Robo Rally Transformers
Robo Rally Transformers Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Overview
Ages 14+. 2-6 players. 45-90 minutes.
In Robo Rally: Transformers, you take on the role of legendary speedsters like Blurr and Drag Strip or formidable adversaries like Megatron and Optimus Prime, each with their own special advantages. You'll carefully plan your route each round by playing cards to navigate around a racecourse (and other opponents) as you speed across the planet's cities and deserts. Convert between your alt (vehicle) and bot modes to dart in and out of buildings, jump across obstacles, and attack your rivals. You must reach each Checkpoint in numerical order, and if you're the first to reach the final Checkpoint, you win!
Contents
- 6 Miniatures
- 6 Player Boards
- 1 Double-Sided Starting Tile
- 4 Double-Sided Map Boards (8 Maps)
- 6 Checkpoint Flags
- 132 Planning Cards
- 40 Damage Cards
- 38 Permanent/Personal/Temporary Upgrade Cards
- 6 Character Tiles
- 4 Space Bridge Tokens
- 8 Mine Tokens
- 6 Checkpoint Tracking Tokens
- 15 Energon Cubes
- 1 Large Player Aid Card
- 1 Cosmos Priority Token
- 1 Checkpoint Sticker Sheet
Board Element Reference
- Moving Walkway: Can only move onto this in Bot Mode. During Board Element Activation, convey (move) 1 space in the direction of the arrows, without changing your facing.
- Pusher: If the current register number matches either of the pusher's numbers, your robot is pushed 1 space away from the wall that houses the pusher.
- Pit Stop: Take either of the following actions twice, which may be repeated: 1) Gain 1 Energon or 2) Discard 1 damage from your hand or in play.
- Fire Pit: When moving onto this: gain 1 damage, discard all your cards in Register 5 (if any) and lose remaining move. Board Elements Activation: gain 1 additional damage.
- Jump Ramp (ignore effects in Bot Mode): Alt Mode: If you move onto this in the same direction as the jump ramp's arrow, continue moving a distance equal to the number of spaces you used to reach the jump ramp.
- Straight Road (ignore in Bot mode): Alt Mode: If you start your movement facing in the direction of the road's arrow, you gain 1 additional movement when activating a Move card.
- Road Corner (ignore in Bot mode): Alt Mode: If you move onto this element from any direction, you may turn your robot 90 degrees in the direction of the corner's arrow before continuing your movement.
- Building (can't enter in Alt Mode): Bot Mode: Only enter through a door. If you move onto a building space with a curved arrow icon, you may turn your robot to face the other doorway.
- Oil Slick: If you end your movement on an oil slick, you continue sliding in the direction you were moving until you are not on an oil slick or until you hit another obstacle.
Setup
If this is a brand-new game, you must first apply the sticker labels to the plastic Checkpoints. For example, for Checkpoint #1, apply a large #1 Checkpoint sticker to the base on the side with the flag post, and apply the small triangular #1 sticker to the flag post itself.
- Choose a racecourse to play or custom build your own. Page 24 of this guide will tell you how to set up the map boards, Starting Tile, Checkpoints, and Energon for the different racecourses. The "Beginner" racecourse is recommended for first-time players.
- Each player chooses a robot character to play, then takes the following items to place in their play area:
- Your robot's miniature.
- 1 player board matching your robot's color.
- Your robot's tile, flipped to either side, placed on the leftmost slot of your player board.
- Your robot's set of 3 blue personal upgrades, placed off to the side.
- The 22-card planning deck matching the color of your player board and robot. Shuffle your planning deck and place it face down on your player board in the space provided.
- 1 Checkpoint Tracking Token, placed on the START space of your Checkpoint Track on your player board.
- 1 Energon Cube, placed on the "5" space of your Energon Track. You start with 5 Energon and can store up to 10 Energon at a time. As you gain and spend Energon, you will move this marker right and left.
- Shuffle the 40 damage cards and place the stack face down to one side of the map board(s).
- Shuffle the 20 permanent and temporary (yellow and red) upgrade cards together and deal 1 upgrade to each player. Then, place the remaining cards face down in a stack next to the damage stack. After reading their dealt upgrade card, each player should place it face down alongside their 3 personal upgrades. Players may look at their own upgrades at any time.
- Choose a starting player and give them the Cosmos Priority Token.
- In turn order, each player places their robot on any unoccupied green-and-white checkered flags on the Starting Tile for the racecourse you have chosen. Place your robot with the arrow on their base pointing toward the adjacent board.
