MCS Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Objective
• Game Components
• Game Setup - 2 Players
• Gating
• Racing
• The Straight
• The Bend
• Types of Effects
• The Finish Line
• 4 - Player Game

Game Objective

The aim of the game is to score more points than the opponent in a 15-heat speedway match.

Game Components

• 20 rider cards numbered between 1 and 20 (5 for each helmet colour – red, blue, yellow, white)
• 48 racing cards containing symbols used to battle rival riders in the straight (symbols in the upper part) and in the bend (lower part)
• 40 lap cards divided into 4 groups (1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th lap)
• 2 manager cards containing short description of all effects used in the bend

Game Setup - 2 Players

Before you start playing, follow these instructions to set up the game:

• Shuffle the racing cards and place them face down within the players' reach.
• Separate the 4 decks of lap cards (each deck is indicated by a roman numeral I, II, III and IV), shuffle each and place them face down one by one (starting from the deck numbered I).

(The printed setup diagram is not reproduced here.)

Both players take 10 rider cards. One player, referred to as a host, takes 5 red and 5 blue rider cards (representing riders' helmet colours). The other player, called a visitor, takes 5 yellow and 5 white rider cards. The cards should be kept within the owner's reach and not revealed to the opponent.

Gating

The match consists of 15 successive races (heats). Before each heat both players draw the racing cards to bring their total hand size to 5. The cards should be kept secret from the opponent.

Start (gating) - each player secretly chooses two rider cards (one from each colour) and places them face down on the table. The host plays any red and blue card available, the visitor - white and yellow.

Determining riders' places - players reveal the rider cards and compare their value (strength) to determine the riders' places after the start (greater value indicates higher position). To do so, the players line up the rider cards in a visible place, starting from the highest numeral. The resulting set-up determines the riders' places after the gating.

(Example: "Red is in the lead with yellow pegged at the back." The printed example shows the red 20, white 13, blue 8 and yellow 6 rider cards in that order.)

Racing

After the riders' places have been determined, players reveal the topmost lap card numbered I (1st lap). Depending on its symbol, the riders will battle for places in the straight or in the bend. The finish line means that there are no more challenges and the riders finish the heat in the current order.

• Straight - riders can make attempts to charge their opponents.
• Bend - riders' places can change dramatically. Falls and engine failures are also possible.
• Finish line - riders cross the finish line at their current places.

The Straight

While battling in the straight riders can try to overtake their opponents. If a rider wants to make an attempt at overtaking (charge), it is necessary for him:

• to be positioned directly after his opponent,
• not to have been involved in any overtaking attempts during the current lap (regardless whether he has charged or been charged).

When charging, riders with higher places go first.

Charging is performed in the following way:

The charging player (whose rider is trying to overtake an opponent) plays a racing card (face down) containing any combination of red letters in the top left corner. The letters (A, B, C, D) indicate four lanes of the racing track. If the player has no such card, the charge cannot be performed.

The holding-off player (whose rider is trying to block the charge) plays a racing card (face down) containing any combination of green letters in the top left corner. If the player has no such card, his rider is instantly overtaken (provided that the opponent played the charging card).

After both racing cards have been played, they should be revealed and placed with their top edges touching so that they form a straight section of a speedway track:

Charge is successful if at least one red letter on his charging player's card hasn't overlapped with green letters on his opponent's card. The player who performed the successful charge draws one racing card as a reward and advances the rider one position forward.

Holding off is successful if all red letters have overlapped with the green letters. Riders remain on their positions. The player who has managed to successfully hold off the charge draws one racing card as a reward.

Regardless of the outcome, the used racing cards must be placed in a discard pile.

After one overtaking attempt has been concluded, players should check if another one is possible and, if so, resolve it as well. Otherwise, they should reveal the next lap card (from the next pile) and follow its rules (straight, bend or the finish line).

Example: Red is in the lead so it's white's turn to charge. Both players play one card each (hold-off for the red and charge for the white). Charge is successful. White takes the lead and his player draws a free racing card. Next, yellow charges blue.

The Bend

While battling in the bend players use racing cards to swing the situation into their riders' favor. Here, they will be using colours found along the left edge of racing cards, and symbols representing various effects found in the back wheel of the bike (and also on the left edge of each racing card).

Battle in the bend is performed in the following way:

Player whose rider is leading at a given moment can play any racing card (face up) containing the effect he wishes to trigger. If he decides not to, the privilege passes onto the opponent. Should he skip as well, the battle in the bend comes to an end without triggering any effects. Players reveal the next lap card and follow its rules.

If one of the players does decide to play a racing card (hoping to trigger its effect), the opponent has a chance to replace it with his racing card (thus preventing the opponent's effect from being triggered and imposing his own effect).

The two ways to replace opponent's racing card while battling in the bend are:

• Matching the colour – the opponent's card can be replaced with another card of the same colour (found along the left edge of a racing card).
• Matching the effect – the opponent's card can be replaced with another card of the same effect (found in the back wheel of the bike and on the left edge).

