Nitro
Nitro Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Aim of the Game
Welcome to the post-apocalyptic desert! The other players are your rivals in an adrenaline-fueled car race. Your goal is to reach the other edge of the Wasteland first.
Game Components
- 10 double-sided game boards
- 105 Wasteland cards
- 55 Nitro cards
- 6 player's markers
- 6 help sheets
- 1 die
Set-Up
Pick any 5 game boards and build the Wasteland, as shown in the picture below.
Note: in each new game the Wasteland will look different. Once you get familiar with the rules of the game, you can build the Wasteland with fewer – or more – game boards to adjust the duration of the game.
Shuffle the Wasteland card deck and deal 4 cards face down to each player. Put the deck face down on the table.
Shuffle the Nitro card deck and deal 2 cards face down to each player. Put the deck face down on the table.
Each player takes a helpsheet.
Each player takes a marker and places it on any space in the line on one edge of the Wasteland.
Determine the first player: Each player rolls the die. The player with the highest result becomes the first player (in case of a tie, reroll the die). From now on, the turn will pass clockwise.
Game Turn
The players take turns moving their markers across the Wasteland in order to reach the other edge of the Wasteland.
During your turn, you can (in any order):
- Equip cards
- Move
- Play Event cards
- Shoot (if you have at least 1 equipped Weapon card)
1. Equip Cards
At any point during your turn (before/after your movement, not during it) you can "equip" cards – place Ride, Modification or Weapon cards on the table in front of you. Think of it as an upgrade. These cards remain in front of you unless you must discard them or decide to replace them. The effects of these cards are either permanent or can be applied multiple times.
Rides (red). If a player doesn't have an equipped Ride, it is assumed that they have a "basic" Ride which allows them to equip 1 Weapon and 1 Modification.
You can equip only 1 Ride. You can replace your Ride: in this case, discard the old Ride face down and equip the new Ride in its place. If you have more equipped Weapons and Modifications, than the new Ride allows, discard the extra cards face down.
If you lose your Ride, you get the basic Ride back instead (if you have more than 1 equipped Weapon and Modification, discard the extra cards face down).
Note: Some events require you to discard ALL equipped Weapons and Modifications when you lose your Ride.
Modifications/Mods (teal). Modifications grant you unique advantages.
You can't equip more Modifications than specified on the equipped Ride card (or more than 1, if you have a basic Ride).
Weapons (purple). Weapons allow you to fire at other players (see "Shoot" below).
You cannot equip more Weapons than specified on the equipped Ride card (or more than 1, if you have a basic Ride).
2. Move
During your turn, you can move your marker (once) as many spaces, as your speed (or less) – vertically or horizontally.
The speed of the "basic" Ride on the road is 4, while its speed in the desert is 2. Equipped Ride and Modification cards, Nitro cards (see "Nitro cards") and some Event cards (see "Play Event cards") may affect your speed.
If a player ends their movement in one of the 4 locations (Bar, Gas Station, Junkyard, Repair Shop), they must apply its effect (see "Locations").
Note:
- If you drive from the desert onto the road, your speed remains the same as in the desert (including all bonuses gained from equipped cards, Event cards and Nitro cards) until the end of your turn.
- If you drive from the road into the desert, your movement immediately ends (even if you haven't used all your speed yet – Nitro cards included).
Nitro cards allow you to speed up! When you're moving your marker during your turn, you may play up to 2 Nitro cards: your speed grows by the number specified on the card. For example, your speed is 2. After playing two Nitro cards with numbers 1 and 3, your speed goes up to 6 (2+1+3). If you drive from the desert onto the road while using Nitro, the effect of the Nitro cards still applies. The played Nitro cards are discarded face down in a separate pile.
Locations
If a player ends their movement on one of the four locations, they apply its effect:
Bar. Draw 1 Wasteland card and show it to the other players. If it's a Ride, a Modification or a Weapon, add it to your hand. If it's an Event, immediately apply its effect (the card affects you, unless specified otherwise) and then draw 2 Wasteland cards (without showing them to the other players) and add them to your hand. If the effect of the card applies only to one player, it applies to the player that drew the card – for better or for worse!
Gas Station. Draw 4 Nitro cards (without showing them to the other players).
Repair Shop. Draw 4 Wasteland cards from the deck and place them face up on the table. You can buy 1, 2, 3 or all 4 of them. The price of each Wasteland card in Nitro is indicated in the bottom right corner of the card. You can pay in Nitro or Wasteland cards (or both). But they don't make change here! The unclaimed cards and the cards used as payment are discarded face down.
Junkyard. Take 3 Wasteland cards from the bottom of the discard pile and place them face up on the table. Choose one of them and add it to your hand. Place the other 2 cards face down on top of the discard pile.
Play Event Cards
You can play Event cards at any point of the game – no matter whose turn it is!
Events allow you to take the lead in the race and annoy your opponents – but watch out! Sometimes even the most cunning plans backfire!
Note: If the effect of the card applies to a specific player (the leader of the race, the last player in the race, the player with the fastest ride etc.) and there are several of them, the player who played the card decides which player the effect applies to.
Shoot
Equipped Weapons allow you to fire at your opponents! You may fire once from each equipped Weapon at any point during your turn before or after moving (you cannot fire while moving). In order to do it, you must meet the conditions specified on the card.
End of the Turn
If a player has no Wasteland cards left in their hand at the end of their turn, they draw 2 Wasteland cards without showing them to the other players.
A player is allowed to have no more than 6 non-equipped cards (both Wasteland and Nitro cards) at the end of their turn. If a player has over 6 non-equipped cards at the end of their turn, they must give the extra cards (of their choice) to the last player in the race. If it is the same person, they must discard the extra cards face down.
Another player's turn immediately starts.
Note: At this point of the game, a player cannot equip cards that they have just drawn, because their turn is over. But they can still play Event cards.
End of the Game
As soon as one of the players places their marker on one of the spaces on the other edge of the Wasteland (finish), they become the winner and the game ends.
Now you are ready to race across the scorching desert to victory!