8Bit Box: Outspeed Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Overview and Object of the Game
• Components
  • Game Components
  • Console Materials
• Game Elements
  • Ships
  • Progression Boards
  • Track Tiles
  • Finish Line Tiles
  • Bonus Tokens
  • Fuel Tank
  • Yellow Die and Blue Die
  • Forcefield Tokens
• Game Setup
• Gameplay
  • 1. Bonus
    • Example
  • 2. Programming
  • 3. Resolution
    • Structure of a Track Tile
    • Track Tile Symbols
  • 4. Reveal
• Special Rules Concerning Certain Tiles
  • Tile 11
  • Tile 12
• End of the Game
• Explanations of Bonus Tokens
• Summary
  • Reminder for a Quick Setup

Overview and Object of the Game

Using your controller, choose the route you'll take for the next leg of the race. There are many possible strategies, and you'll need to be cunning to be the first across the finish line. Managing your fuel level, accelerating at just the right time, and hindering your opponents will be the keys to success. Be in the lead at the end of the final tile to be declared the winner!

Components

Game Components

• 6 Ships
• 3 Progression boards
• 12 Track tiles
• 4 Finish Line tiles
• 32 Bonus tokens
• 7 Forcefield tokens

Console Materials

• 1 controller per player
• 12 neutral cubes per player (plus about 10 extra cubes as a reserve)
• 1 yellow die and 1 blue die

Game Elements

Ships

The Ships are composed of two separate pieces of the same color, assembled at the beginning of each game. They move on the Progression boards throughout the game to show each player's position in the race.

Progression Boards

The Progression boards show the current order and relative positions of the players throughout the race as the Ships move along them. Only the white lines shown on these boards are important. The other elements are purely decorative. Each board is split into 7 zones. Any number of Ships can occupy a given zone.

Track Tiles

Track tiles represent the different legs of the race that the players will traverse over the course of the game. They show the inside of a cockpit, indicating the different routes that the players can take. The tiles are two sided: one side is for 3 or 4 player games, the other for 5 or 6 player games. They are numbered from 1 to 12.

Finish Line Tiles

Finish Line tiles are similar to Track tiles, but show a finish line in the upper half. They are numbered 13 to 16. In each game, only one of these tiles will be used, and it will be the last tile played.

Bonus Tokens

There are 6 different types of Bonus that you can pick up during the race. These tokens allow you to improve your own situation or hinder the other players. Two of them are rare.

• Electromagnet (2 copies)
• Ion Cannon (2 copies)
• Flamethrower (7 copies)
• Forcefield (7 copies)
• Nitro (7 copies)
• Fuel Tank (7 copies)

Fuel Tank

The neutral cubes, also known as Fuel cubes, represent the amount of energy you have left to run your Ship. 1 large neutral cube equals 5 regular sized neutral cubes.

Yellow Die and Blue Die

These dice are sometimes used to provide random values. The yellow die will let you know how much Fuel you have to spend, while the blue die will show how many zones you move forward.

Forcefield Tokens

These tokens are used to show the placement of Forcefields on the Progression boards.

Game Setup

1. Place two Progression boards touching each other as shown below. Set the third one aside for the moment.
2. Take the 12 Track tiles and make sure that they all have the correct side for the number of players facing up. Shuffle them and place them in a stack next to the Progression board.
3. Shuffle the 4 Finish Line tiles, take one at random, and place it under the stack of 12 Track tiles without looking at it. Make sure it has the correct side for the number of players facing up. Return the other 3 tiles to the box without looking at them.
4. Place the yellow and blue dice next to the Track tiles.
5. Shuffle the 32 Bonus tokens and place them on the table in a face-down stack within reach of all players. Place the stack of Forcefield tokens next to them.
6. Each player takes 12 Fuel cubes and places them in front of themselves, visible to everyone.
7. Each player chooses a color and takes the corresponding controller and Ship. The remaining Ships are returned to the box.
8. Place several extra Fuel cubes next to the Progression boards. This will be the reserve.

Place your Ship on the third zone of the track on the Progression board, as shown below.

The printed setup diagram shows the Progression board with the Ships placed on the third zone and the Direction of the Race indicated from left to right. The step-number marker beside this instruction is not legible in the source scan; it is grouped here with the setup steps.

For your first game, don't follow steps 2 and 3. Instead, take the tiles numbered 1 to 13 (with the correct side facing up), sort them into ascending order, and place them in a stack. Return the remaining 3 tiles to the box.

Gameplay

A game of Outspeed takes place over 13 turns (12 Track tiles and one Finish Line tile). Each turn is composed of four phases, always played in the following order:

1. Bonus
2. Programming
3. Resolution
4. Reveal

Advice: The first time you read this rulebook, it is highly recommended that you first read the pages on 2 Programming, 3 Resolution, and 4 Reveal and then come back to 1 Bonus. This order better corresponds to the way that the first turn will play out, since no Bonus can be played that turn.

