Rennfieber Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Setup
• Sequence of Play
• A: Auctioning the Horses
• B: Training the Horses
  • First Training Run
  • Second Training Run
  • The Starting Lineup
• C: Betting
• D: The Races
  • The First Race
    • Using Training Cards in a Race
    • Sequence of a Turn (Der Ablauf)
  • Movement on the Race Track
  • After a Race
  • The Second Race
  • The Third Race
• End of the Game
• Explanation of the Cards
  • Horse Cards
  • Training Cards
  • Gallop Cards
• Race Programme I
  • 1st Race
  • 2nd Race
  • 3rd Race
• Variants
  • Order of Movement in a Race
  • Own Race Programme
• Quick Reference (Kurzspielanleitung)

Components

• 1 two-sided game board: Training Track and Race Track
• 6 horses, in 6 different colours
• 99 cards: 46 Training cards, 55 Gallop cards, 18 Horse cards
• 55 betting slips: 6 x 1,000; 12 x 500; 12 x 100 (plus 5 reserve slips)
• 12 pointers (paper clips)
• 1 Totalisator (betting board)
• 1 betting table (odds table, "Tabelle Wettquoten")
• 1 set of play money: 50,000; 10,000; 5,000; 1,000; 500; 100; 50
• 1 race die (2-3-3-4-4-5)
• 1 normal die
• 1 rulebook

Note: the printed card total (99) does not equal the sum of the listed card counts (46 + 55 + 18 = 119), and the Setup section gives different counts (45 Training cards, 56 Gallop cards). The counts are transcribed as printed.

Setup

1. Place the game board on the table, with the Training Track face up.

2. Place the Totalisator and the betting table (odds table) next to the board.

3. (Printed as "5." in the source; kept as printed, though it is the card-sorting step and steps 4 and 5 follow.) Sort the cards into 5 stacks:

   • 18 Horse cards
   • 45 Training cards
   • 56 Gallop cards

   Shuffle the Training cards well and place them face down on the marked space of the game board. The other two card stacks are set aside. They are not needed yet.

4. Each player chooses a colour and receives the matching horse. The horses are placed in the stable.

   • With 5 players, each player receives 2 figures.
   • With 2 players, each player receives 5 figures.

5. One player takes the bank and hands out the starting capital.

   • With 4-6 players: 55,000 each
   • With 5 players: 50,000 each
   • With 2 players: 65,000 each

6. Each player receives his betting capital, the betting slips: 2,200 game marks.

   • If players have more than one horse, they receive the betting capital for each horse (colour).

   Each player receives the five slips on whose back his colour is marked. The 5 remaining slips are intended only as a reserve.

Note: the printed Setup section lists 5 players in both the "4-6 players" line and its own "5 players" line; both are transcribed as printed.

Sequence of Play

The game is played in four consecutive phases:

• A: Auctioning the horses
• B: Training the horses
• C: Betting
• D: The races

A: Auctioning the Horses

The players already have a horse figure, but it only serves to mark the position of a horse. The actual horses are represented by the 18 Horse cards.

The banker takes these cards, sorts out the 6 highest cards (15 to 18) and sets them aside. These 6 cards are not needed in the game.

Information about the Horse cards can be found in a separate chapter at the end of the rules. Please look there now.

The banker stacks the 12 Horse cards in front of himself (the order is irrelevant) and offers the top card for auction.

That is, he shows the card around briefly and then names the opening bid.

The lowest bid a player can make is always the printed purchase price: the opening bid.

The player who makes the last and highest bid has bought the horse. He pays the purchase price to the bank and receives the Horse card.

If a Horse card finds no buyer, it is pushed under the stack. The auction continues with the next card.

In this auction, cards must be sold, because each player must own a prescribed number of Horse cards:

• With 4 to 6 players: 2 horses each
• With 5 players: 4 horses each
• With 2 players: 6 horses each

Important: If a player already owns his prescribed number of Horse cards, he may no longer take part in the further auction.

The auction ends when the prescribed number of Horse cards (1-12) has been sold.

Now the training follows.

B: Training the Horses

Before the players' horses can go into a race, they must of course be trained.

The horses' daily form (Tagesform) is initially poor.

To mark it, each player now puts a pointer on the side edge of each of his Horse cards. That is, the paper clip is placed on the side edge of the card so that the pointer always shows the lowest, bottom value.

In training, the aim is to raise the daily form as high as possible.

