Giro d'Italia: The Game Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Box Contents
• A. Preparing the Race
  • A.1 Race Configuration
  • A.2 The Riders
  • A.3 Further Preparations
• B. Game Turns
  • B.1 Movement of the Riders Who Have Broken Away
  • B.2 Breaking Away
  • B.3 Notification of the Peloton's Pursuit
  • B.4 Movement of the Peloton
  • B.5 Movement of the Riders Dropped by the Peloton
  • B.6 The Peloton Token Changes Hands
• C. Race Conditions
  • C.1 Slipstream
  • C.2 Taking Risks: Cracking and Falling
  • C.3 Puncture
  • C.4 Recovering Energy
• The Goal of the Game
• D. Giro d'Italia
  • D.1 Strategy
  • D.2 Bonus Time
  • D.3 Time Trial
  • D.4 Remaining Energy
• Special Cards

Box Contents

1 rulebook, 21 "route" hexagons, 1 "Giro d'Italia general classification" hexagon, 15 riders (5 teams of 3), 16 "general classification" tokens, 1 peloton (to be placed in its stand), 1 "peloton leader" token, 1 twelve-sided "peloton" die (with stickers of values 3, 4 and 5 to be attached), 1 twelve-sided "event" die, 36 "feed zone" tiles (12 yellow, 12 red, 12 green), 1 race log (energy table) pad, 11 tokens (3 "feed zone", 2 "bonus time", 6 "mountain category"), 12 reference sheets, 15 special cards.

A. Preparing the Race

A.1 Race Configuration

There are 4 different types of routes:

• Plain (green-bordered route)
• Ground rise (orange-bordered route)
• Mountain pass (red-bordered route)
• Downhill (black-bordered route)

Choose route hexagons and lay them side by side to build the race route. Thanks to the hexagons, every race will be different. The following rules must always be observed:

1. A race begins with a "start line" hexagon and ends with an "arrival" hexagon.

2. A ground rise must be placed before a hexagon showing a mountain.

3. Place a (value 1–3) "mountain category" token at the foot of the mountain. This determines the difficulty of the climb and the risk of "cracking" (see C.2).

   • Category 1: extremely difficult category
   • Category 2: difficult category
   • Category 3: easy category

   It is possible to put 2 different "mountain category" tokens on the same mountain (see the Appendix).

4. Place one or more "feed zone" tokens, as shown in the diagram.

   • For a shorter race (about 10 hexagons): 1 feed zone
   • For a longer race (about 15 hexagons): 2 feed zones
   • For an extra-long race (about 20 hexagons): 3 feed zones

5. Shuffle the 36 "feed zone" tiles and place them face down in 3 piles (green, yellow, red) next to the board.

A.2 The Riders

The 15 riders in the box belong to 5 different teams. The 3 riders of a team wear the same coloured jersey but have different coloured bases. The colour of a rider's base determines his special ability: rouleur, leader, or climber.

Number of riders per player

• No more than 12 riders may ever take part in one race.
• Every player has the same number of riders.
• The players decide how many riders each of them plays with: 1, 2 or 3.
  • 2–4 players: players play with 1, 2 or 3 riders. Each player's team gets 1 rouleur, 1 leader and 1 climber. Individual tactics outweigh alliances.
  • 5 players: players play with 1 or 2 riders. Each player in turn picks 2 riders from the same team, whichever he thinks best suits the prepared route. Both alliances and individual tactics matter in the race.
  • 6–10 players: every player has 1 rider. Each player in turn picks 1 rider he thinks best suits the prepared route. A fast race, full of alliances and disagreements around the table.

Notes for 6–10 players with 1 rider each:

• Different players may play riders of the same team (matching jersey colour).
• You may be forced to choose among rider types (rouleur, leader, climber). Use your rider's abilities to best advantage and forge the best alliances.

A.3 Further Preparations

Energy

• Every player places his rider(s) and a "race log" in front of him. He writes down the energy the race grants his rider(s) and his rider(s)' name(s) (see Figure 1).
• Every rider at the start line begins the race with the same amount of energy. The starting energy equals the sum of the milestone values shown on the hexagons used in the race.
• The energy values must remain visible to every player throughout the race.