1. Bonus

During this phase, each player has the opportunity to play one of their Bonus tokens and apply its effects. The effects of these tokens are explained on page 16.

Starting with the player in the furthest forward zone and moving back from there, each player announces out loud in turn whether they would like to use a Bonus token or not. If multiple Ships are on the same zone, those players can decide whether to play a Bonus in whatever order they like. This is because Bonuses have no effect on other players on the same zone as you. If you wish to play a Bonus, place it face down in front of you. You may only play one Bonus token per turn.

After all players have decided to play a Bonus or not, reveal the tokens that are being played. Starting with the furthest forward occupied zone and moving back from there, apply the effects of the Bonuses being played. If multiple Bonuses are played from the same zone, their effects are resolved simultaneously and may be cumulative. Bonuses that hit other players always hit an entire zone.

Next, discard all used Bonus tokens. Move on to the 2 Programming phase. If all players have been eliminated or only one remains, move on immediately to the End of the Game.

Example

• Green decides to play a Nitro token to move forward one zone for free.
• Yellow decides to play a Flamethrower token, hitting the next occupied zone in front of him, to make his opponents move back 2 zones.
• Blue, being in last position, decides to play an Electromagnet. This hits the zone occupied by the player in the lead and makes them move back 3 zones, and hits the other players' zones making them all move back 2 zones.

Proceeding from the player whose Ship is in the lead to the player whose Ship is in last place, the consequences are as follows:

• Green moves forward one zone for free.
• Simultaneously with Green's movement, Yellow's Flamethrower hits all of the players present on the next occupied zone. Purple thus moves back 2 zones. Green is not hit by the Flamethrower, since Green and Yellow were on the same zone when its effect was applied.
• The Electromagnet played by Blue makes Green move backwards 3 zones, as Green is alone in the lead. Purple, Yellow, and Red each move back 2 zones.

Example diagram: the printed example shows the track BEFORE and AFTER the Bonus effects are resolved.

2. Programming

During this phase, you'll choose the best route for your strategy. Try to anticipate the movements of the other players to take advantage of the situation.

Simultaneously and secretly, each player chooses which route they wish to take on their right-hand wheel. Feel free to tell other players what you plan to do if you like, but nothing prevents you from bluffing!

Note: The left-hand wheel will not be used. The central wheel is only used for one of the Finish Line tiles. The right-hand wheel is used every turn.

The routes that you can take are indicated by the colored indicator lights on the Track tile currently visible on top of the stack (red, yellow, green).

Certain tiles offer only two possible routes and so the indicator lights for the third route are off. In the example shown here, you cannot choose the middle route (yellow).

Track tiles can sometimes leave you no choice at all. It is also possible that you will be forced to program a route that will put you at 0 Fuel cubes and eliminate you from the game (see 3 Resolution). In this case, you may not choose a different path that requires you to spend more Fuel cubes than you have. However, you may choose a route with a random outcome (like a roll of the dice, for example), as long as the best possible result would cause you to spend no more Fuel cubes than you have.

Now move on to the 3 Resolution phase.

3. Resolution

Once each player has programmed their choice, all players reveal their controllers. Resolve all costs simultaneously. Next, resolve all benefits simultaneously.

Structure of a Track Tile

Track tiles are (almost) always structured in the same way:

• The 1st line shows any conditions required for one or more routes. This line may be empty.
• The 2nd line shows the costs of that route.
• The 3rd line shows the benefits of that route.

The exception: the tile numbered 11 is not set up in quite the same way. Go to page 14 for notes on special rules concerning certain tiles.

Track Tile Symbols

• Player Silhouettes (condition line): The number of Player Silhouettes on this line shows the number of spaces available on the route in question. When you reveal your controller, if the number of players having chosen this route is less than or equal to the number of silhouettes, these players pay the cost and gain the benefits of this route as normal. If the number of players is greater than the number of silhouettes, all players having chosen this route lose their turn. They pay nothing and they gain nothing. They are still counted as having made that choice, however, in case other routes take that into account.
• X + Move symbol (blue double arrow): The number in place of the X shows how many zones your Ship moves forward. Bonuses can cause your Ship to move forward if the number is positive or backward if the number is negative. The resolution of a Track tile can never cause you to move backward. Each zone can have any number of Ships on it.
• X + Fuel symbol (yellow lightning): The number in place of the X shows the number of Fuel cubes you lose if the symbol is on the second line (Cost line) or that you gain if the symbol is on the third line (Benefit line). Bonuses can also make you gain or lose cubes. These Fuel cubes are taken from or put into the reserve. You are not limited to 12 Fuel cubes.
• 1 + Bonus symbol: Each time you gain a Bonus token, take the top two from the stack, look at them, and keep one of them face-down in front of you. Put the other one on the bottom of the stack. You may have as many Bonuses as you like in front of you, but you can only play a maximum of one per turn. If the Bonus token stack runs out, shuffle the discarded Bonus tokens and form a new stack.
• Colored route symbols (red, yellow, green): These symbols can appear in front of the Move or Fuel symbols. The number that they replace is , and equal to the number of players that programmed that symbol on this turn (whether they succeeded in taking the route or not).

