Street Illegal
Street Illegal Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 20 Track cards: each has three important points of information: speed limit, situation and effect. The speed limits are 70, 80, 90 and no speed limit. Each speed limit has 5 situations describing the characteristics of the track: obstacle to the left, obstacle to the right, obstacle in the middle, uphill, and downhill. Each situation has an effect on your tempo cards.
- 90 Tempo cards: used to accelerate and brake the cars. The speed of each driver is determined by the sum of three face-up cards: a velocity from 10-60 mph is printed on the card. Also printed on the card is a situation icon similar to those found on the track cards.
- 50 chips: used to increase or decrease speed by 10 mph per chip paid.
- 7 Driver cards: determine the color car a player drives. On the other side of these cards are gray cars driven by Old Pros who have their own race mechanic. They are used to fill the unused positions.
- 7 Player mats: to help define each player's car plus give a helpful breakdown of the phases.
Setup
Tempo cards are shuffled and placed face down on the table. Discards will be placed face up beside this stack. If all tempo cards are drawn, shuffle the discards and continue play. Chips are placed on the table next to the tempo card stack.
The track cards are shuffled. Eight track cards are drawn randomly and placed face up in a row on the table. All other track cards are put aside and not used in the current game. Each player selects a driver card, draws eight tempo cards and gets three chips. Tempo cards and chips are secret.
Now 7 positions will be filled in a straight line from left to right. The youngest player places his driver card in last place (7th position). The next older player places his driver card on position 6, etc. - the driver card of the eldest player takes the foremost position of all player driver card. All other positions in front of the players go to the "Old Pros". As soon as you 've played once or twice you should use the extended rule Tactical Starting Positions to determine starting positions.
All players now place three out of their eight tempo cards simultaneously face up before them. One card is face up left, one card face up in the middle and one card face up on the right in front of each player.
Setup Example
Alex selects the purple driver card, Bob gets red, and Chris picks yellow. They each draw 8 tempo cards and get three chips.
Alex is the youngest so puts his driver card in the back of the field, while Bob places his in 6th place and Chris in 5th place. The remaining 4 positions are filled with Old Pros.
Each player then simultaneously places three tempo cars in front of them, left, middle and right. They have 5 Tempo cards in hand. They are ready to begin.
Editor's note: the printed source reads "three tempo cars" in this sentence; "cars" is a misprint for "cards" and is transcribed as printed.
Some Points To Understand
A driver card is controlled by using tempo cards. Each tempo card shows a velocity ranging from 10 to 60 mph. During play there are always three cards face up in front of each player. The sum of these cards define the speed of the player's car. The situation icons of the three face-up tempo cards of a player will define how many chips the player gets while driving through a specific track card: the tempo card must have a matching situation icon for the current track card to gain chips. Chips are used to increase or decrease the speed of a driver card temporarily (+10 mph or -10 mph per chip paid).
Play Sequence and Objective of the Game
There are three phases per track card. All players must execute phase 1 for a track before going to phase 2. When all players complete phase 2, they go to phase 3. When phase 3 is completed, the track card is turned face down and the 3 phases are repeated for the next track card. Play continues like this until the last track card is turned face down. Points are awarded for positions gained and the player with the most points wins the game - if playing one race only the winner is the player in the foremost position after the last track card is turned face down. See also last page of this booklet.
Phase 1: Situation Icon
The player in front of all other players executes this phase first. All other players follow according to the position of their cars from front to back. The situation icon of the current track characterizes how the track affects the cars. Additionally it determines how many chips each player earns.
Replace Face-Up Tempo Card. The situation icon of the current track card determines which, if any, face-up tempo card of the player will be replaced. You include the newly revealed tempo card for uphill/downhill situations.
- Obstacle to the left: discard your leftmost tempo card and replace it from the deck.
- Obstacle to the right: discard your rightmost tempo card and replace it from the deck.
- Obstacle in the middle: discard your middle tempo card and replace it from the deck.
- Downhill: turn over the top tempo card then discard the lowest of the four tempo cards.
- Uphill: turn over the top tempo card then discard the highest of the four tempo cards.
In the case of uphill and downhill situations, if the newly revealed card is the lowest (in a downhill situation) or the highest (in an uphill situation) the newly revealed tempo card is discarded. If there are several tempo cards that are equal in speed for the lowest or highest it is the player's choice which to discard.
Take Chips. For each of a player's 3 face-up tempo cards matching the situation icon of the current track card the player gets 2 chips.
