VeloCity Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Setup
• Game Play
  • General rules for moving the couriers
  • Solo ride
  • Pack ride
  • Obstacle space
  • Crossing the finish line
  • End of the game
  • Some notes

Components

• 35 courier figures: 7 teams in team colours (red, black, yellow, white, green, grey, blue), 5 couriers each
• 7 team dice in team colours (red, black, yellow, white, green, grey, blue)
• 1 energy die (light blue)
• 28 vitamin drink cans (light blue)
• 1 sticker sheet
• 1 game board
• 1 rulebook

Before the first game, the stickers must be stuck onto the front and back of the figures of the same colour. Attention: the outline of each sticker matches the outline of the figures. Make sure to attach each sticker to a figure with the matching outline.

Setup

1. Each player chooses a team and takes the team die and the figures in the corresponding colour. The number of figures each player receives depends on the number of players:

   • With 3 or 4 players, each player receives 5 figures.
   • With 5, 6 or 7 players, each player receives 4 figures.

   Figures and team dice that are not needed for this game go back into the box.

2. Each player picks one of their figures as team leader. This figure is placed in plain view in front of that player. It serves only as a reminder of which team the player leads, and does not take part in the race. The remaining figures are placed as bicycle couriers on the start space of the game board.

The game board is placed in the middle of the table, where all players can reach it. On the board is the road that serves as the race course. The race course consists of different spaces:

1. The start space is the car park. At the beginning of the game, all bicycle couriers stand on it.
2. The finish spaces are the 8 green spaces behind the finish line. Couriers are placed there after they have crossed the finish line.
3. Supply spaces are spaces on the race course showing a picture of a vitamin drink can. On a supply space, players can collect vitamin drink cans with their couriers. The supply space is described in more detail later in the rules.
4. Obstacle spaces are spaces on the race course showing a picture of a manhole cover. If a courier's movement ends on an obstacle space, it must move back or hand in a vitamin drink can. The obstacle space is described in more detail later in the rules.
5. Route spaces are spaces on the race course without any picture.

The vitamin drink cans are placed as a general supply next to the game board, depending on the number of players:

• With 3 players: 15 cans.
• With 4 and 5 players: 20 cans.
• With 6 players: 24 cans.
• With 7 players: 28 cans.

Cans that are not needed for this game go back into the box.

Note: at the start of the game, the players have no vitamin drink cans.

A starting player is determined.

Game Play

The starting player begins. Play then proceeds clockwise. When a player's turn comes, he completes his turn in full. Afterwards, his left-hand neighbour takes a turn.

At the start of his turn, the player decides whether to make a solo ride or a pack ride. He then rolls the dice and moves one of his couriers.

• For a solo ride, the player must decide which of his couriers will make the solo ride only after rolling the dice.
• For a pack ride, the player must choose a space before rolling the dice. On that space there must be one of his own couriers and at least one further courier from another team.

The game ends immediately when the eighth courier has reached the finish, or when a player moves his third courier into the finish.

Additionally, vitamin drink cans may be used during a turn.

General rules for moving the couriers

• The couriers must always be moved by exactly as many spaces as the chosen die shows.

• No player may let die pips lapse when moving his couriers, except when entering the finish.

• On every space except the finish spaces, any number of couriers may stand.

• The player whose turn it is always moves his courier first.

• The players can, by spending vitamin drink cans, try to gain advantages for their couriers:

  • Refuel (Energie tanken) – before rolling
  • Breakaway (Vorstoß wagen) – before rolling
  • Ride in the slipstream (Windschatten fahren) – when moving
  • Master the obstacle space (Hindernisfeld meistern) – after moving

  These advantages are explained in more detail below. Vitamin drink cans spent are always returned to the general supply.

Solo ride

If the player whose turn it is decides on a solo ride, he rolls with his team die and moves any one of his couriers forward towards the finish by the number rolled.