Sprinters and descenders

• Each player decides which of his riders excels at descending and which excels at sprinting (mark it with an X in the matching box of the race log) (see Figure 1).
• A rider can only have one of these two strengths.
• Descenders get one extra free square for every move that starts on a downhill.
• Sprinters get one extra free square for every move that starts in a sprint zone (the stretch of road between the sprint marking and the arrival line).

There is no sprint zone when the arrival is on a mountain.

Special cards

Every player gets one special card per rider. Draw the cards randomly using one of these 2 methods:

• Face down: every rider gets a special card at random, regardless of his special ability.
• Face up, matched to ability (our suggestion): yellow cards to leaders, red cards to climbers, and green cards to rouleurs.

A card can only be played once per stage, and must then be discarded. If a card grants 2 special abilities, both effects apply at once when it is played.

Getting ready for the start

• Place the peloton, mounted in its stand, on the start line.
• At the start of the race, every rider is in the peloton.
• The player who last rode a bicycle gets the peloton leader token. He places it in front of himself.

B. Game Turns

1. Movement of the riders who have broken away (if any), in classification order.
2. Breaking away.
3. Notification of the peloton's pursuit.
4. Movement of the peloton.
5. Movement of the riders dropped by the peloton (if any), in classification order.
6. The peloton token changes hands.

B.1 Movement of the Riders Who Have Broken Away

• Riders move on the squares of the route.
• No more than one rider may ever occupy a square.
• Riders cannot move through a square occupied by another rider.
• A rider who has broken away moves according to the classification order (the 1st action of every turn).
• Once a rider has opened a gap ahead of the peloton (see B.2), his player must place him on the board. From this moment he moves according to his special ability and strengths. Every rider starts with a free movement whose value depends on his special ability (leader, rouleur or climber) and on the type of square where his movement begins (plain, ground rise, mountain, or downhill) (Figure 2).

Free movements (in squares):

Rider	Plain (green border)	Mountain (red border)	Downhill (black border)	Ground rise (orange border)
Rouleur (green base)	3	1	4	2
Leader (yellow base)	2	2	4	2
Climber (red base)	1	3	4	2

• Beyond these free squares, a rider may pay for further squares of movement (Figure 3).

Paid movement (cost in energy):

Paid squares	1	2	3	4	5	6
Energy spent	1	3	5	8	11	15

• This paid movement immediately reduces the energy value on the race log (Figures 4 and 5). Example of paid movement on a plain (green border): free squares + paid squares = energy spent — a rouleur (green base) spends 3 energy, a leader (yellow base) spends 5 energy, a climber (red base) spends 8 energy.
• A rider may only move straight ahead or diagonally. He may never stay still or move sideways (Figure 6).

Special case: riders may pass through a square occupied by another rider if the route is completely blocked at that point (occupied across its whole width). In that case he must:

1. Choose the longest available path.
2. Pay 1 extra energy point for every occupied square he passes through.

Example: the road is "blocked" ahead of the last-placed rouleur. The player chooses a move of 5 squares: 3 free squares (rouleur on a plain) + 2 paid squares + 2 extra points for passing through 2 occupied squares. Total cost: 5 energy points.

• If a rider catches up with another rider, he goes first in the next turn (we suggest moving the overtaking rider slightly ahead of the other, as a reminder of the new order). Example: the yellow rider catches up with the green rider. He is placed ahead of the green rider, and goes first in the next turn (in classification order).
• If the peloton catches up with or overtakes a rider who had broken away, that rider rejoins the peloton. His player places him back in front of himself; the rider moves with the peloton again, as at the start of the race.

Example on a bend: the peloton has not caught the yellow rider, so he is not reabsorbed. If the peloton moves one or more further squares, it will absorb him.

B.2 Breaking Away

• Every player may send one or more of his riders ahead of the peloton, clockwise starting with the leading player (the one holding the peloton token).
• To break away, a rider must move at least four squares.
• Once he has broken away from the peloton, a rider moves according to his special ability and strength; see the free-movement rules above.

Examples of breaking away: the squares available to open a gap in a straight stretch of road; the squares available to open a gap on a bend; and a special case in which a rider breaks away starting from a plain — the number of free squares then depends on his special ability (3 for a rouleur, 2 for a leader, 1 for a climber).