Battle in the bend continues until one player decides not to replace the opponent's card. Players should then proceed to resolve its effect (explained in the following section). This way the battle in the bend comes to an end - players should reveal the next lap card and follow its rules.

All the racing cards used during the battle in the bend must be placed in a discard pile.

Example:

• White is in the lead, so the controlling player (visitor) can play a racing card to initiate the battle in the bend.
• The visitor plays a card with the symbol representing an engine failure in a chosen rider ("d").
• The host matches the colour and plays a 4:2 effect which - if triggered - will negate the opponent's effect and move his riders into 1st and 3rd place.
• The visitor manages to match the colour as well, playing the 5:1 effect.
• This time the host matches the effect, playing the 5:1 card of a different colour. The visitor can respond by matching the new colour or another 5:1 effect.
• The visitor did not manage to respond, thus triggering the opponent's effect. The hosts move into 1st and 2nd place.

Types of Effects

• 3 - the rider who is currently in the lead cannot be charged until the end of the heat. The only effects that can make him give up the lead are "d" or "u" (see below).
• 0 - the rider who is currently 4th will finish the heat last. He cannot charge until the end of the heat and will only advance forward if another rider falls or blows an engine (see below).
• 5:1 - the player who has triggered this effect moves his riders to 1st and 2nd place.
• 4:2 - the player who has triggered this effect moves his riders to 1st and 3rd place.
• 3:3 - the player who has triggered this effect moves his riders either to 1st and 4th or to 2nd and 3rd place.
• overtake - the player who has triggered this effect advances a selected rider one place forward.

IMPORTANT: Ignore the "5:1", "4:2", "3:3" and "overtake" effects if the only way to execute them would require to negate the previously triggered "3" or "0" effects.

• tactical switch - the player who has triggered this effect draws a random racing card from the opponent's hand and places it in his hand.

• fall - the player who has triggered this effect selects a rider. The outcome depends on the symbol of the lap card revealed next. In case of the:

  • bend - the selected rider drops to 4th place;
  • straight - nothing happens;
  • finish line - the selected rider falls and gets 0 pts.

  Regardless of the consequences, the revealed lap card works normally.

• engine failure - the player who has triggered this effect selects a rider. The outcome depends on the symbol of the lap card revealed next. In case of the:

  • bend - the selected rider blows an engine and will finish the heat with 0 points;
  • straight - the selected rider cannot charge or hold off a charge during the forthcoming lap;
  • - nothing happens.

The Finish Line

The lap card with the finish line symbol instantly finishes the heat (no further lap cards are revealed during this heat). The players receive points for their riders' current places: 3 for the winner, 2 for the second place, 1 for third, and no points for the rider finishing 4th. Save for some extraordinary events (2 or more riders not completing the race) a heat can bring between 1 and 5 points to each player.

IMPORTANT: If the finish line is revealed in the 1st lap, before the start to the next heat players may replace as many racing cards from their hands as they wish.

After each heat both players:

• Add up the points they have just received to their team's total and note them down.
• Place the used rider cards in a separate discard pile. In the following heat they will have to select different rider cards (out of the ones remaining in their hands). Only when players run out of the rider cards can they bring all the previously discarded riders back into their hands.
• Draw the racing cards to bring their total hand size to 5 before the start to the next heat. Should racing or lap cards run out, use the discarded ones to make new decks.

After the heat number 15 both players calculate their team's total and the victory goes to the player who has accrued more points. Draws are permitted.

4 - Player Game

The 4-player variant makes it possible to play a classic two-team match (two on two) or a four-team meeting with each player scoring points separately. In both cases it is necessary to introduce the following changes to the rules outlined above:

• Each player is assigned a helmet colour for the length of the game and takes the 5 corresponding rider cards.
• When starting the race each player plays only one rider card totalling to four riders for every heat.
• Before the start to each heat players bring their total hand size to 4 racing cards.
• Playing racing cards (to trigger their effects) during the battle in the bend takes place according to the order in the race (starting with the player whose rider is in the lead). Players are permitted to skip their turns and play the card later. The battle finishes when nobody wishes (or is able) to play the card, thus triggering the effect from the last card played.

Moreover, when playing a 4-team meeting:

• The player who has triggered the "tactical switch" effect takes a random racing card from any opponent he chooses.
• The "5:1", "4:2" and "3:3" effects work like in a regular 2-player game. The player who has triggered one of these effects selects the "side" which he is on - the "hosts" (red and blue) or "visitors" (white and yellow) - and follows the rules of the triggered effect (placing both riders accordingly). Still, each players scores points independently.
• The 4-team meeting finishes after 20 heats. Should any lap cards deck run out, make a new one.
• In case of a draw, an additional heat must be played (between the tied players) to determine the final order. In extra-heats players select their rider cards randomly.