(Rules video: www.renegadegames.com/learn-robo-rally-transformers)
The Basics
Robo Rally: Transformers is played in rounds. Each round is made up of the following 3 phases, which are explained in more detail on the following pages.
- The Upgrade Phase: You may acquire, install, and/or uninstall upgrades. This is done simultaneously by all players.
- The Planning Phase: Draw cards from your planning deck, then place 1 of them into each of the register slots on your player board (1-5) to plot the moves you want your robot to make. This is done simultaneously by all players.
- The Activation Phase: Activate your planning card in Register 1 and move your robot accordingly. The player who has the Cosmos Priority Token does this first, followed by each player going clockwise around the table. Then activate Board Elements, Robot Weapons, and perform the Checkpoint Resolution. This is repeated for all 5 registers, then the round ends.
If any player has reached the final Checkpoint during Checkpoint Resolution in any register, they win! Otherwise, a new round begins.
Your Robot
There are 6 different Transformers characters you can choose from: Optimus Prime, Blurr, Arcee, Megatron, Drag Strip, and Flamewar. Each one comes with their own set of 3 personal upgrades to give them a tactical advantage and distinct personality. For example, Blurr has a speed advantage, Megatron can shoot through obstacles, Arcee can cause serious damage up close, and Flamewar can shoot over obstacles to hit targets far away.
Furthermore, these aren't the factory floor robots of other Robo Rally games! These giant robots in disguise can convert between their bot and alt (or vehicle) modes, each with its own advantages. Converting from one mode to the other is a key strategy for successfully navigating the Velocitron racecourses and making the most of your upgrades. See more on converting on page 22.
Key Differences Between This and Previous Robo Rally Versions
Are you a veteran Robo Rally player? Here are the primary differences to get you playing as quickly as possible:
- Programming is called planning and SPAM is called SCRAP, for thematic reasons only.
- After you plan your cards, you don't discard the leftovers: You keep them in hand until the end of the round. Some card effects require you to discard specific cards from your hand to activate them.
- There are new board elements: roads, buildings, fire pits, jump ramps, and moving walkways. You need to be in the correct mode (bot or alt) to take advantage of them. See pages 11-15 for how these function.
- Turning your robot is always optional on board elements that would automatically turn you.
- There's a new planning card: Drift. You move one space left or right, maintaining your facing.
- Your robot can have a maximum of 4 installed permanent upgrades instead of 3.
- You do a lot more shooting in this game. And you can choose to shoot to your left or right when in bot mode, instead of only ahead of you.
- Damage never goes in your discard pile or planning deck. "SCRAP" damage goes in your hand. Non-SCRAP damage may have an instant or ongoing effect before eventually being discarded.
- There's no Shutdown. Instead, you get rid of damage at a pit stop or by "planning" it. When planning it, you don't draw and resolve a random card, you simply do nothing during that register.
- There are no Reboot or Archive tokens. If you go off the board, you take 2 damage, lose your next planning card, and then must re-enter where you fell off (choose any facing) in a future register during that round.
- Guidelines for integrating this game with previous versions of Robo Rally can be found on page 30.
Playing a Round
The Upgrade Phase
At the start of each round, you may acquire and install new upgrade cards for your robot by spending Energon from your Energon Track. Upgrades change the way your robot functions, providing your robot with unique advantages, and you may use them at different times during the Planning and Activation Phases.
There are 2 main types of upgrades, Permanent and Temporary, as well as a subtype of Permanent upgrade called Personal:
- Permanent upgrades (yellow) - Cards that offer ongoing benefits while installed, and which are available to all players who draw them.
- Permanent "Personal" upgrades (blue) - The 3 cards you start the game with which are unique to your robot; no other player can install them. They offer ongoing benefits while installed and are treated in all ways as permanent upgrades.
- Temporary upgrades (red) - Cards with single-use effects that are discarded after use, and which are available to all players who draw them.
See pages 17-20 for a more detailed description of each upgrade.
During this phase, you may perform any or all of the following actions one time each, in any order you choose:
- Draw 1 New Upgrade: You may spend 1 Energon to draw 1 new upgrade card. There is no limit to the number of uninstalled upgrades you may have in your collection.
- Install 1 Upgrade: You may pay the Energon cost to install 1 upgrade from your collection of uninstalled upgrades, including your personal upgrades, if you have room (see limits below).
- Uninstall 1 Upgrade: Uninstall 1 upgrade. If it's a personal upgrade, keep it nearby, otherwise place it in the upgrade discard pile.
