Race to the North Pole Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Goal of the Game
• Chapter II: Setting Up the Game
  • Prepare the Gameboard
  • Remove Blank Parts and Deal the Action Cards
  • Sort the Ice Mask Tiles
  • Pick or Draw Teams and Ships
  • Place Ice Masks to the Game Board
  • Place Correct Amount of Pawns to the Ships
  • Pick the First Player and Start the Race!
• Chapter III: How to Play
  • Moving in the Arctic
  • Playing a Turn
  • Phase 1: Travel from Ship to Base Camp
  • Base Camps Are Safe Havens
  • Phase 2: Perform an Action
    • You Can Perform Different Actions
    • You Must Play an Action if Possible
    • You Can Ambush Competitors
    • How to Ambush
    • Getting Ice Masks
    • Using Equipment
    • Entering the North Pole and Winning the Game
• Chapter IV: Ice Masks - Equipment and Hazards
  • Huskies, Snowshoes and Backpacks!
  • Igloos, Pickaxes and Compasses!
  • Hazards Happen Instantly!
• Chapter V: Additional Suggestions
  • Team Up!
  • Customize with Blank Pieces
  • House Rules (D-I-Y)
• Quick Reference (Back Cover)

Goal of the Game

Your goal is to be the first to reach the North Pole at the center of the board with your whole expedition team. But alas, the Arctic is merciless! Occasional storms will rotate the game board and the cunning competitors make the adventure thrilling and challenging for every playthrough!

You can use a smart device along Race to the North Pole for extra content and new mechanics. The app makes the game even more fun and quicker to learn (Dized, www.dized.com).

This guide is divided into five chapters: (I) Introduction, (II) Setting up the Game, (III) How to Play, (IV) Ice Masks (Equipment and Hazards), (V) Additional Suggestions.

Chapter II: Setting Up the Game

Example setup for 3 players. Parts: (1) Gameboard, (2) Base Camp, (3) Cracks, (4) North Pole Disc, (5) Scoreboard, (6) Team and its Equipment, (7) Ship, (8) Pawns (expedition members), (9) Current Player Marker, (10) Action Card Draw Pile, (11) Available Action Cards, (12) Storm Pile, (13) Discard Pile, (14) Ice Mask Stack, (15) Discarded Ice Masks, (16) Polar Bear.

Prepare the Gameboard

Lay out the bottom board (1) and place the axle (2) in the middle hole. Place the top board (3) and its frame (4) on the bottom board. Make sure you have window tiles in all 16 square holes (5). Use boats in the corners to align the boards. For basic game use the North Pole Disc with one boot symbol on it (6). The top board and North Pole Disc should rotate smoothly.

Remove Blank Parts and Deal the Action Cards

Remove all parts marked with a brush symbol. You can include them in the game after you have created content on them. Shuffle the Action Cards and deal 12 cards face up on the board. Create a Draw Pile of the remaining cards by placing them face down on the corner of the game board.

Sort the Ice Mask Tiles

Turn the round Ice Masks "mask side" down and divide them into three piles according to their background color. Green and brown tiles are Equipment and blue tiles are Hazards.

Pick or Draw Teams and Ships

Pick or draw a Team and a Ship for each player. These are placed on the sides of the board, one player per side. Give each player two brown Starting Equipment shown on their Team Board and 4 Pawns correlating the color of their Ship. Remove the rest of the brown Starting Equipment from the game.

Place Ice Masks to the Game Board

Flip and shuffle the green Equipment. Deal one to each corner of the board and one to the Score Board which is placed next to the game board. These are for the players who reach them first. Now flip the blue Hazards and shuffle them into the rest of the Equipment. Create a stack of 10 Ice Masks on top of the compass on the corner of the game board. Discard the rest without revealing them.

Place Correct Amount of Pawns to the Ships

Place Pawns on your Ship as follows: two-player game 4 Pawns, three-player game 3 Pawns and four-player game 2 Pawns. Extra Pawns are placed on the Score Board on the correlating color, starting from the bottom. The symbols on the Pawns help you identify the members of your team.

Pick the First Player and Start the Race!