First Training Run

Each player now chooses one of his Horse cards and lays it face up in front of himself. This horse is trained first.

In training only the normal die is used.

All players roll the die; whoever rolls the highest number begins the game.

The other players follow in clockwise order.

When it is his turn, each player rolls and moves his game figure forward by the number rolled.

Then he follows the instructions of the space on which his horse has landed.

Afterwards the next player takes his turn.

On some spaces, Training cards must be drawn. Details of these cards can be found at the end of these rules. Please look there now.

The first training run ends when the last horse has also passed through the track and has landed on the "meadow" (Wiese) or has been moved beyond it. A player who finishes earlier may give his horse and himself a rest.

Once the first horse of each player has been trained, the training for the second horse follows immediately. The Horse card of the horse just trained is turned over.

Second Training Run

Each player now trains his second horse. He lays the corresponding Horse card in front of himself.

All game figures are placed back in the stable and the training proceeds as described above.

If the players own more than two Horse cards, further training runs follow afterwards.

Training ends when all horses have been trained.

Now the horses can go to the start. But before the starting shot falls, betting takes place. To be able to bet, however, the starting lineup must first be known.

The Starting Lineup

The training track is cleared away, and the remaining Training cards are set aside.

The game board is turned over so that the Race Track is on top.

The Gallop cards are shuffled well and placed face down on the corresponding space of the game board.

Each player chooses one of his Horse cards and lays it face up in front of himself. With this horse he will contest the first race.

• With three players, each player sends 2 horses into the race.
• With two players, each player sends 5 horses into the race.

The game board shows two starting rows. The "Race Programme I" at the end of the rules shows which course is to be run in which race.

The horses always run anticlockwise.

• Short course: one straight and one full lap.
• Long course: three-quarters of a straight and one full lap.

The players place their horses in the corresponding starting row, according to the following evaluation:

• Lane 1: the horse with the lowest daily form is placed on the inner lane.
• If several horses have the pointer on the same low value, the players concerned roll the normal die: whoever rolls the lowest number occupies the inner lane. The other players follow on lane 2, and so on.
• Other lanes: the other horses are placed on the lanes according to the pointer of their daily form, so the highest daily form is on lane 6.
• Important for later races: if only one horse takes part in a race whose card shows, for example, "O" as its lowest value, that horse automatically occupies lane 1, regardless of the position of the pointer.

Once all horses are on their starting positions, the players can complete their bets. The cards of the participating horses lie face up; the other Horse cards are turned face down.

C: Betting

The players now each evaluate all the participating horses on their own. From the daily form, the starting position and the Training cards present (without knowing them), a general picture emerges: which horse could win?

The players take their betting slips in hand. These betting slips are placed face down, with the VALUE (Wert) facing down, on the Totalisator: on the colour or colours of the horse or horses to which the player gives winning chances. Naturally, these may also be horses belonging to other players.

Each player decides for himself how much betting capital he places on which horse or horses.

Only the number of horses on which he may bet is restricted:

• With 6 horses in the race, a player may bet on at most 3 different horses.
• With 5 horses in the race (printed as "5 bis 5"), a player may bet on at most 2 horses.

Note: the printed range "5 bis 5" in the second restriction is transcribed as printed.

After the bets are completed, each player pays the starting fee (Startgebühr) for his horse. The amounts are given in the "Race Programme I" (Rennprogramm I).

D: The Races

The First Race

The player whose horse occupies the inner lane (lane 1) always moves first.

The other players follow in clockwise order.

Each player, when it is his turn, rolls both dice!

Race die: The player moves his horse forward by the number rolled on the race die, always anticlockwise. Additional movements can result from the daily form indicator (Formindikator). See the special chapter.

Normal die: If the player rolls a "1" or a "6", he must draw a Gallop card and follow its instructions. All other numbers have no effect.

If a player must draw a Gallop card, he may do so only after moving his horse. The instructions on the card must be followed immediately, unless the instructions state otherwise.

Using Training Cards in a Race

The Training cards Karriere and Durchbruch may be used by a player when it is his turn, but only one card per round.

The Karriere cards must be used after rolling, but before the Gallop card is drawn.

The Durchbruch card, as illustrated in the rules, reads:

Choose one of the options:

• If other horses block the track in front of your horse, you may now move through them! (Applies only to Durchbruch, not to forward movement!)
• A race gallop (like "Karriere") brings your horse 2 spaces forward!

Note: the card text is transcribed from the card illustration in the rulebook. The card's title reads "Karriere" / "Durchbruch".

