Race! Formula 90: Expansion #2 – Barcelona and Silverstone
Race! Formula 90: Expansion #2 – Barcelona and Silverstone Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
General Notes
Gotha Games has recently published an improved rulebook for the Advanced Game of Race! Formula 90 called the RACE! FORMULA 90 3.0 L ENGINES RULEBOOK. This rulebook follows the format of the 3.0 L Engines rulebook. In particular, references are made to some specific phases within the individual game turn, which are summarized below.
Individual Turn (players)
- Phase A – Turn start declarations
- Skip turn
- Pit-stop
- Extreme Trajectory attempt
- Phase B – Draw and play
- Draw one race card
- Play one or two cards
- Phase C – Resolve card symbols
- Pay resources (cards, tyres, damages)
- Perform checks
- Draw cards
- Play flags
- Change weather
- Phase D – Movement
- Add bonuses and deduct penalties
- Move car spending movement points
- Phase E – Turn end declarations
- Late braking attempt
- Occupy a trajectory
- Off-track trajectory resolution
The 3.0 L Engines rulebook clarifies what happens when a driver has ended his turn in a section that later reactivates, and how to overtake a driver who has skipped his turn. To help players in identifying these particular situations on the track we have provided for two new chits: "turn ended" to mark cars which have already taken their individual turn, and "turn skipped" to indicate cars that have completely skipped their turn.
The 3.0 L Engines rulebook also modifies how the Hazard strategy works, and for this reason we have included an amended strategy chit for Hazard in this expansion.
Finally, we have spotted a printing mistake with the Banging Wheels strategy chit in the game box and have included a new set of chits with the correct artwork in this expansion.
Barcelona Special Rules
Sharp Trajectories
Sharp trajectories, due to their sudden change of direction, require great driving ability and cause additional stress to your racing car. These trajectories are identified on the board by one or both of these unique features:
- they have a tyre, damage or card symbol next to them
- they have two colours
If a Sharp Trajectory has two colours, the player taking this trajectory must use at least one card matching one of the two colours of the trajectory for movement. So, in this respect, Sharp Trajectories are easier to use than normal trajectories.
However, the player who wants to use a Sharp Trajectory must also comply with any cost indicated:
- In phase C you must add as many tyre chips as indicated on the board to the total number of tyre chips you will have to spend in this phase, e.g. if you have to spend 2 tyres for your movement cards and 1 tyre for the trajectory you will have to pay 3 tyre chips in total using chips and cards as per the normal rules.
- In phase C you must add as many damage as indicated on the board to the total number of damage discs you must draw in this phase, e.g. if you have to draw 1 damage disc for your movement cards and 1 damage disc for the trajectory you will have to draw 2 discs in total.
- In phase C you must discard one card of your choice from your hand.
A player is not obliged to use a Sharp Trajectory if he does not want to. He can decline the use of the trajectory just before paying the required cost but, of course, he will not be able to add the indicated bonus to movement during phase D.
Robots use Sharp Trajectories without spending any resource, like normal trajectories.
With Save Tyres you will save 1 tyre chip on the total to pay in phase C, and this includes the tyre chip due to a Sharp Trajectory.
With Push (see later) you score a Special whenever you pay 2 tyre chips, and this includes the tyre chip due to a Sharp Trajectory.
With Hazard you add 1 MP every time you draw a damage disc in phase C, and this includes the additional damage due to a Sharp Trajectory.
Sharp Trajectories can boost your movement but wear your car faster. They also increase your chances to score a Special when using the Balance strategy.
Example: The Blue player has finished his previous turn on the Sharp Trajectory before turn 7. In phase B, he now plays a red +3 card together with an orange +1 card. In phase C he resolves all costs and actions demanded by his movement cards: he pays 3 tyre points (two demanded by his cards and one for the Sharp Trajectory) by discarding 2 tyre chips and 1 card from his hand, then he draws one damage to his car and draws one new card from the race deck. In phase D he calculates his total movement points which are +4MP for cards and +2MP for the trajectory, for a total of +6MP. Note that if the Blue player had played a yellow +1 card instead of the orange, he would have been unable to claim the trajectory bonus (no card matching the trajectory colours).
Pit Stop
The standard number of sections you move back when pitting at Barcelona is 7 sections. The combination of the lengthy pit stop and long duration of the race means you have to manage your car wisely with tyres being particularly strained.
Off-track Discard Card Symbol
The off-track trajectories at corners 5 and corners 9 show a card symbol in addition to tyres and/or damages. If you go off-track at one of these locations you will have to discard one card from your hand in addition to any other payment requested. Only then will you be able to terminate your turn and occupy the corresponding re-entering position. If you have no cards left in your hand and you must discard a card, then your car is out of the race. Robots ignore the off-track card symbol.