Installing an Upgrade: To install an upgrade, look at the number in the top left corner of the card. This is the cost in Energon you must pay to install that card. Adjust your Energon Tracking Cube on your player board's Energon Track to your new Energon total after the installation.
When you install a permanent upgrade, place it face up in the Installed Upgrades area above your player board. When you install a temporary upgrade, place it face up next to your player board.
Install Limits: Your robot can have a maximum of 4 installed permanent upgrades (including personal ones) and a maximum of 3 installed temporary upgrades. If you already have the maximum, you may uninstall an upgrade of that type to make room for a new one.
A player is never required to spend their Energon to draw or install upgrades. You might want to save up for more expensive and powerful upgrades.
When you are finished managing your upgrades, move on to the Planning Phase.
The Planning Phase
During the Planning Phase, you'll plan your robot's actions for the round by placing planning cards in each of the 5 registers on your player board, face down. Keep in mind that you won't always have the cards you need to make the moves you want, and other players' plans may impede your own.
Planning cards tell your robot to do things like move, turn, or collect Energon, all in a 5-step sequence of your choosing. You'll find a complete description of the 11 types of planning cards on page 9.
You will also decide which mode you'd like your robot to be in, bot or alt. Some board elements have mode requirements, so choose wisely!
Planning Your Route
To plan, perform the following actions at the same time as all the other players. Each player should try to place their 5 cards quickly, so everyone can get to the action.
- Draw cards from your own planning deck (marked as "Draw" on your player board) until you have 9 cards in your hand. If your deck runs out, shuffle your planning discard pile to replenish your deck, and then keep drawing until you have 9 cards.
- The cards in your hand represent the options available to you for this round. Inspect the area around your robot to see which cards will help you safely make your way to the next Checkpoint. Should you Move 3? Should you find a pit stop to collect Energon or repair damage? Do you need to Turn Left or Turn Right? Be aware of board elements and other robots in your way, as these will affect your robot during the Activation Phase.
- After you have an idea of what you need your robot to do, choose 5 cards to play, and place 1 of them face down in each of the 5 registers on your player board in the order you want to use them (some upgrades may allow you to place more than 1 card in a register). During the Activation Phase, your robot will perform the action on the card you placed in Register 1 first, then the action on the card you placed in Register 2, and so on, until all 5 cards have been resolved.
- Flip your robot tile to the mode you want to be in: bot or alt. This is a free action during this phase only. During the next phase, you'll be able to convert again by paying 1 Energon. See more on converting on page 22.
- Any cards left in your hand stay there until the end of the round.
Important Considerations When Planning
During the next (Activation) phase, players take turns activating their robots. This means that all players will activate Register 1 in turn order starting with the player who has the Cosmos Priority Token. After all players have resolved Register 1, along with any Board Elements, Robot Weapons, and Checkpoint Resolutions, the players will proceed to Register 2, and so on. You'll learn more about this on the next page in Step 3, The Activation Phase.
Some cards left in hand could be discarded to trigger a card effect on one of your upgrades. You may want to hold back a specific type of card for this purpose.
Throughout each round, you may accumulate damage cards in your hand, which will limit how many planning cards you will draw in subsequent rounds when you refill your hand to 9 cards. These can only be discarded by placing them in a register during this phase, or by visiting a pit stop during the Activation Phase. We'll discuss managing damage in greater detail on page 10.
See an example of the Planning Phase on page 21.
Once all players have finished planning, proceed to the Activation Phase. No one may change their plans once the next phase begins!
The Activation Phase
During the Activation Phase, each of the 5 registers on your player boards are activated in numerical order, one at a time, by following these 4 steps:
- A. Planning Card Activation
- B. Board Element Activation
- C. Robot Weapon Activation
- D. Checkpoint Resolution
Repeat ALL of these steps for each of the 5 registers.
Be aware that robots can push other robots or get in each other's way, messing up all those carefully made plans. For more on pushing robots, see page 22.
A. Planning Card Activation
Planning cards activate one register at a time, and players take turns based on priority. To activate your first planning cards, do the following:
- All players flip over the card(s) in Register 1 on their player boards, revealing their planning choice.
- The player with the Cosmos Priority Token carries out the action on their Register 1 card first. If this moves them onto a board element with an immediate effect, resolve that effect. Note: Many board elements have an immediate effect, like roads, buildings and fire pits. Others only activate during Step B of this register, like moving walkways and pushers (see page 11 for how to handle each board element during each step).
