Granfondo: Tempo, Taktik, Kettenfett Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Components
• Game Concept
• The Game
• Quick Start: Preparation
  • Your Components
  • Game Setup
  • Starting Grid
• The First Round
  • Phase 1: Planning
  • Phase 2: Movement
  • Phase 3: After Movement
• From the Second Round Onwards
  • Basic Tactics
  • Doping – Risky Advantage with Potential Disqualification
• Course Features
  • On the Mountain
  • Obstacles
  • Outer Curves
  • Descent
  • Feed Zone
• Team and Performance
  • Managing Performance
  • Teamwork
• Finish Line and Scoring
  • Final Sprint
  • Placement
  • Doping Control
  • Scoring
• Pro Rules
  • Rider Drafting
  • Intermediate Scoring
  • Position Battle & Crash
  • Race Alliance
  • Rider Attributes
  • Belgian Rotation
• Traveling Trophy: The Granfondo Trophy
• Final Thoughts
• Automated Riders (Automa)

Game Components

• 1 Rulebook
• 1 Double-sided game board with 3 different race tracks
• 12 Cyclist miniatures in four team colors (3 per player)
• 12 Player boards, one for each Sprinter, Climber, and Rouleur in four player colors
• 12 individual boards, one for each rider
• 240 Race cards (20 per cyclist, including 2 doping cards per rider) to control movement
• 24 Automa cards
• 12 Performance markers to track each rider's performance value
• 12 Fate cards (values 1-12) for resolving position battles and determining starting positions
• 1 Die for performance checks
• 1 Traveling Trophy & 6 Victory Point tokens

Game Concept

• You control a team of three riders.
• Riders move by playing cards.
• The team with the best overall placements and the most points wins the race!

The Game

A round consists of three phases:

1. Planning Phase
   • Draw cards up to your hand limit
   • Secretly assign one card per rider
   • Optional: Play or discard doping cards
2. Movement Phase
   • Riders move in order of their position
   • Reveal cards and execute movement
   • Use special actions (starting from round 2):
     • Sprint using multiple cards
     • Slipstreaming
     • Rolling
     • Position battles (Pro rules)
     • Belgian rotation (Pro rules)
3. End Phase
   • Played cards go onto the discard pile
   • Check team performance
   • Draw new cards

The race ends:

• When the riders have crossed the finish line.
• Then, placement and doping control follow.

Quick Start: Preparation

A thrilling cycling race begins! In your first round, you will learn the key mechanics.

Your Components

• 3 cyclists in your team color:
  • Sprinter (black arrow on the base)
  • Climber (white mountain symbol)
  • All-rounder (dashed line)
• 3 player boards (one per cyclist)
• 20 race cards per cyclist, controlling moves
• 3 performance markers
• And 3 randomly assigned team members (1 Sprinter, 1 Climber, 1 Rouleur)

Game Setup

1. Choose a Track and Place It in the Center of the Table:
   • Track A: The Long Granfondo – A demanding route that requires smart energy management. Not all riders will make it to the finish!
   • Track B: The Classic Granfondo – A balanced course with plenty of tactical opportunities.
   • Track C: The Short and Fast Beginner Track – Ideal for first games and shorter sessions. For your first game, we recommend Track C.
2. Set the Performance Value:
   • Beginner: Place the markers on 4.
   • Advanced: Place the markers in the bold-outlined field.
   • The performance value determines your hand limit.
   • It always ranges between 2 (minimum) and 5 (maximum).
3. Prepare the Cards:
   • Shuffle the 20 race cards for each of your riders.
   • Place them face down on the corresponding rider board.

Starting Grid

• Shuffle the Fate Cards (1-12).
• Each player randomly draws fate cards for their riders.
• The drawn numbers determine the starting positions. Place your cyclists on the corresponding starting spaces (1-12) on the game board.
• Collect all fate cards, remove cards 11 & 12, and shuffle the remaining cards (1-10).

The First Round

Phase 1: Planning

1. Draw cards from each rider's deck until you reach the hand limit.
2. Look at your cards – the numbers indicate the possible movement points.
3. Choose one card for each rider.
4. Place the chosen cards face down.

