Flotte Flitzer
Flotte Flitzer Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Materials
In a box this size one might typically find 108 cards. In Flotte Flitzer there are 54 cards, 12 cardboard chits representing racing cars (2 each of 6 colors), and a little gameboard that folds out into a racing oval three lanes wide.
Object of the Game
Each player races 2 cars. The winner is the player whose 2 cars have scored the most points. Points are scored for a car finishing the race:
- 1st Place - 10 points
- 2nd Place - 7
- 3rd Place - 5
- 4th Place - 3
- 5th Place - 2
- 6th Place - 1
Setting up to Play
There are arrows on the racetrack to mark the direction of movement of the cars. Between the start line and the finish line (the two lines in black and white checks) are the 12 spaces (the starting blocks) where the cars are placed to begin the race. Starting with the youngest player and going clockwise around the table, place 1 of your 2 cars as close to the start line as possible and the other as far back (close to the finish line) as possible. If playing with fewer than 6 players, place all cars into the starting blocks anyhow.
Deal each player a hand of 5 cards. The rest of the cards will be the draw pile. When the last card is drawn from the draw pile, reshuffle the cards that have been played to form the new draw pile.
On Your Turn
The youngest player goes first, and turns are taken clockwise around the table. On your turn you will play 1 of the 5 cards in your hand. At the end of your turn, you will draw 1 card from the draw pile to bring your hand back up to 5 cards.
Moving the Cars
When you play a card, you should announce which car you are going to move. Some cards can only be used on one particular color of car, but even so, there are 2 cars of that color in the race.
When moving a car (either forward or backwards), one space of movement means that it moves from its current position in the row of three spaces to the position of your choice in the next row of three spaces. It does not have to move orthogonally or diagonally but could actually move, for example, from the extreme right lane in one row to the extreme left lane in the next.
A car may not end its move on a row in which all three positions are occupied. A car may move through a fully occupied row, provided its final position is on a row with at least one free space. A move is all or nothing: you cannot play a "move 3" and then only "move 2." If the move cannot end legally, the car does not move at all and the move is forfeited.
Correction (from the reader's post in the same thread): the rendition's original wording said that movement is blocked by a full row and a car can not move "through" that row. That is not the rule. Movement through a fully occupied row is allowed; only ending a move on a full row is disallowed. Example: a car may move through two fully occupied rows and end on the third row if at least one lane there is free.
A car may be moved into or through the striped "danger zone" spaces in the curves.
Effects of the Cards
At the top of each card is the card's name and its main number. Down at the bottom there may or may not be a "Risiko" number or the word "Schleudern" which will be applied only in certain situations.
The "Windschatten" cards indicate one particular color of car for which they can be played. Note that the different colors of cars have different shapes, so you can tell them apart even if colorblind. The other cards can be played for any car.
Windschatten Cards (+2, +3, +4)
"Windschatten" is what we would call "drafting" or "slipstreaming" in English. Pick a car of the color shown on the card and move it the indicated number of spaces. If, immediately behind the space (next row, same lane) where you moved this car from, there is another car, this car will then also be moved the same number of spaces. They do not have to finish in the same lane with each other, but the slipstreaming car will always finish in the row behind the front car.
Correction (from the reader's post in the same thread): the original wording said that if the front car is blocked, the slipstreaming car gets only as many spaces as the front car. Corrected rule: a front car that cannot move at all (because its move would end on a fully occupied row) means the slipstreaming car does not move at all either.
Überholen Cards (+1, +2)
Move the car of your choice the indicated number of spaces. (No slipstreaming.)
Falscher Gang Cards
Move the car of your choice 1 space backwards.
Aufholjagd Cards
To play this card, the car you choose to move may have no more than 2 other cars in the race behind it. In other words, its position can't be better than third from the last.
Risiko Cards
Announce which car you are going to move, but don't move it the +1 shown at the top of the card. Instead turn up the top card from the draw pile. If the card has no "Risiko" number and no word "Schleudern" down at the bottom, then move the car 1 space forward. Ignore any slipstreaming or other usual effects or requirements of the card.
If the turned-up card DOES have a "Risiko" number at the bottom (-2 or -4), move the chosen car backwards the indicated number of spaces.
If the turned-up card has the word "Schleudern" down at the bottom, the chosen car goes into a skid. This means that it goes all the way back to the row where the rearmost car in the race is.
Correction (from the reader's post in the same thread): the original wording said the car goes back to the row where the next car behind it is. Corrected rule: "Schleudern" sends the car to the very end of the pack, to the row where the rearmost car in the race is, not the row behind the moving car's starting position. If that row already has all three lanes occupied, the "Schleudern" card has no effect and the turn is over.
Correction (from the reader's post in the same thread): a backwards move from a "Risiko" card (-2 or -4) or a "Schleudern" follows the same all-or-nothing rule as any other movement. If it would end the car on a fully occupied row, or would end it behind the finish line, the move is forfeited and the car does not move at all.
However, if the car you choose to move when you play a Risiko card is your OWN car, special rules apply. In this case, if the turned-up card has no "Risiko" number and no word "Schleudern," you may choose to turn up an additional card and apply it to the chosen car in the same way. You may continue to turn up cards so long as the turned-up card has no "Risiko" number and no word "Schleudern," but you may also choose to end your turn at any time before turning up the next card.
Correction (from the reader's post in the same thread): the original text said a "Risiko" card should not be played for a car in the starting blocks. There is no rule preventing the playing of a "Risiko" card on a car in the starting blocks.
Gefahr Cards
Announce a car which is positioned on a "danger zone" space (the striped areas on the outsides of the curves). Then turn up 2 cards from the top of the draw pile. If neither card drawn has a "Risiko" number or a "Schleudern," nothing happens. But if there is a "Risiko" number or a "Schleudern" on either or both cards, implement them in the order drawn. However, if this would send a car back farther than the back of the starting blocks, do not send it back at all.
End of the Game
The race is over when the sixth car has crossed the finish line. Award the points and see who wins.