Hurry'Cup! Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Characters
• Background
• Game Mechanics
  • Choosing a Fuel Tank
  • Moving the Race Cars
  • Special Conditions
  • End of a Lap
  • End of the Race
• Special Tokens
• Race Rules
• Scoring

Components

• 1 cup and 6 coloured dice representing fuel tanks. At the start of the game these all go to the player who moves first (for example, the youngest driver).
• 18 trump tokens. Each driver receives three of these tokens (one of each kind) and places them in front of themselves.
• 6 coloured pawns. These are placed on the umbrellas next to the start line.
• 6 bonus tokens. These are shuffled and placed face down on the road segments marked with a star.
• 1 wooden die called the "Accelerator".
• 6 "second chance" tokens.
• 1 red lantern token.
• 6 race cars. All of these pieces are placed next to the start line where the cars are.

Note: if fewer than 6 drivers take part in the race, remove the unused pawns and fuel tanks (of the same colour) from the game.

Characters

Before the game begins, each driver chooses a character and places the matching car next to the start line.

Claudia. A beautiful, self-confident and independent Italian woman who has decided to prove that a woman can compete with real men in courage and speed. She is as beautiful as she is determined to become the first woman to win an international race.

Sir Stefan. The track would not be the same without the subtle British humour and manners of Sir Stefan. This aristocratic Englishman got his driving licence thanks to his devoted butler, who is always ready to encourage and support his master while sipping a cup of tea throughout the whole race track.

El Gato. Arrived straight from Cuba. A mysterious traveller who smokes huge cigars. Nobody knows who he really is. Even his surname, El Gato (The Cat), was given to him by enthusiastic observers for his amazing ability to get back on the track after leaving it.

Toni and Anna-Maria. This talented French pair consists of a mechanic and a racing enthusiast. Both are of humble origins and are not interested in mixing with the international elite. Toni and Anna-Maria were able to take part in the races only thanks to the incredible support of their family and close friends. Parents, aunts and uncles, cousins, friends and neighbours each collected money for this pair's trip. Their car is unique; they built it themselves. Their desire not to disappoint their relatives is backed by their skills in racing at this level.

Oliver and Dorothy. Worthy ambassadors from Switzerland, they throw chocolate to adults and children throughout the whole race track. Their humour is infectious; their slow manner of speech wins hearts all along the French Riviera. Although this pair rarely wins races, they always reach the finish on time, thanks to the high precision for which the Swiss are known.

Fritz and Brigitte. This team came from the other bank of the Rhine and leaves no chance to anyone else. They rely on careful preparation: knowledge of mechanics and a trained body, as well as knowledge of the track. Every detail counts! Their race results prove their superiority; they have already won twice. An interesting detail: their love of their country is so great that they prefer to celebrate their victories with Bavarian beer rather than champagne.

Background

1925, Cannes, the Automobile Club hotel. The prestigious "Cannes–Monaco" motor race started in a wonderful spot between the sea and the mountains. The roads far from the sea are narrow, winding and full of obstacles. But the organiser of the rally personally went to inspect and guard the track, so the race should pass without unpleasant surprises. To prevent accidents, speed limit signs are placed at the most dangerous corners.

Every driver in the rally has one very simple goal: to be the first to reach the finish line. To do this, you need to be agile and have good reflexes. Build the highest speed you can and use your trump tokens wisely. Keep the competition lively, remember the danger, and stay alert, because the race will be very, very fast!

Game Mechanics

Each race lap consists of two parts:

1. Preparation. This part lasts while each driver chooses a pawn matching the colour of the fuel tank they need. This choice depends, among other things, on how many segments of the track the player can drive. The number showing on the fuel-tank die sets the maximum number of segments that can be driven with it.

   Example: one of the coloured dice shows five pips. The player who takes this die may make no more than five moves.

2. Main part. During this part, all drivers, in turn, roll the Accelerator die to determine the speed of their car, move their car, and use their trump tokens.

Choosing a Fuel Tank

To drive forward, a driver must take a pawn of the required colour (matching the chosen fuel tank).

How do you choose a fuel tank? It all depends on the speed limits and on how willing you are to take risks:

• If the road ahead of your race car is straight and has no speed limit signs, it is worth taking a die with a high value, for example a 5 or a 6.
• If the road ahead is winding and has a speed limit sign, it is worth taking a die with a low value, such as a 2 or a 4.

How do you get the die you need? By being the fastest!

The youngest driver takes the first turn. They take the cup, put all the coloured dice into it, shake them, and turn the cup upside down on the table. All participants must hide one hand behind their back. When everyone is ready, the leader lifts the cup and shows the dice to the other players.

From then on it depends on you: you must react quickly and:

• notice which values have appeared on the dice, and decide which one you need to grab;
• choose the pawn of the required colour (matching the die with the right value) and place it in front of you.

If you have not managed to take a pawn, accept that someone else has taken it!

Once all pawns have been taken, each player takes the fuel-tank die of the same colour as their pawn and places it in front of themselves.

Moving the Race Cars

The player who shook the dice starts their car on the track first. Then the turn passes counterclockwise.