Sequence of a Turn (Der Ablauf)

1. Roll the dice.
2. Move the rolled number, plus any spaces from the daily form indicator.
3. Play a Karriere card and draw.
4. Draw a Gallop card and, if applicable, move the horse.

More information is given under the Training cards chapter.

When a player has finished his turn, the next player in clockwise order takes his turn.

The turns continue round after round.

As soon as a horse crosses the finish line, it is taken out of the race. Its game figure is placed on the 1st space of "Plazierung im Rennen" (Placement in the Race).

The first horse to cross the finish line has won the race, regardless of the lane it is on and independently of the turn order. No Gallop card is drawn for this horse any more, even if the die shows it.

The other players continue the race until all horses have crossed the finish line. Then the first race is over.

The game continues with the payment of the prizes and the betting odds.

Movement on the Race Track

Because the spaces on the individual lanes are offset sideways, special overtaking and breakthrough manoeuvres are possible.

A space with a horse on it counts as blocked. No other horse may enter that space. Other horses must move around that space. Exception: the Durchbruch Training card!

A horse may never move backwards.

Otherwise, there are no limits on the horses' movement: lanes may be changed as often as desired.

Example 1: Horse B has rolled a "3" on the race die. Its daily form indicator also stands at "3", so B may move 4 spaces forward. Horse B overtakes A and places itself directly in front of it on lane 1.

Example 2: Horse C has a "5" on the race die. Its daily form indicator shows 2+, so it stays at 5 spaces. Horse C moves through empty spaces past the other horses and draws level with the leading horse A.

Other possibilities are offered by the Durchbruch Training card. See the special chapter.

After a Race

After a race ends, the banker first pays out the prizes (Siegprämien) for the winning horses. The prizes are listed in the "Race Programme I".

For the winner of the race, the daily form pointer is moved up 1 step.

For the last horse to finish, the daily form pointer is moved down 1 step.

The banker now takes the betting table with the odds (Gewinn-Quoten). He follows the instructions there and first determines the odds for this race.

Attention: After the betting slips are turned over, each bettor pays his stake to the banker: the total of the betting slips the player has placed on the Totalisator.

Table II is then used to determine the winnings of the individual players. All the necessary steps are set out there.

The banker pays the determined winnings from the bank to the players.

Afterwards, the players take their betting slips back.

The game continues with the 2nd race.

The Second Race

Each player now sends his second horse into the race (with fewer than 4 players, correspondingly more).

The course of play is the same as in the First Race.

All changes can be found under the details for the Second Race in the "Race Programme I".

The Third Race

After the 2nd race is complete, each player must sell back one of his horses to the bank. The bank pays the printed purchase price to the owner, plus 1,000 for each step of daily form (pointer on 3+: +3,000).

A new auction then follows, in which each player must acquire one of the horses 13 to 18.

With fewer than 4 players, the procedure is as follows:

• With 3 players, each player buys 2 new horses (2 had to be sold).
• With 2 players, each player buys 5 horses (3 had to be sold).

Every horse now undergoes training, one run per horse. All Training cards of the horses from the first two runs must be returned.

After training, each player decides for himself which horse he wants to use in the 5th race.

The "old" horses from the first races have the advantage that their daily form is kept (the pointer is not moved), whereas the new horses go into training with the worst daily form.

The course of play in the 5th race remains unchanged, as described above.

All changed conditions can be found in the "Race Programme I".

Note: the printed rules refer to a "5. Rennen" (5th race) in the Third Race and End of the Game sections, while the introduction and this section describe three races. Both are transcribed as printed.

End of the Game

The game ends after the 5th race has finished and the winners and betting winners have been paid out.

The player who has the most cash wins. The value of the horses is not taken into account.

Explanation of the Cards

Horse Cards

The Horse cards show the name of the horse, its purchase price, and a consecutive number (1 to 18).

For the course of play, the side scale with the daily form (Tagesform) is important.

This scale has at most 6 steps (boxes), but it can also show only 5 or fewer.

The daily-form pointer is always set on the lowest (bottom) step.

The higher the pointer stands, the better the horse is, and the better its winning chances.

The daily form gives each horse the possibility of moving additional spaces forward (or backward). This additional movement depends on the match between the race die and the pointer position.