If you move forward more zones than the number of zones left in front of your Ship, place the third Progression board such that it continues the racetrack in the direction of the race. You then move onto this new board. Once all costs have been paid and the movements of all players are complete, remove the furthest back Progression board. If there are Ships on this board when it is taken away, they are removed from the game and their owners are eliminated. If you must move backward further than the last available zone, you are eliminated (no Progression board is ever added to the back of the racetrack).

If your stock of Fuel cubes reaches 0, you are eliminated. Remove your Ship from the Progression board.

Exception: During the resolution of the Finish Line tile, you may fall to exactly 0 Fuel cubes without being eliminated: you don't need any more Fuel since the race is now over. However, you are still eliminated if you are required to spend more Fuel cubes than you have left.

During a 5 or 6 player game, if there are only 4 or less players left in the game after an elimination, turn over all of the Track and Finish Line tiles without changing their order.

Now move on to the 4 Reveal phase.

If all players have been eliminated or only one remains, proceed to the End of the Game.

4. Reveal

During this phase, take the top Track tile and put it back into the box to reveal the next tile. Now start a new turn with the newly revealed tile, starting with the 1 Bonus phase.

When you put the Finish Line tile back into the box, the game is over. Proceed immediately to the End of the Game.

Special Rules Concerning Certain Tiles

Tile 11

The 3-4 player side of this tile requires you to be the only person to take a given route to gain the benefit without paying any cost. If more than one player takes this route, you all pay the cost without receiving any benefit.

Example: If you are the only player to choose this route, move your Ship forward 3 zones without spending anything. If you aren't alone in taking this route, spend 1 Fuel cube and gain nothing.

Tile 12

The green route requires you to pay 1 Fuel plus the number given by rolling the yellow die.

Example: You roll the yellow die and get a -3. You must pay a total of 4 Fuel.

End of the Game

The game can end in one of three ways:

• After finishing the 4 Reveal phase with the Finish Line tile, the player who is currently the furthest ahead in the race wins. If there are multiple players in the lead on the same zone, the tied player with the most Fuel cubes wins. If there is still a tie, the one with the most Bonus tokens in front of them wins. If there is still a tie, those players share the victory.
• If there is only one player left at any moment, that player wins.
• If all players have been eliminated, there is no winner. Start a new game immediately.

Explanations of Bonus Tokens

• Ion Cannon: Your Ship must be on the furthest back occupied zone when you play this Bonus. All Ships on zones in front of yours when this Bonus is applied lose 2 Fuel, or all of their Fuel cubes if they have 2 or fewer.
• Flamethrower: You can play this Bonus no matter what position your Ship is in. All Ships on the next occupied zone in front of yours when this Bonus is applied immediately move backwards 2 zones.
• Fuel Tank: You immediately gain 2 Fuel cubes from the reserve.
• Electromagnet: Your Ship must be on the furthest back occupied zone when you play this Bonus. All Ships on the furthest forward occupied zone when this Bonus is applied immediately move backward 3 zones. And, simultaneously, Ships on zones between yours and the furthest forward occupied zone when this Bonus is applied move backward 2 zones.
• Forcefield: You cannot play this Bonus while the Finish Line tile is visible. Place a Forcefield token on your zone next to your Ship on the Progression board. If a Ship enters a zone with one or more Forcefields on it (moving either forward or backward), the Ship stops on that zone. At the end of the 4 Reveal phase, if at least one Ship entered a zone with one or more Forcefield tokens on it during this turn, remove all tokens from that zone.
• Nitro: Your Ship immediately moves forward one zone.

Tip: Bonuses can create many different interactions when played at the right time. Don't overlook them. For example, a Nitro token can allow you to enter a zone containing a Forcefield token during the 1 Bonus phase, allowing you to move forward normally during the 3 Resolution phase, since these are two distinct movements.

Summary

Reminder for a Quick Setup

• 1 controller + 1 Ship (placed on the 3rd zone) + 12 Fuel cubes per player
• 12 Track tiles + 1 Finish Line tile
• 2 Progression boards + 1 set aside
• 32 Bonus tokens (face down) + 7 Forcefield tokens
• 1 yellow die + 1 blue die