To pick the starting player drop one Pawn of each color on top of the North Pole. The player closest gets the Current Player Marker and starts the game. Move all the Pawns back in their places. You can randomize the direction of the North Pole and the top board to any allowed position.

Chapter III: How to Play

Moving in the Arctic

You advance on an 8 by 8 grid towards the center where the North Pole Disc forms a square of its own. Each square can only hold one Pawn. You cannot move through occupied squares. You can only move into an occupied square by ambushing a Pawn, knocking it back to its Ship. You cannot step over cracks but you can bypass them with a diagonal move as long as you don't cross a continuous crack.

Playing a Turn

Your turn consists of four phases: (1/4) Travel from Ship to Base Camp, (2/4) Perform an Action, (3/4) Check the Weather, (4/4) End Your Turn. Players' turns are cycled clockwise.

Phase 1: Travel from Ship to Base Camp

If you have any Pawns on your Ship in the beginning of your turn bring one of them to any of your Base Camp squares. Your Base Camp is always the four squares marked with footprints on your side of the board.

Base Camps Are Safe Havens

You cannot ambush in, from or to the Base Camp but regular movement is allowed. A single Base Camp square can hold multiple Pawns, unlike the rest of the game board.

Phase 2: Perform an Action

You Can Perform Different Actions

Your Action Cards are always on your side of the board. The symbols indicate the possible actions. (1) Action types: A) Move without ambushing, B) Move or move to ambush, C) Ambush without moving. (2) The allowed action. (3) Storm symbol with points that determine when the board rotates.

Action symbols:

1. Straight step (horizontal or vertical).
2. Diagonal step.
3. One or two straight steps in one direction (Dash).
4. A step to any direction.
5. Sling - ambush a Pawn on a horizontal or vertical line from your Pawn without moving yourself. You can sling over cracks but not through other Pawns.
6. Pinch - play any Action Card on the board that has storm points on it. Discard the pinch card.

You Must Play an Action if Possible

A) Play one of your Action Cards and perform the action with one of your Pawns on the board. The used cards form a Storm Pile where all the points remain visible.

B) (1) If you cannot play without using an equipment and you do not wish to use one then (2) discard your cards and draw 3 new cards. (3) If you now discard one of your Equipment you can continue your turn normally by playing an action. Otherwise move to phase 4.

You Can Ambush Competitors

When you ambush a competitor their Pawn is moved back to its Ship and you get an Ice Mask from the stack on top of the compass. After revealing the last Ice Mask from the stack the Base Camp rules apply to the whole game board: ambushing is no longer allowed and multiple Pawns can occupy one square.

How to Ambush

Usually you ambush by playing an ambush action and moving into an occupied square. The Sling action allows you to ambush from a distance without moving yourself. You cannot ambush your own Pawns or through them.

Getting Ice Masks

You get Ice Masks by finding them on the board or by ambushing. If you receive an Ice Mask reveal it - an Equipment you can either use immediately or add to your inventory but Hazards happen instantly. See chapter IV for details.

Using Equipment

You can use any number of your Equipment before phase 4: "End your turn". Each piece of Equipment can only be used once and is discarded after use. Equipment limit is 3, if you receive a fourth one use or discard one immediately.

Entering the North Pole and Winning the Game

Entering the North Pole Disc requires one more step from the four squares surrounding it. You can enter the North Pole only from the direction(s) marked with the boot symbol. It can be any step whether straight or diagonal. Pawns that reach the North Pole are placed immediately to the Score Board. When you get your whole team to North Pole you win the game instantly.

Storms Change Everything!

Phase 3: Check the Weather

Sum up all points in the Storm Pile. When there are enough points a storm hits and the top board is rotated. The amount of points needed depend on the amount of players: two players 8 points, three players 10 points and four players 12 points.

When the storm hits the top board is rotated according to the topmost card of the Action Card Draw Pile: blue storm - one quarter clockwise, red storm - one quarter counter-clockwise and purple storm - half a revolution to either direction. After the storm discard the Storm Pile. Next card played starts a new one.

