Components

The following material is used for the basic game:

• 1 game board with the round circuit of Monaco
• 6 dice symbolizing the 6 car gears
• 1 black die to determine car damage or other unpredictable events
• 1 instruction book containing the basic rules
• 10 Formula 1 cars in 5 colors symbolizing 5 different racing teams
• 10 dashboards
• 10 "gear stick" pieces
• 10 markers for car wear points (WP)

Object of the Game

Formula D is a car race. The aim is to win a race (of one lap) and be the first to cross the finishing line. There are all sorts of risks involved and you have to anticipate what will happen during the course of the race.

You must decide on your strategy, trust to luck, keep to the rules and always keep an eye on the technical condition of your car.

Game Elements

The Gears

The cars have 6 gears, each gear has its own die. The numbers on the dice tell you how many spaces to move the car. The higher the gear you choose, the faster and further the corresponding die will allow the car to travel (see movement table below).

You are not allowed to skip gears when accelerating (e.g. changing straight from 1st to 3rd gear). You are allowed to skip 1, 2 or 3 gears when braking (e.g. from 6th to 4th or from 4th to 1st gear); however there is a penalty for doing this.

Note: When the pyramid-shaped die is rolled, use the number at the top.

Driving

As in real life the car starts in 1st gear. Then you shift up to 2nd gear and so on up to 6th gear, in order to move as fast as possible.

When it is a driver's turn he announces which gear he has chosen, moves the gear stick on his dashboard accordingly and then rolls the die which corresponds to the chosen speed. He then moves his car forward the number of spaces indicated on the die. When the move is finished the car "stops". This notion is important especially in the corners.

• Order of play: In each round the drivers play according to their car position on the track.

  Example: During a round of play car A overtakes car B which was in 1st position. When the next round starts, car A, now in 1st position, will play before car B.

  
  
  

• Same position: If two cars on the track are level with each other, the driver with the highest gear plays first.

  
  
  

  If both cars are in the same gear, the car nearest the inside with reference to the next (or current) corner plays first.

  
  
  

Driving Code

The cars drive in the track lanes. Different driving codes apply to corners and straights. It is generally not allowed to go over other cars - they must be driven round. Driving backwards is also not allowed.

Driving Code In The Corners

To drive through a corner a car must stop a minimum number of times (indicated in the yellow box) within the limits of the corner. After the requisite number of stops, the car may proceed and exit the corner on its next move.

To make it easier to drive through the corner, the driver should consider the indicated number of spaces. The number in the green box refer to the longest path, the numbers in the red box refer to the shortest path.

Driving Code On The Straights

Straights are the portions of track between corners. Depending on the length of each straight, cars may need several rounds before entering the next corner.

Important: The manoeuvre must be completed using the smallest number of spaces possible.

Wear points (WP)

They reflect the capability of the car to stay on the track and survive events during the race. Each car has 18 WP at the beginning of the race. The players use these points to survive various incidents and risky manoeuvres.

Setup

The race is held on the Monaco circuit. The two halves of the game board are spread out on the table side by side. Each player is given a car, a dashboard and a gear stick. The scorecards are not used in the basic game. The selected gear is marked on the dashboard with a ("gear stick") piece.

Each player places a marker near the value 18 - this shows the WP of his car.

Important: A car is eliminated from the game when it has no WP left.

Start Formation

Every player rolls the black die in order to determine the starting position of his car. Whoever rolls the highest number gains pole position. The other cars are positioned in decreasing order according to the numbers rolled. In the case of a tie, all involved players re-roll the die.

Start

Before engaging 1stgear, every player rolls the black die to see how successfully he can start.

• Number rolled: 1 - poor start. The player has stalled the motor of his car. He cannot engage 1st gear and so he has to wait till the next round. Then he can start in 1st gear without having to roll the black die again.

• Number rolled: between 2 and 16 - normal start. The player can start normally. He rolls the die for 1st gear and moves his car forward according to the number rolled.

• Number rolled: between 17 and 20 - great start! The player makes a fantastic start. He moves his car forward 4 spaces immediately, although he is still in 1st gear. The car can change one or two lanes to avoid other cars. The driver may shift to 2nd gear in the next round.

Overshooting

If a car passes through a corner at the end of its turn without making the required number of stops, it overshoots the corner. The number of spaces the car overshot the corner by is deducted from the car's WP as a penalty.

• Corner with 2 stops: If the car has made no stops, it is automatically removed from play.

• Corner with 3 stops: If the car has made no stops, or only one stop, it is automatically removed from play.

When coming out of a corner the car may not change lane, but must stay in the same lane. If the move ends in another corner, this stop does not count for the new corner. If the car is blocked by another car, he cannot drive round it and has to brake.

Braking

A player may use his WP at any time to avoid having to advance the full number of spaces shown on the die. In this way he can control his progress better, for example when the lanes are blocked by other cars.

Changing Down

A driver can skip one, two or three gears when changing down, however this wears out his gearbox. The number of gears skipped equates to the number of WP his car loses as a result. Note: It is not possible to skip four gears (from 6th to 1st gear).

Collision

Whenever a car ends its move on a space next to or behind one or several cars, there is a risk of collision. A driver in this situation must roll the black die to see whether there is a collision or not. If he rolls a number between 1 and 4 his car loses 1 WP.

Motor Damage

If a player rolls a 20 in 5th gear or a 30 in 6th gear, this puts a strain on his engine. After his car has finished moving he must therefore roll the black die to test whether his engine has withstood the strain.

All players who are driving in 5th or 6th gear at this moment must also roll the black die. If a number between 1 and 4 is rolled, the corresponding car loses 1 WP.

End of the Game

The player whose car passes the finishing line first has won the race.

The race ends when all cars have crossed the finishing line, in order to enable ranking.

Two-lap Race

For players who have already played several single-lap games.

Whoever crosses the finishing line first after two laps wins the game. Players may make a pit stop between the first and second laps to regain the WP points they lost during the first round.

Pit Stop

At the end of the first lap a player may decide to make a pit stop to regain all the WP he has lost. There is no speed limit in the pit lanes. It is also not necessary to roll the exact number needed to reach one's own pit.

Entering Pits

To enter the pits it is sufficient to roll the minimum number required or higher using the die corresponding to the selected gear. The car receives all 18 WP back and awaits his next turn to start from the pits in 4th gear (maximum).

The rules for changing down gear, collision, braking and engine damage do not apply in the pit lane. Overtaking is not possible as it is a single lane. Drivers have to be patient and wait until the car ahead of them moves forward, regardless of selected gear and with no effect on the WP.

Cars in the pit lane must wait for their turn, until the cars on the circuit between pit exit and entry have had their turn.

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