Silverstone Special Rules
Starting Grid
Differently from other tracks, each section of the starting grid accommodates six cars rather than four. That leads to a more challenging start and a more crowded positioning at the end of the first lap.
Sharp Trajectories
Silverstone has Sharp Trajectories, which follow the same rules as described in the Barcelona chapter.
Extreme Trajectories
Note that there is one Extreme Trajectory in dual colour before corner 7. This trajectory follows the same rules as Extreme Trajectories with the only difference that, in phase B, you must play either an orange or yellow card as one of the cards played for movement in order to benefit of the trajectory bonus. Using the Extreme Trajectory requires a blind check versus a target of 65 as printed on the board.
Pit Stop
The standard number of sections you move back when pitting at Silverstone is 8 sections.
New Strategies and Skills
Save Fuel
This strategy allows you to delay your pit stop by playing low MP cards.
- Bonus – phase B: Before drawing your card for the turn, you may discard a card from your hand with more than 2MPs to draw two race cards instead of one. Example: you discard a red +4 card to draw two cards in your turn.
- Special – phase B: Draw one Track card or shift your refuelling chit one turn later on the Turn Indicator when you play +1 and/or +2 cards only for movement, i.e. no cards with more than 2MPs each.
Note: To get the bonus in phase B, you may discard a track card with more than 2MPs if you want.
Conversely, when you end up with more turns of fuel in your car than is needed to complete the race, either through a pit stop or by moving the refuel chit forward using the Save Fuel strategy, place your refuelling chit on the top of the Turn Indicator by as many additional turns as the additional fuel embarked.
Example: a race at Barcelona lasts 27 turns. If you have pitted at turn 23 and embarked 10 turns of fuel, then place your refuelling chit in the spot corresponding to turn 6. That way you can keep using Push and move your refuelling chit backward keeping track of the additional fuel.
Push
This strategy allows you to boost your movement in exchange for an earlier pit stop.
- Bonus – phase B: You can play a +2 card together with any other card, i.e. in pair with a +3 card or higher, in lieu of the normal rules; however, when you do so you must shift your refuel chit one turn earlier on the Turn Indicator.
- Special – phase C: Draw one Track card when you pay at least 2 black tyre chips for movement (must be chips only, no cards).
Note: The refuel shift movement only applies when you play a +2 in pair with a +3 card or higher against the normal rules; if you play a +2 together with a +1 or +2, or if you are using a track card with a pair symbol, then the refuel chit does not move.
Refuel Chit Movement on the Turn Indicator
When moving the refuel chit backwards through the Push strategy, you should not shift the chit to the current game turn, otherwise you run out of fuel.
Example: it is game turn 13 and your refuel chit is on turn 14. During your individual turn, if you use the Push strategy to play a +2 card in pair with a higher one, you will run out of fuel and will be out of the race.
Wise Driving
This driver can easily change his hand of cards during the race.
- Effect – phase A: Only once per stint in phase A of your individual turn, you can announce that you will discard as many Race cards from your hand as you wish and draw Race cards from the Race deck up to your hand limit. In addition, Track cards in your hand never count towards the hand limit when drawing new cards in a pit stop or with Wise Driving.
Example: it is the start of your individual game turn. Your hand of cards is formed by one Race card and three Track cards. None of them are deemed particularly useful to you, so you decide to use Wise Driving as first thing in your turn. You discard your only Race card and draw 6 new cards from the Race deck (assuming 6 is your hand limit). The 3 Track cards will remain in your hand as they do not count towards the limit. Now you have 9 cards in your hand. Rotate the skill chit now. You will not be able to use Wise Driving again until you reactivate the skill with a pit stop.
Rain Expert
This driver can better cope with changing weather conditions.
- Effect – phase D: The player with the Rain Expert skill has excellent driving skills in uncertain and wet conditions. He does not suffer penalties in uncertain weather when fitting hard/soft/rain tyres. Additionally, he receives three +1MP bonuses (blue discs) when fitting rain tyres. These bonuses work like the movement bonuses of soft tyres: you can use maximum one per turn to increase your total movement value by 1MP. When pitting, any unused blue discs are discarded. If the player with Rain Expert fits a new set of rain tyres, he receives three new blue discs.
Example: weather is uncertain. The player with Rain Expert declares a pit stop. He fits rain tyres and receives three +1MP bonuses (blue discs) in addition to any other tyre chip due (black discs). In the current and next turns he can spend one of his blue discs to gain +1MP.