Phase 4: End Your Turn

End your turn by drawing your Action Cards to three from the Draw Pile and move the Current Player Marker to the next player's Ship. Note that players can get less than three Action Cards for their next turn as a result of a storm! If the Draw Pile runs out, shuffle the Discard Pile and create a new one.

Chapter IV: Ice Masks - Equipment and Hazards

Huskies, Snowshoes and Backpacks!

1. HUSKY - Play an extra Action Card on your turn. Remember to check the weather after each card played.
2. SNOWSHOES - Step over cracks with an Action Card.
3. BACKPACK - Stash an Action Card from in front of you into your backpack before phase 4. Play it later instead of playing a card from in front of you, after which the Backpack is discarded.

Igloos, Pickaxes and Compasses!

4. IGLOO - Place your Pawn in an igloo where it cannot be ambushed. You cannot ambush from an igloo either. When that Pawn moves on the igloo is discarded. Igloos cannot be built on the weak ice in the center of the board.
5. PICKAXE - Use with a move action to climb to the North Pole from any direction or with an ambush action break an igloo to ambush a Pawn inside.
6. COMPASS - Rotate the North Pole to any allowed direction.

Hazards Happen Instantly!

7. STORM - Rotate the board accordingly and discard the Hazard. Do not discard the Storm Pile.
8. HOLE IN THE ICE and 9. POLAR BEAR - Replace the Pawn that just ambushed with the hazard which will occupy that square. Return the Pawn to its ship. When the POLAR BEAR is on the board each player can play their action for the bear instead of their own Pawn following all the same rules. Bear can move, ambush, use equipment or even go to the North Pole. Bear can be ambushed in which case it's discarded.

Chapter V: Additional Suggestions

Team Up!

Four players can team up for a two against two game and play Blue and White against Orange and Black. Use the other sides of the Ships for easier reference. Play with 3 Pawns per player and use the North Pole Disc with two sides open. When a team gets all their 6 Pawns to the North Pole they win.

Customize with Blank Pieces

You can customize the game with the blank pieces marked with a brush symbol. Create new Rules, Actions, Equipment, Hazards, Teams and North Poles! Note that the blank pieces are not part of the game so remove them when you setup the game. Also remember to use the Dized smart device application for fun new rules, mechanics and more!

House Rules (D-I-Y)

(Blank space for the players' own house rules.)

Quick Reference (Back Cover)

Goal - Get your whole expedition to the North Pole to win!

Each turn is played in four phases.

• Phase One: Bring a Pawn from Ship to Base Camp.
• Phase Two: Play a move or an ambush action for a Pawn. Add the card to the Storm Pile.
• Phase Three: Check the Weather. Storm hits when enough points have accumulated to the Storm Pile. Direction of the storm is shown on the top card of the Draw Pile. The Storm Pile is discarded afterwards.
• Phase Four: Fill your cards to three and move Current Player Marker to next player's Ship.

Ice Masks: Collect Ice Masks from the board or get one when you ambush. Equipment can be used before turn phase 4. Discard after use.

• HUSKY - Play an extra card on your turn.
• SNOWSHOES - Cross cracks with an action.
• BACKPACK - Store a card and play it later instead of one from in front of you.
• IGLOO - Place under Pawn. No ambushing to or from an igloo. Remove when moving on. No igloos to the weak ice in the center.
• PICKAXE - Use with an action. Climb to the North Pole from any direction or break an igloo while ambushing.
• COMPASS - Rotate the North Pole to any allowed position.

Hazards happen instantly!

• STORM - Instant storm to the direction indicated. Don't clear the Storm Pile.
• HOLE IN THE ICE and POLAR BEAR - Replace the Pawn with this hazard. Pawn goes back to its Ship. Polar bear acts like a Pawn - actions can be played for the bear instead. It can be ambushed.

Possible Actions: Move without ambushing; Move to ambush; Ambush without moving. March, Swoop, Gallop: one step to any allowed direction (as printed). Dash: one or two straight steps to one direction. Sling: an ambush from any distance without moving; can be done over cracks but not through Pawns. Pinch: play any action from the board; discard Pinch.