B.3 Notification of the Peloton's Pursuit

Before the peloton die is rolled, the player holding the peloton leader token may declare a "+1". In that case the peloton moves 1 extra square beyond the die result.

B.4 Movement of the Peloton

• The peloton occupies 2 squares lengthwise.
• The player leading the peloton rolls the die.
• The peloton moves according to the value rolled.
• The peloton's movement is increased by one square:
  • if there is no rider left in the peloton;
  • if the peloton's pursuit has been announced (see B.3).
• The peloton's speed and its consequences:
  • If the peloton moves 5 squares, every rider in the peloton* must pay 1 energy point.
  • If the peloton moves 6 squares, every rider in the peloton* must pay 2 energy points.
  • If the peloton moves 7 squares (die result = 5, +1 "no rider in the peloton", +1 for the pursuit), every rider rejoining the peloton* must pay 3 energy points.
  • * Riders who were in the peloton at the start of the move, or who rejoin it during the move.
• On bends, the peloton moves along the dotted squares.
• If the die shows a red face, the peloton moves 4 squares and every rider then risks a puncture (see C.3).

B.5 Movement of the Riders Dropped by the Peloton

• If a rider cannot pay for the peloton's move of 5 or more squares, he is dropped: immediately after the peloton moves, he is placed on the square directly behind the peloton. From the next turn onward, he plays after the peloton, and can move as breakaway riders do — according to his own special ability.
• A rider can also be dropped as the result of a puncture (see C.3).
• Dropped riders (5th action of every turn) move in classification order.
• Dropped riders can never benefit from the peloton's slipstream (see C.1).
• A rider may also be dropped from the peloton voluntarily, to help a team mate in difficulty catch back up to the peloton.

B.6 The Peloton Token Changes Hands

Once every rider and the peloton have moved, the peloton token is passed clockwise.

C. Race Conditions

C.1 Slipstream

• A rider who finishes his move exactly behind another rider gets one free square of movement on his next move, drafting the rider ahead of him when that rider moves. If the rider ahead stays in place due to a fall or a puncture, the rider behind loses the slipstream.
• The slipstream is also lost if the rider ahead makes a move of at least 6 squares starting on a plain, ground rise or mountain, or a move of at least 8 squares starting on a downhill, or if a player plays the Marco or Francesco special card.

C.2 Taking Risks: Cracking and Falling

• A player may sometimes decide to have one of his riders take a risk (cracking or falling).
• The outcome of the risk is decided by a roll of the event die.
• The more risks (cracking or falling) a rider has already taken, the lower his odds: each further risk requires a higher die result to succeed.
  • 1st risk (cracking or falling): the die result must be 5 or higher. Regardless of the result, the player must mark an X in the "5" box of his rider's risk-taking row (Figure 8).
  • 2nd risk (cracking or falling): the die result must be 8 or higher. Regardless of the result, the player must mark an X in the "8" box of his rider's risk-taking row.
  • 3rd risk (cracking or falling): the die result must be 11 or higher.
• A rider may only take a risk (cracking or falling) if he has enough energy to pay its cost.

Cracking

• A "mountain category" token sits at the foot of every mountain. The number on it shows the maximum number of paid squares a rider may cover on that mountain without risking a crack.
• If a rider's move takes him past the value on the token, he risks cracking. In that case, after his move he must roll the event die. The result must be equal to or higher than the value set in the race log's "risk-taking" row, or the rider cracks.
• If a rider cracks, he must pay triple the cost of his move. E.g.: move cost = 5. If he cracks, move cost = 15. Before taking the risk, this rider must have at least 15 energy points.

Example of a move on a mountain:

• The climber (red base) moves 7 squares: 2 free squares and 5 paid squares → total cost: 11 energy points. He only covers 2 paid squares on the mountain itself, so he respects the token's value and does not risk cracking.
• The leader (yellow base) moves 4 squares: 2 free squares and 2 paid squares → total cost: 3 energy points. He only covers 2 paid squares on the mountain, so he respects the token's value and does not risk cracking.
• The rouleur (green base) moves 4 squares: 1 free square and 3 paid squares → total cost: 5 energy points. He covers 3 paid squares on the mountain, exceeding the token's value, so he risks cracking.