Phase 1 Example
Chris is going first: he turns over a 20 and discards it immediately, because it is the lowest card of the four cards (downhill situations discard the lowest velocity tempo card). Chris is still driving at 100 mph (40 + 30 + 30). He gets two chips (his middle card is a downhill, matching the track card).
Bob turns over a 50 - he may choose which of his two velocity 30 cards to discard and replace with the 50 card. Bob is driving at 120 mph (40+30+50) now. He gets no chips as none of his tempo cards match the situation on this track card.
Alex turns over a 30 and must replace his 10. Alex is driving at 140 mph (60 + 30 + 50) now. He gets four chips: both his middle and rightmost tempo card has the downhill situation, matching the track card.
Phase 2: Driving
The player in front of all other players executes this phase first. All other players follow according to the position of their cars from front to back. The players accelerate and brake using their tempo cards. If a player is driving too fast he must pay chips to reduce his speed temporarily or if unable or unwilling to pay, execute emergency braking.
Action. The player must execute one of the following options:
- Drive: discard one of his face-up tempo cards, replace it by a card from his hand and draw one tempo card from the stack to his hand, or ...
- Optimize: discard one or more tempo cards from his hand and draw the same number of cards from the stack to his hand, or ...
- Do nothing.
If the driver card is running at or below the speed limit specified on the track card he is finished for the phase and the next player executes this phase.
If Too Fast - Pay Chips. If a player is driving faster than the speed limit specified on the track, he may compensate for the excessive speed by paying chips. He must pay one chip per 10 mph that he is driving over the limit. The maximum number of chips a player may pay is the number of tempo cards he is holding in his hand!
By paying chips a player avoids emergency braking and gives himself an advantage against slower cars when passing in the next phase.
... Or Execute Emergency Braking. If a player cannot or does not want to pay enough chips he must execute emergency braking - in this case the player must discard one card from his hand without redrawing a card from the stack! This rule simulates slight damage to the car. The maximum number of cards the player may hold in his hand is reduced by one for the rest of the game (after the first emergency braking the maximum is 4 cards, after the second it is 3, etc.).
Additionally, the driver card of the player is forced to brake until its speed is below the specified speed limit on the track card. To simulate this, the player turns over a tempo card, checks the turned over card and his face-up cards and discards the highest of the four tempo cards. This is repeated until the speed of the driver card is below the specified speed limit on the track card. The player may choose which card to discard if several cards show the same (highest) value. The next player now executes this phase.
Phase 2 Example
Chris chooses the Drive option; he replaces a 40 by a 30 from his hand and redraws one tempo card. Chris is driving exactly 90 mph (30 + 30 + 30).
Bob is doing nothing; he is driving way too fast at 120 mph (40+30+50) but does not want to pay 3 chips. He must execute emergency braking, losing one tempo card from his hand without redrawing. He is also forced to brake: he turns over a 10 and must replace his 50. He is driving below 90 mph now and so does not have to turn over further cards. Bob is now driving at 80 mph (40+30+10).
Alex brakes using the Drive option to replace a 60 with a 20 from his hand and redrawing one tempo card. Alex is driving at 100 mph (20 + 30 + 50); he avoids emergency braking by paying 1 chip thus reducing his speed temporarily to 90 mph. All the same he will use his real speed of 100 mph when passing in the next phase!
Phase 3: Passing
Players and Old Pros are trying to overtake each other. The players are allowed to pay chips in order to increase their speed temporarily. In this phase, the last place driver (player or Old Pro!) is the first to attempt to pass the driver directly in front of him.
Attack and Defense. If two players are fighting for a better position, both are deciding simultaneously how many chips they will pay (they make their choice secret until they reveal the chips at the same time). Each chip paid increases the speed of the player by 10 mph temporarily. The maximum number of chips a player may pay is the number of tempo cards he is holding in his hand!
If a player is trying to pass an Old Pro driving directly in front of him (or is being passed by an Old Pro driving directly behind him) two tempo cards are turned over for the Old Pro. Then the player must choose how many chips to pay to increase his speed. If the current track has "no speed limit" draw a third card for the Old Pro. If the current track has a speed limit draw a third card only if the sum of the first two drawn cards is lower than the speed limit.
Old Pros never pass each other - but each will attempt to pass a driver card once. The driver card in front wins if its speed is equal to or higher than the speed of the passer - both cards will hold their positions and it is now the turn of the card in front to pass the next card directly in front of it. The passer wins if its speed is higher than the speed of the driver card in front - in this case the two cards will swap their positions and the passer may immediately try to pass the next card now directly before it. Remember, an Old Pro cannot attempt to pass another Old Pro nor can it attempt to pass two players in the same turn.
