Scrap Racer

Scrap Racer Rulebook

Table of Contents

Components

14 Race track segments (front side and reverse side; 6x straight = green lamps, 8x curve = blue lamps)
6 Racers & 6 plastic stands (Swifty, Jackal, Crusher, Hover, Twister, Steel Jacket)
6 Dashboards (front and reverse sides)
1 Finish line & 1 plastic stand
16 Goal cards
6 Dice
1 Start marker
18 Lap markers
28 Bonus cards
17 Bonus markers
56 Crash cards (18x 1/2 double, 18x 3/4 double, 20x 5/6 double)
18 Boost markers (6 each of +/- 1, turn, re-roll)
Boost markers on the track: 4 each of 2, 3, 5, 7 (as printed on the component overview)
1 Rules booklet

Setup

Before the race can start, the players assemble their race track however they like. For your first game, we recommend using the setup of Race Track A (see Race Track Variants). After setup, the finish line is placed on the depicted space on the race track. The number on the back of the race track segments helps to easily set up the different track layouts. Examples for more race tracks are in the Race Track Variants section.
Shuffle the Boost markers facedown, then place one facedown on each track space marked accordingly. Stack the remaining markers facedown near the race track as a common supply.
The bonus cards are shuffled and placed next to the race track facedown (with a discard pile). The bonus markers go next to the cards.
The goal cards are shuffled and placed next to the track facedown. The lap markers go next to the cards.
Put the 6 dice near the race track, ready for use.
Sort all crash cards by their reverse sides (1/2, 3/4, 5/6), shuffle them separately and stack them in three facedown piles next to the race track.
The dashboards are shuffled. Each player randomly draws one, places it faceup in front of them, and takes the corresponding racer. Each dashboard has a space for lap markers, a space for bonus markers, a space for bonus cards, a space for Boost markers, and the racer ability (facedown/hidden from other players).
Give the start marker to the youngest player, who should place it next to their dashboard.

Changes for 2 players: See Changes in a 2-player game.

Game Concept and Object of the Game

The players assume the roles of daredevil scrap racers who know of one goal only: Win the race! A race lasts for three laps, and whomever leads the field at that point will be the winner.

The active player rolls up to six dice and advances their racer according to the results. But be careful! If you roll doubles, you must draw a crash card and anything can happen—depending on the double you may get a boost or be slowed down, letting others catch up.

However, you can gain bonus cards for repeated doubles that can make up for lost position, if used correctly.

Using the unique abilities of the racers and collecting Boost markers, the players can manipulate the outcome of the race to their advantage.

On top of all of this, players may have to fight for track position. Whenever two racers share the same space, a duel takes place to decide who will advance by one space and who will stay.

Finally, crossing the finish line will shuffle the racers' positions due to the effects of the goal cards.

Each racer needs boldness, tactical skills, and some good luck if they want to be the winner at the end of the race.

Playing the Game

Play begins with the start player and continues in a clockwise order. After the active player has completed their turn, play passes to the next player, and so on. A player may only use the ability of their racer when they are the active player.

Each time a player's racer crosses the finish line they take one lap marker and place it on their dashboard. When one player places the third lap marker on their board, all other players in clockwise order before the start player still take one turn, then the game ends. The player whose racer is leading the field is the winner.

A turn in detail: Roll the dice

The active player rolls one die and checks the result.

If they have rolled the same number as any of their previously rolled dice, they immediately draw a crash card without moving their racer. See B) Doubles Rolled. They may not roll again.

Example: With their third die, the player rolled a second 3, and must now draw the corresponding crash card.

If the active player has not rolled a double, they must decide to either roll another die (keeping all previously rolled results) or keep what they have rolled so far and move their racer. If they have already rolled all 6 dice they must keep their results. See A) Move the Racer.

Example: The player decides after the 4th die to not make another roll. Therefore they must move their racer 13 spaces.

By using Boost markers, the player may manipulate the result of the die they just rolled before checking the result for doubles. The player may use as many Boost markers they possess as they want during their turn, including more than one for a single die. Return used Boost markers to the game box; they are removed from the game.