This part of the game consists of two stages:

• rolling the Accelerator die (two non-coloured dice) and counting the speed at which the car will move;
• moving the race car without any speed limit restriction.

Example: Nadia has obtained a fuel tank with a value of 5. She rolls the Accelerator die, which shows 4. So the speed of Nadia's car is 90 km/h.

The movement of a race car along the track depends on the value of the fuel-tank die, as well as on the speed limits placed on certain track segments.

Examples:

a) Sir Stefan. Speed = 70 km/h. His fuel tank allows him to drive 6 segments. He can drive 6 consecutive road segments at a speed of 70 km/h, so his car moves to segment 3. On the way he picks up a bonus token, which he places in front of himself face down.

b) El Gato. Speed = 90 km/h. El Gato's fuel tank lets him move forward 5 segments, but the second segment of the road has a speed limit sign of no more than 70 km/h. That is why he cannot move further and stays on the same segment.

c) Claudia. Speed = 100 km/h. Claudia's fuel tank allows her to drive 4 segments in a row, but the next road segment has a speed limit of 90 km/h. She cannot move forward and stays on the same segment. However, Claudia can also use a "second chance" token!

Special Conditions

If a race car cannot move forward at all, the driver may use a "second chance" token (see the section "Special Tokens").

When a race car finishes its movement on a road segment where a bonus token lies, the player takes it and places it face down on the table.

Red lantern (bonus token). If at the end of a round, after all participants have taken their turn, one of the cars on the track is far behind, its owner may use the bonus token, the red lantern. It is placed next to the trailing car, and then at the start of the next round, before rolling the Accelerator die, the player may move their car forward by one segment, ignoring the speed limit.

End of a Lap

The pawns are placed at random next to the start line. The player who made the first move in the previous round hands all the dice and the cup to the player on their left, who is the leader of this round of the game.

End of the Race

The player who first crosses the finish line becomes the winner of the race. All the other drivers congratulate them and applaud.

The remaining places are determined by the order in which the players reach the finish straight.

Special Tokens

At the start of the race, each driver receives three trump tokens. Only one token of any type may be used per turn!

Trump tokens:

• Road Helmet. This token allows a player not to use the Accelerator, relying only on the fuel-tank value. The token cannot be used after the Accelerator die has been rolled.
• Nitro. Nitroglycerine's great power is a fact. If a driver was so successful that they drove through a speed-limited segment without delay, they may move one more road segment forward, again ignoring the speed limit.
• Horn. (Listed under trump tokens in the source, although its description calls it a bonus token; placement follows the source.) This token may be used before the leader has poured the coloured dice out of the cup. A player who wants to use this token must loudly warn the others, shouting, for example, "Beep! Beep! Beep!" or "Toot-toot!" or something similar. The token allows the racer to choose a fuel-tank die before the other drivers see the dice. The player must carefully lift the cup, look at the dice without touching them in any way, and quickly place in front of themselves the pawn of the required colour.
• Second chance. This token allows a player to re-roll the Accelerator die if they do not like the first value rolled. The player must accept the result of the second roll. The token is then discarded. Over the whole game, a driver may use a "second chance" only once.

Bonus tokens:

When a player ends their turn on a road segment where a bonus token lies, they must take it and place it in front of themselves face down. They may use it later, before the start of a turn.

• Shortcut. This bonus token allows the driver to cut the corner, driving straight through two segments in one move, ignoring the speed limits and the ... segments between them. (The source text contains an ellipsis at this point; the printed wording is reproduced as is.) This token may be used only once.

  Example: Fritz and Brigitte. Their speed is 90 km/h, so they can only drive one road segment toward the finish. But if they use the shortcut token, their car can drive without delay through three segments with speed limits of 70 km/h and 80 km/h.

• Full Ahead. This token may only be played before rolling the Accelerator die. It allows the driver to move their car one segment ahead of the driver directly in front of them, ignoring the speed limit.

• Helper. This token allows the driver to use one of their trump tokens a second time, once.

• Oil. This token spoils the road. On a segment where oil has been spilled, a car may not move faster than 50 km/h. The token may be placed on any track segment behind the car, including the segment where the driver has stopped.

• Exchange. This token allows the driver to swap their fuel tank and matching pawn for the pawn and tank of any other participant. This option is useful if you are not moving fast enough.

• Empty tank. Warning! This terrible token is hidden among the bonus tiles! It takes effect in the next round without fail. It does not matter what fuel-tank value the player had when they received this token; in any case, it is reduced to the value "1".

Race Rules

1. The participants compete for speed.
2. Each new game, you may create a new track.
3. The player who scores the most points wins.

Scoring

• The last driver or drivers score no winning points.
• The other drivers score points for the number of segments separating them from the last race car (or from the red lantern).
• The race car or cars that cross the finish line each receive 3 bonus points.

Scoring example (as printed in the rulebook):

• A) Toni and Anna-Maria score no points.
• B) Sir Stefan scores 4 points.
• C) Oliver and Dorothy score 6 + 3 = 9 points.