As soon as a driver card loses a fight - if the card fails to pass successfully or if it was passed successfully - the phase for this driver card is finished immediately - i.e. he cannot do anything else this phase for this track. A player who passed successfully may at once try to pass the next driver card directly in front of him by going back and executing phase 2 again (and alone). The player must use the "drive" option of phase 2 to decrease his speed by at least 10 mph, because the successful pass did cost him some time. All rules of phase 2 apply - including meeting speed limit demands of the track (and perhaps having to pay chips to avoid emergency braking). If the player does not want or would be unable to decrease the speed of his driver card the phase is finished for him and it is the turn of the driver card directly in front of him to pass the next driver card. As soon as the last player takes his or her turn, or loses a fight by being passed, thus losing the chance to take a turn, the current track card is flipped over and the turn sequence restarts with phase 1 for the next track card.
Phase 3 Example
Alex, in 7th position, is the first to try and pass; he tries to pass Bob. Alex is driving at 100 mph (20 + 30 + 50). Bob is driving at 80 mph (40 + 30 +10). Neither Alex nor Bob are paying chips. They swap positions because Alex is faster than Bob. Alex does not want to slow down and so does not attempt another pass.
It is Chris's turn to pass the Old Pro driving in front of him (since Bob was passed he cannot initiate his own pass attempt). Chris is driving 90 mph. The Old Pro draws two cards - a 30 + 60 - and is therefore also driving 90 mph. The Old Pro only gets two cards because with these two cards he already reached the speed limit of 90 mph printed on the current track card. Chris simply pays 1 chip and wins with a speed of 100 mph (30 + 30 + 30 + 10) and passes that Old Pro.
Chris wants to pass again - he replaces his 30 by a 20 from his hand and redraws one tempo card. He thus slowed down by 10 mph (and since he is under the speed limit of the track, does not need to pay any chips). The next driver card is driving at 30 mph (10 + 20). Chris does not pay any chips and waits for the third tempo card to be turned over for the Old Pro. A 50 is turned over - the Old Pro is now driving at 80 mph (10 + 20 + 50). Chris is driving at 80 mph too (30 + 20 + 30) and thus loses this fight: no driver card changes position.
Phase 3 is finished because Old Pros do not pass each other. The track card is turned over and the cars are entering the next track card starting with Phase 1 again.
The Finish
After the last track card is turned over each player earns points according to their position. Whoever earns the most points wins the game.
| Position | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Points | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 11 | 15 |
If running several races the points are added up. The Old Pros are participating as one team - this team will always earn the points for the best position reached by an Old Pro. It is absolutely possible that the Old Pros will win this game.
Extended Rules
Extended Rule: Tactical Starting Positions
This rule is used to determine fair starting positions. Preparations are normal but the players do not place the cars on the display during preparations. Every player puts down one of his eight tempo cards. Whoever puts down the slowest tempo card must place his driver card on position 7. Each time a player puts down a card he discards it and redraws another one, so that each player always has eight cards on hand while bidding against positions. The same process is used for position 6, position 5, and so on. A player having his driver card already on a position may discard one card of his choice and redraw a new one each time after the other players have put down a card. If several players put down the same slowest value, these players alone repeat the bidding for the position until one of the players is forced to take the position (any player already having a driver card on a position may discard and redraw one card each time this happens). Players who put down a higher card during any of these biddings drop out and have to wait until the bidding for the next position starts. As soon as there is only one player left without a position, he gets the next position and all other players may discard and redraw one further card. The Old Pros are placed on the positions in front of the players and the race starts as usual - each player puts down three cards and the game is afoot..or awheel.
Extended Rule: Solo Play
One player can play against 6 Old Pros using the mechanics for Old Pros described in this document.
Extended Rule: Better Old Pros
Old Pros draw a third card even if their speed limit is below or equal to the speed limit.
Extended Rule: Nitrous Oxide
While attempting to pass, the players of a chip-betting duel that resulted in a tie may each immediately discard a tempo card from their hand and the highest tempo card wins the duel. Both players put their fingers at a card in their hand and simultaneously raise their hand holding up the card - if a player does not want to use this option he simply raises his hand empty and his tempo card is counted as a zero. If the highest tempo card was the passer, he passes the driver card in front. Otherwise no cars change positions: and if the tempo cards are the same velocity, no cars change places either. Any player who discarded a tempo card in this manner may NOT redraw a card and thus effectively reduces his hand limit - similar to executing emergency braking.