See Collecting Boost markers for how to gain Boost markers.

Example: 1) On their third roll the player uses a Boost marker to turn a 1 into a 6. 2) On the next roll, they spend two markers to re-roll two times, avoiding a double. 3) The player used 3 Boost markers during their turn and gets a total of 18.

Boost markers

Re-roll: Re-roll the just rolled die. Only the new result counts.
+/- 1: You may change the result of the just rolled die, up or down by one pip. Turn that die to show the result. It is not allowed to change a result from 6 to 1 or vice versa.
Turn: Turn the just rolled die to its opposite face.

Depending on the rolled results perform one of the following: A) Move the Racer or B) Doubles Rolled.

A) Move the Racer

The player performs the following steps exactly in this order:

1) Dice results and bonus cards

The player adds the results of all their rolled dice together and advances their racer the same number of spaces clockwise along the race track, counting every space as one, even those that are occupied by another racer.

Note: When moving your racer the first time, place your racer on the space behind the finish line and begin counting from here.

Example: Kai (red) rolled an 8 and places his racer on the 8th space after the finish line.

If a player has collected any bonus cards, the player may use any number of these before and/or after moving their racer by the complete number of spaces according to their total. Bonus cards are explained in full detail in the Bonus cards section. How to acquire bonus cards is explained in B) Doubles Rolled.

Example: Phil (green) uses his bonus card first, and advances his racer to the next curved space. Then he uses his dice result.

2) The racer's ability

The player checks if their racer's ability has been triggered and must use it if it has. If the ability has not been triggered, nothing else happens at this time. All racer abilities are explained in full detail in the Racer abilities section.

Example: Jules (blue) activates her racer ability, since she ended her movement on a curved space. She advances her racer one more space.

3) Fight

If the player's racer ends on the same space as another racer, a fight takes place to decide which racer will move forward by one space.

If there is no other racer on the final space, nothing happens.

During a fight, both players roll one die and compare their results. The player with the higher result is the winner of the fight and advances their racer by one space. In case of a tie, both players roll again until there is a winner. It is not allowed to use Boost markers during a fight in order to manipulate one's die roll.

If the winner of the fight moves onto a space with another racer, a new fight occurs, etc. until all racers are on a space of their own.

Example: Jules (blue) and Phil (green) are fighting for position. Each rolls a die once and compare the outcome. Jules wins with a 5 and advances her racer one space.

Continue to Crossing the finish line and Collecting Boost markers.

B) Doubles Rolled

Pushing your racer to the limit each turn might win you the race, but might also result in unexpected consequences.

1st Draw a crash card

The player draws the top card from the crash deck that matches the number of the rolled double and places it faceup on the table for everybody to see. Then, the effect of the card is applied. The higher the double, the worse are the consequences for the player. All crash cards and their effects are explained in full detail in the Crash cards section.

If, after applying the effect, a racer lands on a space with another racer, a fight takes place. See 3) Fight.

Example: Due to the 3/4 Crash card the Racer is not moved at all.

2nd Taking a bonus marker

Then, the player takes one bonus marker from the supply and places it on their dashboard.

If this is their third marker, they return all markers to the common supply, and draw the top card from the Bonus deck, placing it facedown (hidden from other players) next to their dashboard. The player may use this card during any of their future turns. Players may hold any number of bonus cards.

Once the instructions on the crash card have been followed, the card is discarded. If the draw deck is now empty, shuffle the discard pile to make a new deck.

Important: No player can use their racer's ability during this process. The racer is moved by the effect of the crash card only, and rolled dice are ignored.

Continue with Crossing the finish line and Collecting Boost markers.

Crossing the finish line and Collecting Boost markers

1st Crossing the finish line

The racers are approaching the finish line and the crowd is celebrating! The audience especially cheers the last places and gives them a boost.

Each time a player's racer crosses the finish line, that player takes one lap marker and places it faceup on their dashboard. They then draw one goal card and apply its effect immediately.