If a player has vitamin drink cans during the game, he can gain advantages by spending them:

• Refuel (Energie tanken) – If the player whose turn it is spends one vitamin drink can before rolling, he may roll the light-blue energy die together with his team die. He then decides on one of the two dice and moves one of his couriers forward towards the finish by the number rolled.
• Breakaway (Vorstoß wagen) – If the player whose turn it is spends two vitamin drink cans before rolling, he may roll the light-blue energy die together with his team die. He may then decide whether to move towards the finish by the sum of the two numbers rolled, or by one of the two numbers alone. In addition, no other courier may follow him in the slipstream (see Ride in the slipstream).
• Ride in the slipstream (Windschatten fahren) – If further couriers stand on the space from which the solo ride is made, all of these couriers may ride in the slipstream. For each courier that is to ride in the slipstream, one vitamin drink can must be spent. Riding in the slipstream means moving onto the same space as the courier that made the solo ride. Beginning with the player whose turn it is, the players decide one after another, clockwise, whether they want to ride in the slipstream. Riding in the slipstream is not allowed from the start space.
• Master the obstacle space (Hindernisfeld meistern) – see Obstacle space below.

Example: Solo ride with slipstream. Bernd (blue) has rolled a 6 and decides to move his courier from space 33 forward, since space 27 (not shown) is again a space with a vitamin drink can. Bernd still has one can in his supply and decides to let his second courier ride in the slipstream. Gerd (yellow) also still has a can and lets his courier ride in the slipstream as well. Only when all couriers on the space have arrived does Bernd receive a vitamin drink can for this space. For his second courier he receives no vitamin drink can. Gerd does not receive one either.

If the general supply is empty and a player receives a vitamin drink can, he may take one from the supply of the fellow player who has the most cans. In the case of a tie, he may choose from which of these fellow players he takes the can. If he himself has the most vitamin drink cans, he may not take a can from any fellow player, not even in a tie!

Supply space (Versorgungsfeld): If the player whose turn it is moves his courier onto a supply space, he receives one vitamin drink can from the general supply. All other couriers that arrive on this supply space by slipstream or pack ride receive no vitamin drink can.

Pack ride

If the player whose turn it is decides on a pack ride, he must choose a space before rolling. On that space there must be one of his own couriers and at least one further courier from another team.

The other players whose couriers are in the pack must give the player their team dice. They may not refuse.

The player takes the die of every team that has at least one courier standing in the pack, and rolls them all at the same time.

Example: Pack ride. Bernd (blue) rolls for the pack on space 6. Since couriers from Rita (red) and Gerd (yellow) stand in the pack, he rolls with his blue, red and yellow team dice. He rolls a 1 and twice a 3. He must now decide on one die and carry out the movement.

After the roll, the player must decide on one die.

• If he chooses his own team die, he moves one of his own couriers out of this pack forward by the corresponding number of spaces.
• If he chooses a foreign team die, he must move one of his couriers and one courier of the team whose die he has chosen forward by the corresponding number of spaces.

After that, the team dice are returned to the fellow players.

If a player has vitamin drink cans, he can gain advantages through their use:

• Refuel – Only the player whose turn it is can refuel, as already described. In addition to his team die and the light-blue energy die, he must roll the team dice of all couriers involved in the pack. If he decides on the light-blue energy die or his own team die, he need only move his courier by the number rolled.
• Breakaway – Not allowed in a pack ride.
• Ride in the slipstream – All other couriers in the pack may ride in the slipstream as already described.

Note: The energy die therefore increases the choice of dice and reduces the risk of possibly moving another courier along with yours.

Example: Pack ride with a foreign die. Gerd (yellow) rolls for the pack on space 4. His team die shows a 2, Bernd's die (blue) a 3, and Rita's die (red) a 6. Since he may only cross the finish line with his own team die, the 6 on Rita's die is of no use to him (see Crossing the finish line).

