reshuffle the discard pile. If you have 4 or more cards, do nothing.
Note: If a card shows the turn tracker symbol (a circled number), then the card is active for that many turns. At the end of each turn, rotate the card 90° to keep track. Do not remove it until the beginning of the turn that it no longer affects! This might protect you from red action cards between turns.
7. Winning the Game
The first player to reach exactly 1000 km (5+ players = 700 km) in their 'road', ends the game and wins.
Note: A player may not exceed the goal distance (i.e. they cannot play 100 km if they only need 50 km to win).
8. General 'Rules of the Road'
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You must play a card OR discard. You can only pass if you start your turn with no cards in your hand.
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Each action on a card is a separate effect. If you cannot legally carry out an action, simply skip it.
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If a card's action and this rulebook conflict, the card's action takes precedence.
9. Action Cards
These cards remain on the table until their effects are resolved and are then discarded.
Note: If you cannot complete an action, skip this action.
Red cards are played on and affect an opponent of your choice.
Stoplight: Skip 2 turns.
Tip: Playing with many people and longer rounds? Feel free to remove stoplights from the game.
U-turn: Discard the last 2 distance cards you played.
Traffic: You cannot play distance cards for 4 turns.
Toll booth: Choose 2 cards from your hand and discard them.
Blue cards are played on and affect yourself.
Roundabout: Play any 2 additional cards.
Shortcut: Resolve an active traffic card OR Play 2 distance cards.
Note: If used to resolve a traffic card, lay the shortcut in front of you. When your next turn begins, discard both the traffic and shortcut cards.
GPS: Search the deck and draw any 2 cards.
Bus: Draw 3 cards. Play a card.
Race car: Draw a card. Play a distance card. Repeat.
10. Game Variants
Tip: Playing with many players or with added variants? The game might last longer than usual. If you want a shorter game, play to a different goal distance, such as 700 / 500 km.
Quick Reactions Variant
Yellow lightning bolt cards are reaction cards. They must be played during another player's turn. Remember, your hand is refilled to 4 only at the end of your own turn.
Stop Sign: Play this when another player plays any card. Cancel the effects of the card and discard it.
Yield: Play this when another player plays a distance card. Instead of adding to their own 'road', the other player must play the card on your 'road', ignoring any active traffic or truck cards.
Backseat Driver: Play this when another player plays a blue or red action card. Instead of the active player, you immediately gain the benefits of the played card. If you cannot play it, discard it.
Swerve: Play at any time outside of your turn. All players must pass their entire hand to the player on their left.
Highway Hysterics Variant
This variant adds additional blue and red action cards to your game.
Speed Camera: Choose 3 distance cards from your hand and discard them.
Motorway: Search the deck and draw any distance card. Then play 2 distance cards to your road.
Truck: You cannot play 100 km distance cards for 6 turns.
Highway Sign: No stoplight cards may be played.
No U-Turn Sign: No u-turn cards may be played.
Low Tunnel Sign: No bus cards may be played.
Speed Bumps Sign: No race car cards may be played.
Signal Not Found: No GPS navigation cards may be played.
Fork in the Road Variant
The pages of the variants section carry no printed numbers except 11, 13, 15 and 17; the order of the following three entries and of the Carpool and Trailer entries below could not be confirmed from the source.
This variant adds additional blue action cards to your game. Each has a choice of one effect or another when you play the card. Only carry out the actions for one effect when you play the card.
Rest Stop: Draw 5 cards into your hand, OR Discard as many cards as you want.
Rearview Mirror: Search the discard pile, then show and draw any 3 cards OR Look at the hands of up to 3 other players.
Overtake: Discard an active truck card OR Play 2 distance cards.
Note: If used to resolve a truck card, lay the overtake in front of you. When your next turn begins, discard both the truck and overtake cards.
Signs of Madness Variant
These cards have a different design on the back of the card. Mix into the deck after everyone has been dealt their starting hand.
Every time one of the Signs of Madness cards are on the top of the deck, flip it over onto a separate discard pile. Whichever card is on the top of this pile affects the entire table until it is covered up by another Signs of Madness card.
Further cards (page numbered 17)
These two cards appear on the page numbered 17, directly after the Highway Hysterics cards in page-number order; the source gives no heading for them.
Carpool: Search the deck for a blue action card. Immediately play it for yourself and one opponent of your choice, OR Search the deck for 2 distance cards. Immediately play these for yourself. Take another of the same 2 cards and play these for an opponent of your choice, ignoring any traffic or truck cards.
Trailer: Draw until you have 6 cards in your hand for the next 4 turns, OR Play 2 cards instead of one for the next four turns.
Note: This card adjusts the base rules for playing one card per turn and then drawing back up to the hand minimum of 4 cards. It does not adjust other action cards.
Symbols
The source lists each symbol with its meaning in English, Dutch, German and French; only the English text is given here. The symbol pictures are rendered as words.
These are some of the most common symbols used in the game. See the rulebook for detailed explanations of each card.
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Arrow bending around a person | Skip your turn. |
| Card with a red X | Remove a (certain) card. |
| Card with an arrow into a dashed outline | Play a card. |
| Circled "2" with a turn arrow | Duration: 2 turns |
| Card with a red X in a dashed outline | You may not play a (certain) card. |
| Red, blue and green (distance) cards | Red / blue / distance card. |
| Stack of cards with an up arrow | Draw a card into your hand. |
| Green distance card with a red X | Remove the last card played on your 'road'. |
| Stack of cards with a magnifying glass | Search the deck and choose a card. Draw it into your hand. |
| Black card | Any card |
| Red card and blue card |