- Then the next player in turn order (going clockwise) carries out the action in their register, and so on, until all players have activated the planning cards in the current register. If no card is present, skip to the next player.
Once all players have resolved the card in the current register, proceed to Step B: Board Element Activation.
B. Board Element Activation
The following board elements on the racecourse activate when a robot is on that particular space during this step. Each different board element type is resolved simultaneously across all boards and for all players. They activate in order from 1-6, so one element could move your robot onto another element, which would also activate if that element comes later in the sequence. These elements are summarized below and explained in more detail on page 11.
- Moving Walkways: Convey (move) 1 space in the direction of its arrows, without changing your facing.
- Pushers: If the current register number matches either of the pusher's numbers, your robot is pushed 1 space away from the wall that houses the pusher.
- Space Bridges: You may move your robot to any other space bridge of the same color on any map board, without changing your facing.
- Fire Pits: Gain 1 damage. See page 10 on how to handle damage.
- Laser Turrets: Gain 1 damage if no other robot or obstacle is between you and the laser turret.
- Pit Stops: Take 2 actions from the following choices, which may be repeated: 1) Gain 1 Energon or 2) Discard 1 damage.
After resolving all board elements, proceed to Step C: Robot Weapon Activation.
C. Robot Weapon Activation
Your robot comes armed with a weapon that fires during this step (no card required), so long as you are not resolving SCRAP this register. This weapon fires in the direction the robot is facing while in alt mode, and either left, right, or straight ahead while in bot mode (the shooter picks one direction). Your weapon's range has no limit; it goes until it hits the nearest target robot or obstacle, or harmlessly exits the board.
If your weapon hits another robot, they gain 1 damage, which they draw from the top of the damage stack. Learn more about damage on page 10.
Some upgrades are weapons that may be used instead of firing your robot's main laser or that augment your weapon in some fashion, in which case the effect on the card supersedes this effect. When turn order matters for weapon effects, they fire in priority order.
Once all Robot Weapon Activations have been resolved for the current register, proceed to Step D: Checkpoint Resolution.
D. Checkpoint Resolution
You must reach the Checkpoints in numerical order, starting with #1. If your robot ends a register on your next Checkpoint, move your Checkpoint Tracking Token onto the number matching the Checkpoint you now occupy. For example, when you reach Checkpoint #1, your token will move from Start to #1 on your player board. You now need to reach Checkpoint #2, and so on.
The current register has now ended, and the players proceed to the next one.
Repeat steps A, B, C, and D for all remaining registers.
End of the Round
When the 5th Register has been fully resolved (after Checkpoint Resolution), do the following:
- The player holding the Cosmos Priority Token passes it to the player on their left.
- Place all damage cards in your registers into the damage discard pile, as well as any in play that were only active for that round.
- Discard all face-up planning cards in your registers and any still in your hand to your discard pile. Do not discard any damage in your hand.
- Return to the Upgrade Phase (unless the race has ended) and start a new round!
Winning the Race
The race ends when a robot ends a register on the final Checkpoint. That player wins!
Planning Cards
Here's a more detailed look at the 22 cards found in each player's planning deck, separated into their respective categories, along with the quantity of each card in each deck.
Move Cards
When a card effect references a category of planning card (such as "Move" or "Turn") without giving a specific number or direction (such as "Move 3" or "Turn Right"), it refers to any of the cards in that category.
Move cards typically move your robot that many spaces in the direction it is facing when resolved (or in the opposite direction with Move Back). A robot is always "facing" in the direction indicated by the arrow on the front of the robot miniature.
- MOVE 1 (4)
- MOVE 2 (3)
- MOVE 3 (1)
- MOVE BACK (1) - Move back 1 space maintaining your current facing.
Turn Cards
Turn cards rotate your robot 90 degrees to the right or left of its current facing, or else 180 degrees in the case of a U-Turn (so that your robot faces the opposite direction in its current space).
- TURN RIGHT (3)
- TURN LEFT (3)
- U-TURN (1)
Drift Cards
Drift cards move your robot 1 space right or left without changing its current facing.
- DRIFT RIGHT (2)
- DRIFT LEFT (2)
Other Cards
- POWER UP (1) - Gain 1 Energon.
- AGAIN (1) - Repeat the Planning card(s) in the previous register, if possible. If there is no Planning card in that register, or only SCRAP, this card has no effect.
Damage Cards
There are 40 damage cards in the game: 24 SCRAP and 16 special damage. You gain damage in the following ways:
- Getting hit by weapons fire from other players during Robot Weapon Activation. This is the most common way you'll gain damage.