Phase 2: Movement

Who Moves First?

• First turn: Riders move in order of their starting position (1, 2, 3…).
• From the second turn onwards: The rider in first place moves first.
• In case of a tie: The rider closer to the inner lane moves first.

Race Points (RP) = Movement Points

Example photo: 1. Yellow, 2. Red, 3. Blue, 4. Viole. (Source prints "Viole", apparently truncated for "Violet"; kept as printed.)

How to Move:

1. Reveal the card.
2. Move the rider:
   • Move straight or diagonally forward.
   • Move up to as many spaces (or less) as shown on the card.
   • Moving through other riders is allowed.
   • If all reachable spaces are occupied → Move to the next available space behind.
3. The next rider takes their turn.

Team Tactics: Cooperation on the Track. Riders from the same team can swap places for free if they are on adjacent spaces (including diagonally). This does not cost movement points.

Phase 3: After Movement

1. Place all played cards face up onto the discard pile of the respective player's tableau.
   • Important: These cards cannot return to play.
2. Draw new cards for each rider from their draw pile until the hand limit is reached.

From the Second Round Onwards

Now, key tactical elements come into play.

Basic Tactics

Rolling

Instead of playing a card, you can:

• Move forward by one space with a rider (not on climbs).
• If the rider's Performance Value is 2 (the minimum), they gain +1 Performance Point.

Slipstreaming

If a rider ends their movement on a space exactly two spaces behind another rider (diagonal is allowed), they may use the slipstream and move one additional space forward for free, landing directly behind the leading rider.

Uphill, the slipstream rule can be used as 'getting pulled along,' but only up to the individual climbing limit.

Sprint

Instead of playing a single card, you can play multiple cards:

1. Sprint using two cards:
   • Add up the Race Points (RP) from both cards.
   • Apply a penalty deduction:
     • Sprinter: -1 RP
     • Other riders: -2 RP
2. Sprint with three cards:
   • Add up the RP (Race Points) of all three cards.
   • Apply the first deduction as with two cards.
   • Apply an additional deduction:
     • Sprinter: -2 RP
     • Other riders: -3 RP

Example: A sprinter plays 2, 3, and 5: (2 + 3 + 5 - 1 - 2) = 7 spaces.

Doping – Risky Advantage with Potential Disqualification

Each rider has two doping cards in their deck:

• You may play them like regular race cards.
• You may discard a Doping card at any time (the card is removed from the game) and draw a new card.
• Doping cards act as wild cards and match all symbols for teamwork actions (see section "Team and Performance").

Important: A doping test takes place at the end of the race (see "Doping Test" in the "Finish & Scoring" section). (The source's cross-reference names headings that are printed as "Doping Control" and "Finish Line and Scoring"; the printed headings are used here.)

Course Features

On the Mountain

Once a rider enters a mountain space or is already on one, a maximum movement limit per turn applies:

• Climber: max. 5 spaces

• Rouleur: max. 4 spaces

• Sprinter: max. 3 spaces

• These limits apply to all movement on the mountain.

• Before the mountain, there are no restrictions – riders can roll in at full speed.

• Leaving the mountain: The movement limit applies to the entire turn if it starts on a mountain space.

Obstacles

When passing through dirt or cobblestones, each rider must perform a performance check:

• Roll a die and compare it with the current performance value.
• Dice result ≥ performance value: no effect.
• Dice result < performance value: -1 performance point.

Outer Curves

• Are you starting your turn from a marked outer field?
• Then you receive a penalty of -X spaces on your planned movement.

Descent

• When crossing a blue descent line, a speed bonus is activated.
• The bonus is specific to each section of the track, as marked on the game board.
• The bonus is applied immediately.

Feed Zone

If you end your turn exactly on a feed zone space, that rider gains +1 performance point.

Team and Performance

Managing Performance

The performance value:

• Determines the current hand card limit of the rider.
• If a rider gains +1 Performance Point, move the marker one space forward.
• If you lose Performance, move the marker back.