Falling

• Blackened squares on the route are "fall"-risk (poor asphalt) areas.
• A rider does not risk a fall if he crosses a blackened square using his free movement (base movement plus any slipstream). If he crosses it using paid movement, he risks a fall, and after his move he must roll the event die. The die result needed depends on the "risk-taking" row of the race log (Figure 8, "risk-taking" row).
• If a rider falls, he stops on the square where his move ended. He pays double the cost of that move and skips his next turn. E.g.: move cost = 5 energy points. If he falls, move cost = 10 energy points, and he skips a turn. Before taking the risk, this rider must have at least 10 energy points.
• Attention! A rider may only take one such risk per turn.
• After a fall, the rider restarts from the square where his move ended and he fell. He rejoins the classification order; if his square is occupied, he starts from the square behind whoever occupies it.

C.3 Puncture

• When the peloton die shows a red face, first the peloton (and any dropped riders) is moved, then every rider — breakaways, riders still in the peloton, and dropped riders alike — risks a puncture, in classification order.
• First the peloton moves according to the die value (see B.4).
• Then, in order, every rider rolls the event die. If the result is "1", that rider punctures. The rider ranked 1st rolls first; if he rolls "1" he punctures. Then the rider ranked 2nd rolls, and so on for every rider still racing. Riders in the peloton are ordered as follows: the riders of the player holding the peloton leader token go first, in the order rouleur, leader, climber, followed clockwise by the other players' riders in the same order.
• If a rider punctures, in the next turn he no longer moves in classification order — instead he moves last, after the peloton (just like dropped riders, if any).
• A punctured rider stays on his own square. He loses his slipstream (both the punctured rider and anyone drafting behind him).
• A punctured rider who was in the peloton is placed one square behind the peloton; in the next turn he moves right after the peloton. Other riders may not stop on a punctured rider's square, but may pass through it.

C.4 Recovering Energy

At a feed zone

• When a rider passes a "feed zone" token, his player draws a "feed zone" tile.
• A rouleur's player draws a green tile, a leader's a yellow tile, a climber's a red tile.
• The tile grants the rider 2 to 5 points of energy.
• This energy may be added to the rider's total immediately, or kept secret and spent later in the race (we recommend this option).
• Attention! If a player forgets to draw a tile at a "feed zone" token and moves on, he may not make up for it afterwards — not even if his next rider is also his own.

While racing

• A rider gets back 1 energy point for every free square of movement he had available but did not use (base movement plus any slipstream). The recovered energy is added to the rider's total on the race log.

Example: the leader (yellow) moves 4 squares (2 free + 2 paid). The rouleur (green) has 4 free squares available (3 base + 1 slipstream). If he moves 3 squares, he recovers 1 energy point. If he moves 2 squares, he recovers 2 energy points. If he moves 1 square, he recovers 3 energy points.

The Goal of the Game

The goal is to be the first to bring your rider across the finish line. That rider is the winner of the race.

D. Giro d'Italia

D.1 Strategy

If you want to play a multi-stage Giro d'Italia, you will need to build a long-term strategy. You will find the Giro's stages in the Appendix. Prepare a race calendar (1 stage per evening, 2 stages per evening, …).

The general classification is tracked on the "general classification" hexagon (see below). 15 "general classification" tokens represent the riders (see the example in Figure 9). The largest token marks the rider leading the general classification.

• At the start of stage 1, place the tokens of the participating riders on the large starting square (the white square) (Figure 10).
• If a rider gains bonus time (see D.2), move his token 1 square forward (clockwise).
• If a rider wins the stage, move his token 2 squares forward (clockwise).
• If a rider finishes the stage in a later turn than the winner, move his token backward (counter-clockwise) by as many squares as the number of turns by which he trailed the winner.
• If riders finish the stage in the same turn as the winner, they do not fall behind: their tokens do not need to be moved.

Eliminations:

• If a rider is lapped on the "general classification" hexagon, he is eliminated from the race for good.

• If a rider finishes a stage more than 3 turns behind the peloton, he is eliminated immediately.

• The leader of the general classification is marked with the large, pink token.

• In case of a tie, the rider with more energy remaining takes the higher place.