If, after applying the effect, a racer lands on a space with another racer, a fight takes place. See 3) Fight.

Important: If a player gets their third (final) lap marker they don't draw a goal card!

Example: Tobi (purple) has crossed the finish line for the second time, takes a lap marker, and draws a goal card.

If other players cross the finish line due to crash or goal cards, they draw a lap marker and goal card as well and apply them one after the other in player order. The goal cards and their effects are explained in full detail in the Goal cards section.

If at least one player has crossed the finish line this turn, all empty Boost spaces are refilled by placing a Boost marker facedown from the common supply. Start with the first empty Boost space behind the finish line and continue around the race track clockwise until all empty spaces are refilled or the supply is exhausted. The supply of Boost markers is finite and is not replenished during the game.

Note: If a racer is on a space where the Boost marker has just been replenished, the player collects this marker immediately.

Example: While replenishing the last two Boost markers from the supply, Jules (blue) is lucky and gets the second marker instantly.

2nd Collecting Boost markers

Every now and then you can find some discarded items to avoid an engine failure.

At the end of their turn, the player checks if their racer is on a space containing a Boost marker. In this case the player collects the marker and places it faceup next to their dashboard. Players can hold any number of Boost markers.

Play then passes to the next player clockwise.

End of the game and Awards Ceremony

The end of the game is triggered as soon as at least one player has three lap markers. Play continues until all players have taken an equal number of turns (i.e. to the player to the left of the start player), and then the race is over; proceed to the Awards Ceremony.

Example: Kai (red) triggers the end of the game, since he crossed the finish line for the third time. Phil (green) is the start player, so only Jules (blue) and Lars (orange) have each one final turn.

Awards Ceremony

The player whose racer has completed three laps on the race track and is farthest ahead on the track is the winner!

Example: With his last turn, Lars (orange) has managed to overtake Kai (red) and steals the win!

Take a look at your racer's ability on the last page and then just start playing! When you discover a new card during play look it up in the glossaries (Crash, Goal and Bonus cards).

Changes in a 2-player game

The racers gang up and build teams. Double Trouble!

Setup

Each player randomly takes two dashboards and the corresponding racers. Determine a start player.

Playing the game

Follow the rules of the base game with the following changes:

Turn order: The first player determines a start racer and places the start player marker next to that racer's dashboard. Next they play a turn with both of their racers. Then the next player chooses a sequence and makes a turn with both of their racers. The turn order is now fixed in this order for the rest of the game.

Fights: A fight between the two players is handled as usual. If a fight occurs between two racers of the same player, the player simply decides which racer wins the fight and advances it by 1 space without rolling the dice.

Bonus cards: All bonus cards are held in common between the player's two racers and may be used for either racer, no matter who earned them. This allows new tactical possibilities.

End of the game and presentation ceremony

The end of the game is triggered as soon as at least one racer of one player has gained its third lap marker. All racers that still have a turn remaining before the start racer (the one with the start marker) must perform their turn.

If only one racer of one player has earned a third lap marker, the owner of that racer has won the race.

Example: Since Hendrik is the only player with a racer (red) that has three lap markers at the end of the game, they are declared the winner.

If at least two racers have three goal markers, the winner is determined by the second racer of those players. The player which second racer is furthest ahead wins. In this case it does not matter which racer is in first position!

Example: Both players have a racer with 3 lap markers (red/orange). The second racer of each player will be the deciding factor. Therefore, Uschi is the winner, since her second racer (blue) is further ahead as Hendrik's second racer (purple).

3-Player Variant

With three players you can also choose to play with two racers each. Apply the same rules as above.

Race track Variants

The race track segments can be arranged to form different race circuits. The booklet shows 6 examples, A-F, as diagrams (not transcribed here).

The depicted number for each tile helps to sort the tiles quickly by their reverse side and allows for faster setup.
The finish line position in each circuit is a suggestion. It can also be placed on any other tile.
To have a shorter game, players can decide to remove tiles that are marked in red.
Players can also build their own circuits as long as it is a circular track.