Teamwork

How to increase performance:

• All three of your riders must play at least one card, but they may also play two or three cards.
• Each racing card displays one of six different cycling symbols.
• For teamwork to be successful, at least one of these symbols must appear on at least one card played by each rider.
• If this condition is met, you may increase the performance value of one rider of your choice by +1.
• Doping cards act as wild cards and match any symbol.

Important When Losing Performance:

• Immediately check your hand card limit.
• If the performance loss causes you to exceed the limit, you must return the excess cards to your draw pile.

Finish Line and Scoring

The Decisive Phase

Final Sprint

• As soon as a rider crosses the finish line, the round is played to completion.
• The following actions are not allowed during the final sprint:
  • Slipstreaming
  • Position battles
  • Belgian rotation

Placement

• The further a rider is beyond the finish line, the better their placement.
• In case of a tie, the rider closer to the inner line wins.
• Riders are placed on the points table next to the track.
• Remaining riders continue racing in the next round.

Doping Control

• Applies to the top three finishers.
• Two random cards from the played cards are drawn.
• If a Doping Card is discovered:
  • The rider is disqualified.
  • All points are forfeited.
  • The following riders move up.
  • Any replacements in the top three positions are also tested.

Scoring

1st place: 15 points 2nd place: 10 points 3rd place: 7 points 4th place: 5 points 5th place: 4 points 6th place: 3 points 7th place: 2 points 8th place: 1 point

Winner: The team with the highest total score wins the race.

Pro Rules

These rules add strategic depth to the game. You can skip them for your first play, but you should definitely try them afterwards!

The advanced rules are modular, meaning you can mix and match them as you like. Use all of them for the full strategic experience or just pick the ones that suit your playstyle best.

Rider Drafting

A more dynamic way to build your team

How to Draft:

1. Shuffle the 12 rider boards and distribute them randomly among all players.
2. Each player, in turn, selects one rider (Sprinter, Climber, or Rouleur).
3. Pass the remaining boards clockwise.
4. Repeat the process until each player has exactly one Sprinter, Climber, and Rouleur.

Important:

• You may pass on received rider boards.
• In the end, you must have exactly one rider per category.
• Place a marker on the boldly outlined field – this is your performance value.

Intermediate Scoring

Additional points on the track

Scoring occurs at the end of the round in which a rider crosses the scoring line:

1st place: 3 points 2nd place: 2 points 3rd place: 1 point

Placement is determined by position behind the scoring line:

• The rider farthest beyond the line takes 1st place.
• The following places are assigned accordingly.
• These points count toward the final race scoring.

Position Battle & Crash

Fighting for the best positions

At the end of your movement turn, you may challenge an occupied adjacent space once per round (horizontal, vertical, or diagonal).

How the Battle Works:

1. The attacker selects an opponent.
2. Both players draw one fate card (values 1-10).
3. The higher card wins:
   • Attacker wins → Riders swap positions.
   • Defender wins → Positions remain unchanged.

Beware of Crashes!

• The attacker crashes if they draw a 1 or 2.
• The defender crashes if they draw a 1.

Chain Reaction:

• If both riders crash, all following riders in contact (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally) will also crash.
• Each crashed rider immediately loses -1 performance point.
• In the next round, crashed riders cannot play a card.

Race Alliance

Even more teamwork for 4- or 6-player games

• Players form two-player teams (2vs2) or, with the New Challengers expansion, three-player teams (3vs3).
• Team members may coordinate their moves, but each figure is still controlled by its respective player.
• Performance points earned through teamwork can be distributed freely among all team riders.
• The Belgian Rotation gains an additional +1 field bonus if the riders belong to the same Race Alliance team. The total bonus is therefore +4 fields.
• At the end of the race, the placements of all team members are added up, and the team with the highest total score wins!
• All other game rules remain unchanged.