Example of a general classification: the white team's rouleur leads the race (he wears the pink jersey). The blue team's leader is second, 2 turns behind the leader. The green team's climber and leader are tied for third, 3 turns behind the leader. The white team's climber is fifth, 6 turns behind, etc. Note that the blue team's climber (last) is only 3 turns from elimination.

D.2 Bonus Time

• For a multi-day race, place one or more bonus time tokens on the route (see Figure 11).
• The first rider to cross the line marked by a "bonus time" token may advance on the "general classification" hexagon: this rider's token moves 1 square forward (clockwise).

D.3 Time Trial

• There are two kinds of time-trial stage: individual and team. Neither uses the peloton — players only need to count their own moves, using their fingers to track them, during their own turn.

• Individual time trial: from the start, every rider races alone as if he had broken away, and every turn each player records his rider's energy in the race log — even when it does not decrease — so the number of time-trial turns can easily be counted afterwards.

  The starting energy is the normal race's energy, plus 50%.

  Example: the sum of the milestones is 37. Time-trial energy = 37 × 1.5 ≈ 55.

  For a time trial, free movements follow this table instead of the usual one:

  Rider	Plain (green border)	Mountain (red border)	Downhill (black border)	Ground rise (orange border)
  Rouleur (green base)	3	2	4	2
  Leader (yellow base)	3	3	4	2
  Climber (red base)	2	3	4	2

• Riders' time-trial results must be timed. A rider's time-trial result depends on 2 values: the number of turns he needs, and his timed result. The number of turns adds to the timed result: the first rider to finish adds 0 turns, the second rider adds 1, and the last rider always adds 3; riders finishing 3rd or later always add between 2 and 4.

  Example: a rider who finishes the whole stage in 20 turns, with a timed result of 5, ends with a time-trial result of 20 + 2 = 22.

• The rider with the lowest combined result wins the time trial; his token does not need to be moved on the general classification. Every other rider's token must be moved back on the general classification by as many squares as the difference between his time-trial result and the winner's.

• During the time trial, the following rules apply to cracking:

  • Place 7 tiles of the same colour, face down (values 2, 2, 3, 3, 4, 4, 5) — these replace the normal "feed zone" tiles for this purpose.
  • If a rider moves only 1 or 2 paid squares in a turn, he takes no risk. If he moves 3 or more paid squares, he must draw one of the 7 tiles and subtract the matching amount from his energy.
  • Once a rider has used all 7 tiles, he gets them all back.

• If a rider takes the risk of falling, he must roll the event die, which must show a 5 or higher, or he crashes: falling costs no energy, but he skips a turn. He must record his total (unchanged) energy in the new box, to make the final reckoning easier.

D.4 Remaining Energy

If riders have energy left at the end of a stage, they may keep it and carry it over to the next stage.

However, riders may never carry over more than 15 energy points (5 points, for a time trial).

Special Cards

Every player draws a special card for each of his riders. A card can only be played once per stage, and must then be discarded; if a card grants 2 special abilities, both take effect at once when it is played.

Card	Strength	Card action
Alfredo	Skilled planner	1 joker against a puncture + 1 free square on a plain
Beppe	Sprinter and clever tactician	1 free square in the sprint zone + 1 joker to avoid a fall on a plain
Fiorenzo	Extremely reliable	1 free square on a downhill
Francesco	Charismatic and determined	Blocks 1 square of movement on a plain in his slipstream + 1 free square on a plain
Mario	Extraordinary sprinter	1 free square in the sprint zone
Bernard	Stubborn fighting spirit	1 free square on a mountain
Eddie	Outstanding and driven	Draws 1 energy tile and uses it immediately
Felice	Fighting spirit and great tactician	1 free square on a ground rise
Jacques	Very strong	1 free square on a plain
Miguel	Balanced and calm	1 free square on any type of route
Charlie	Peerless climber	1 free square on a mountain + 1 joker against cracking on a category-3 mountain
Fausto	Natural talent	1 joker against cracking on a category-1 mountain
Gastone	Fearless descender	1 joker against falling on a downhill
Gino	Born fighter	1 joker against cracking on a category-2 mountain
Marco	Explosive attacker	1 free square + blocks 1 square of movement on a mountain in his slipstream