Obstacle space

If the movement of a courier ends on an obstacle space, the courier must move back to the next free obstacle space towards the start space. If couriers stand on all the consecutive obstacle spaces up to the start space, the courier must even move back onto the start space.

Mastering an obstacle space (Hindernisfeld meistern): By spending one vitamin drink can, it can be prevented that a courier must move back. This must be done after the courier has moved.

If several couriers move onto an obstacle space by slipstream or pack ride, then each individual courier must spend one vitamin drink can or move back to the next free obstacle space. The player whose turn it is decides first, then the other players follow clockwise.

Note: Couriers that were already on the obstacle space beforehand are of course not affected.

Each time a player must move one of his own couriers back, he immediately receives one vitamin drink can from the general supply.

Each time a player must move one of his own couriers back to the start space, he receives two vitamin drink cans from the general supply.

A vitamin drink can received in this way may be spent by the player immediately afterwards, to master an obstacle space with another of his own couriers.

Example: Obstacle space. Gerd (yellow) and Bernd's courier (blue) each move 3 spaces forward to space 1, since Bernd's die shows a 3. Gerd decides first whether he wants to let his courier ride in the slipstream. He spends a vitamin drink can and moves the courier along. Now Rita is asked. She also lets her courier ride in the slipstream and spends a vitamin drink can for it. Now all couriers on the space with the manhole cover have arrived, and the players must decide whether to spend vitamin drink cans to master the obstacle space. Gerd is the first to be asked. Since he no longer has a vitamin drink can, he must move one of his couriers back to the next free obstacle space (space 3). For this he receives a vitamin drink can. He spends it directly to master the obstacle space (space 1) with his second courier. Next, Rita is asked. She spends a can to master the obstacle space. Now Bernd is asked. Since he does not want to spend a vitamin drink can, he must move his courier back. Since space 3 is occupied, he must move his courier back to space 5. For this he receives a vitamin drink can.

Crossing the finish line

When the first bicycle courier crosses the finish line, he is placed on the green finish space that is furthest from the finish line. That is the first place. The finish spaces for second to eighth place follow. In this way, the placement of the couriers for the end of the game is displayed.

Each courier may cross the finish line only by a move with its own team die.

When a courier crosses the finish line, no other courier, not even from the same team, may ride in the slipstream.

End of the game

The game ends immediately when the eight green finish spaces behind the finish line are occupied by bicycle couriers.

The player who has brought the most bicycle couriers to the finish wins.

If several players have the same number of couriers in the finish, the player whose last courier is placed further back in the finish wins.

The game also ends immediately when a player moves his third bicycle courier into the finish. That player has won the great race and proven that his team is the best among the courier services.

Example: Tie. Rita (red) and Bernd (blue) have the most couriers in the finish. Since Rita's last courier in the finish occupies place 7 and Bernd's last courier in the finish occupies place 8, Bernd wins.

Some notes

• As soon as a player has thrown his die without first choosing a pack, he has automatically decided on a solo ride! Rolling again or changing one's mind is no longer possible.
• In a pack ride, a player should consider very carefully which die result he executes. If he chooses a foreign team die, he also moves a foreign courier forward. It is usually more sensible to give up one or two pips and not choose the die of a player who is already in the lead.
• The vitamin drink cans can help the players in many situations. A player should therefore make sure that he still has reserves towards the end of the game. It is annoying if a player must move his courier onto an obstacle space shortly before the finish and cannot hand in a can to master the obstacle. Then it can happen that the courier falls far back, because a whole row of obstacle spaces is occupied by other couriers.
• And do not forget: during a breakaway, no other courier may follow! Therefore it is sometimes worth spending the two vitamin drink cans for a breakaway, to shake off the other couriers – even if the player then, because of a poor roll, does not get as far as he had hoped!
• VeloCity has luck elements through the dice, but these can be reduced by the skilful use of vitamin drink cans. Of course the starting player also has a small advantage over the other players, but it is not decisive.