The following table shows this interaction with the result of the race die:

Pointer on	Race die shows	Effect on the horse
2+	2	1 extra space forward
2+	3, 4, 5	move only the number rolled
3+	2, 3	1 extra space forward
3+	4, 5	move only the number rolled
4+	2, 3, 4	1 extra space forward
4+	5	move only the number rolled
5+	2, 3, 4, 5	1 extra space forward
0	2, 3, 4, 5	move only the number rolled

The daily form can never be changed beyond the scale.

Two factors influence the daily form: training and wins in races.

Training Cards

During training, the players must draw Training cards.

Most of these cards must be followed immediately: they change the daily form, require payment of money, or both. These cards must also be shown, so that the other players can check whether the instruction has been carried out correctly.

Other cards, by contrast, the player must keep, and these cards must remain with the horse during whose training they were acquired.

These special Training cards are used only during the race in which the horse is entered.

Karriere: The player keeps these cards and does not have to show them. Each player may use only one of these cards per round. This card must be played after rolling and moving, but before drawing a Gallop card.

Durchbruch: The player keeps this card and does not have to show it either. Each player may use only one of these cards per round. This card can be used in two ways:

• As a Karriere card, as above.
• As a pure Durchbruch card, without forward movement.

A Durchbruch card allows a horse to pass through other spaces, even where another horse already stands. Only the space on which the horse ends its turn must be empty. The Durchbruch card must be played after rolling, but before the horse is moved.

Example 3: Horse C is "boxed in" when it comes to its turn. The player holds a Durchbruch card. He rolls, plays this card and moves his horse as if the blocking horse A were not there.

Example 4: Horse B is not boxed in. Nevertheless, the player plays the Durchbruch card in order to be able to move past horse A without going around it.

Gallop Cards

Gallop cards are drawn only during a race and must also be used in that race.

All Gallop cards must always be used immediately.

Race Programme I

The Race Programme sets out the course, starting fee, eligible horses and prizes for each race.

1st Race

• Starting fee: 800
• Course: Short course
• Participants: any horse
• Prizes: 1st place 3,000; 2nd place 2,000; 3rd place 1,000

2nd Race

• Starting fee: 1,000
• Course: Long course
• Participants: a horse other than the one in the 1st race
• Prizes: 1st place 5,000; 2nd place 3,500; 3rd place 2,000

3rd Race

• Starting fee: 2,000
• Course: Long course
• Participants: any horse
• Prizes: 1st place 10,000; 2nd place 7,500; 3rd place 5,000; 4th place 3,000

Variants

Experienced players have the option of changing certain rules.

Order of Movement in a Race

The basic rule is that the player whose horse occupies the inner lane moves first. The other players then follow in clockwise order.

It is better if the horses move in the order in which they occupy the lanes of the starting position.

Example:

• Lane 1, red: red moves first
• Lane 2, blue: blue moves second
• Lane 5, yellow: yellow moves third
• and so on

The seating order plays no role here. For greater clarity, the players can use the "Placement in the Race" (Plazierung im Rennen) spaces. In the order described above, coloured markers are placed on the numbered spaces; best are cardboard discs painted in the colours.

Own Race Programme

Experienced players may create their own "race programme".

Depending on the time available, the number of races to be run is determined. For a programme of 6 races, allow about 5 hours of play time.

The starting fees and prizes are then set. In this way it is entirely possible to grant a prize to all horses in the first race and only to the winner in the last race.

The length of the course for each race must be determined; variety doubles the fun.

As regards the participating horses, many variants are open:

• Only for the winner and the runner-up.
• Only for horses that have no minus space.
• Only for horses with a maximum of 4+.

Quick Reference (Kurzspielanleitung)

The quick reference is transcribed with its step numbers exactly as printed; the printed numbers run 2, 5, 4, 5, 6 and so on.

1. Preparation
   • Lay out the Training Track
   • Shuffle the Training cards and place them face down
   • Distribute the game equipment
2. Auction horses
   • The banker auctions horses 1 to 12 to the players
   • Each player must own 2 Horse cards
3. Training
   • In the 1st run, train the 1st horse
   • In the 2nd run, train the 2nd horse
4. Starting lineup
   • Choose the course
   • Set up the horses
   • Lowest daily form on the inner lane, and so on
5. Betting
   • Each player places his betting capital on suspected winners as he wishes
6. First race
   • Use both dice
   • The horse on the inner lane moves first; the other players follow in clockwise order
   • On a "1" or "6", draw a Gallop card and follow its instruction
7. After the race
   • The banker pays the prize
   • Players pay their betting stakes in Weltgeld (world money) to the bank