Track A is used in the set-up.

Crash cards

Each crash card shows a crash effect, which applies to a particular other player, other players, or the active player, and a reminder to take 1 bonus marker.

Important: A racer forced to move backwards because of a crash card will never move behind the finish line, no matter what lap it is on. Instead, it stops on the space right in front of the finish line.

Clarification: At the start of the game the player order determines the position of those racers not on the race track yet. If a crash card at the beginning of the game applies to any players whose racer(s) is not on the race track yet, the player order decides whose racer will move. In that case racers are only moved forward, not backwards.

5 forward 2 back: First, the racer in front of the player is moved back by 2 spaces. Then the player moves their racer forward by 5 spaces. If the racer is in first position, no other racer is moved back. Example: Lars (orange) has drawn the crash card and advances his racer 5 spaces. Jules (blue), who is one position in front of Lars, has to move her racer 2 spaces back.
Advance 2, 3, 5 spaces: The player moves their racer forward by the appropriate number of spaces.
2 dice: The player rolls 2 dice at once and moves their racer forward according to the rolled total. In this case a player does not draw a crash card for a double, but will move their racer forward that total instead. Example: Lukas (yellow) has drawn the crash card, and must now roll two dice. He advances his racer according to the result (12). He does not draw another crash card or bonus marker for having rolled the same number on both dice.
Backwards die: The player rolls 1 die and moves their racer backwards according to the rolled result.
3 forward: The player moves their racer forward by 3 spaces.
Push 5: The player moves their racer forward by up to 5 spaces, stopping immediately when landing on a space with another racer on it. The other racer on this space moves forward by 2 spaces. (Example A in the booklet shows a situation in which no push occurs; Example B shows a situation in which a push occurs.)
Stay put: The player does not move their racer.
Catching Up 2: The player does not move their racer. The closest racer behind the active player moves their racer forward 2 spaces. Example: Lukas (yellow) has drawn the crash card and has to leave his racer where it is. Phil (green), who is one position behind Lukas, is lucky and advances his racer 2 spaces.

Goal cards

Last place: The racer in last position moves 7 spaces forward.
Last and second last: The racers in last and second to last position each moves 5 spaces forward.
All but first: All racers move 2 spaces forward except the racer in first position.
All but first and second: All racers move 3 spaces forward except the two racers in first and second position.
Straight: The racer advances to the next straight space.
Curve: The racer advances to the next curved space.

Bonus cards

3, 5, 7 spaces forward: The racer advances by 3, 5, or 7 spaces.
Straight: The racer advances to the next straight space.
Curve: The racer advances to the next curved space.
Catch up: The racer advances onto the space of the next racer directly in front of him following the track. Note: If no other bonus card is played immediately or the racer does not advance further due to dice rolls, a fight occurs.

Example: Kai (red) plays two bonus cards first, then uses his dice result. Finally he plays another bonus card to cross the finish line this turn.

Racer abilities

Steel Jacket: If the racer is on a straight space, it advances by 1 space once only.
Swifty: If the racer is on a curved space, it advances by 1 space once only.
Twister: If the racer has passed at least one space with another racer during its turn, it advances by 1 space.
Crusher: If the racer has passed at least one space with another racer during its turn, the player takes one bonus marker from the common supply.
Jackal: This racer automatically wins all fights against other racers, and moves forward by 2 spaces (instead of only the usual 1 space). This ability only applies when a fight takes place.
Hover: This racer needs only 2 bonus markers in order to gain a bonus card. This applies during the complete race, and is not an activatable ability.

Turn overview

Roll the dice & use Boost markers

A) Move the Racer: 1) Dice results and bonus cards; 2) Racer ability; 3) (Fight)
B) Doubles rolled: 1st Draw a crash card & (Fight); 2nd Taking a bonus marker

Crossing the finish line: 1) Take a lap marker; 2) Draw a goal card & (Fight); 3) Replenish Boost markers

Collecting Boost markers