Rider Attributes

• Botan Mahemanaa draws a random card from the discard pile when crossing the finish line and uses its full value.
• Charly Clooney, as a defender in a position battle, draws three fate cards and selects one.
• Iggy Alui does not need to perform a performance test at obstacles and always has at least three performance points.
• Jens Rudi JR Krause gains a bonus of +1 space for every 3-value race card.
• Mayak Tichomir can use slipstream from a distance of 3 spaces and gains an additional +2 spaces.
• Miranda Kap Geweng has a speed limit of 16 spaces on descents.
• Nellyphin Braga, as an attacker, draws 2 fate cards and selects one. If she loses the attack duel, she immediately draws an additional fate card. If this card is a 1, 2, or 3, she crashes.
• Riad Amada Hem gains +1 space bonus on climbs but can move a maximum of 6 spaces.
• Rui del Garca, as an attacker, draws 2 fate cards and selects one. If he loses the attack duel, he immediately draws an additional fate card. If this card is a 1, 2, or 3, he crashes.
• Sabine Meppen can move +5 spaces once per race at any chosen moment (not on a climb).
• Wim van de Kauter increases the bonus in the Belgian rotation by +1 space.

Belgian Rotation

A tactical formation of exactly three adjacent riders.

Requirements: The riders must form a connected group, where each rider is adjacent to at least one other.

How It Works:

1. The lead rider may offer the rotation during the planning phase or at the beginning of their turn. After that, the other riders decide in turn order whether they want to participate.
2. The other riders must play at least the same Race Point (RP) value.
3. If a rider declines, the next connected rider in turn order is asked. Example: Red offers the Belgian rotation. First, Yellow decides whether to join, then Purple. If one of them declines, it's Blue's turn. If both Yellow and Purple refuse, the connection to Red is broken, and the rotation does not take place.
4. Movement: The lead rider moves their RP value +3 spaces.
5. The group is arranged in a single line behind the lead rider.
6. The lead rider rotates to the back of the line and gains as a reward for his effort +1 performance point.

Example: Yellow and Purple accept the rotation. Red plays 3 RP, moving 3 spaces + 3 bonus spaces. Yellow is placed behind Red and Purple behind Yellow. Red then drops 3 spaces back, ending up behind Purple.

Important:

• The group may not benefit from additional slipstream.
• In mountain sections, movement is limited by each rider's individual speed limit.

Traveling Trophy: The Granfondo Trophy

The winner of a race receives "The Granfondo Trophy" as a symbol of their triumph.

• Write your name on the trophy – leave space for future champions!
• Take a photo with the trophy and share it with #Granfondo_boardgame_Champion on social media.
• Bring the trophy to the next race and gain a bonus:
  • +1 Performance Point at the start of the next race for a rider of your choice.
  • If you defend the trophy, you receive +2 Performance Points in the following race.

Final Thoughts

Granfondo offers plenty of tactical possibilities – but how you play is entirely up to you!

The advanced rules are modular, meaning you can mix and match them as you like. Use all of them for the full strategic experience or just pick the ones that suit your playstyle best.

If you're playing with less experienced players, we recommend starting with the base game and gradually introducing advanced rules – that way, you'll find the perfect balance for your group. Most importantly: Have fun, develop your own race strategy – and pedal hard!

Automated Riders (Automa)

Additional challenge for solo and 2–3 player games.

With the Automa rules, you can add as many automatically controlled opponents as needed when they are not used by players.

Basic Rules for Automa Riders:

• Each Automa rider gets their own deck of cards in a free player color.
• 2 special Automa cards are shuffled into each Automa deck.
• Doping cards are removed.
• From the 2nd turn onward, Automa riders always play two cards per round and apply the Sprint rule.
• On climbs, Automa riders play only one card and can move a maximum number of spaces according to their rider type.
• Automa riders participate in the Belgian Rotation when possible.

After Drawing an Automa Card:

• If two cards were drawn, the Automa rider first moves according to the value of the regular race card.
• If no opponent or teammate is within 9 spaces, the movement remains unchanged.
• After drawing the Automa Team card, the Automa rider moves to the next teammate and positions themselves behind or next to them. In the next round, these two riders stay together: The faster rider pulls the slower one along. At the end of their movement, the slower rider automatically moves behind the faster rider, regardless of the card they played.
• After drawing the Automa Position Battle Card, the rider moves up to the next opposing rider (not another Automa rider) and engages in a position battle (see Position Battle rule).