- Getting hit by a laser turret during Board Element Activation.
- Moving onto and/or remaining in a fire pit.
- Moving or being pushed off the map board (not onto another map board).
- Moving onto a mine.
- Being targeted by card effects from other players' upgrades, such as Air Strike.
Gaining Damage: When you gain damage, draw the top card of the damage stack and look at it. If it's a SCRAP damage card, place it in your hand (even if doing so puts you over your hand limit of 9 cards). If it's special damage, immediately resolve the effect on the card.
SCRAP Damage
When you have SCRAP in your hand, it can severely limit the number of cards you can draw each round, and therefore your planning options, since your hand limit is 9 cards when drawing cards during the Planning Phase. You only have 2 ways to get rid of SCRAP:
- "Plan it" by placing it face down on one of your register slots during the Planning Phase instead of a planning card. When you resolve that register, you skip Planning Card Activation and do nothing in that phase. However, you are still affected by Board Element Activation effects. During Weapon Activation, you do not fire your weapon, as you are too busy repairing. At the end of the round, you discard all SCRAP in your registers to the damage discard pile.
- Repair it at a pit stop. If you are on a pit stop during Board Element Activation, you can choose to discard up to 2 damage from your hand (SCRAP) and/or in play (like Flat Tire).
SCRAP card text: Put this card in your hand. Do not discard at end of round. To remove SCRAP, plan it or repair it at a pit stop.
Special Damage
Special damage can have instant or ongoing effects:
Instant Damage: These say "instant" at the bottom and the effect happens immediately. For example, Energy Leak causes you to lose 1 Energon if you have any. After doing so, you can discard the damage.
Ongoing Damage: Damage cards that say "ongoing" provide an effect that can last the remainder of the round or until you do something to remove it. For example, Flat Tire will not go away until you pay 1 Energon to fix it. You can pay the cost at any time to discard it. If a card says the effect is for the "remainder of this round," you can discard it when the round is over. Until discarded, keep ongoing damage to the left of your player board.
Repair Tips: Plan damage into your registers while you are on a moving walkway or when resting on a pit stop, so you can gain some benefit from doing nothing that turn. You can also take cover inside a building where you are less likely to gain more damage while trying to get rid of the damage you have.
Example special damage cards:
- ENERGY LEAK (instant): Lose 1 Energon if you have any. If you do, then place 1 Energon cube in your space. You cannot pick it up without leaving and re-entering that space.
- FLAT TIRE (ongoing): Your Move cards in Registers 4 and 5 have -1 Move. Pay 1 Energon to discard this.
- DISARM (ongoing): Don't fire your weapon for the remainder of this round.
Board Elements
Board elements are structures that fill one or more spaces on a map board and provide challenges to navigate during a race, as well as boons to those who can take advantage. Each one comes with its own rules and restrictions, and may require you to be in a certain mode to move onto it or benefit from it. Some elements have optional effects, while others are mandatory. Likewise, some have an immediate effect when you move onto them, while others only activate during the Board Element Activation.
Moving Walkways
Moving walkways (MWs) are the "conveyor belts" of the cities on Velocitron. They move ("convey") any robot on them 1 space in the direction of the element's arrow during Board Element Activation. They are designed for robots in bot mode, not vehicles, so you need to convert to bot mode in order to move onto them. However, there are instances where you can end up on a MW while in alt mode, as explained below.
Here are the rules for MWs:
- MWs are unobstructed on all sides unless adjacent to another element that provides an obstruction, such as a building, wall, or grandstand.
- You can only move onto a MW space if you are in bot mode, and only from an unobstructed side; however, you can be pushed onto a MW while in either mode.
- You may convert to alt mode while on a MW. However, you cannot then move onto another MW space in alt mode - except when conveying - unless you first convert to bot mode.
- If you are on a MW during Board Element Activation in either mode, convey 1 space in the direction of its arrows without changing your facing. If that places you on another MW space, do not convey again during this register.
- While conveying, if you are moved off the MW to a non-MW space, and that space is occupied by a robot, you do not push the robot and instead remain on the MW.
- A robot on a MW is not obstructed from being shot from any unobstructed side, nor are they obstructed from shooting others on or off the MW.
Example: During Board Element Activation, Flamewar would convey 1 space to the left while maintaining her orientation. She would not convey a second time during this register, even though she's still on the Moving Walkway. If Flamewar was already on the leftmost MW space, she would not convey because she cannot push another robot (in this case, Optimus Prime) when conveying, only when activating a Move or Drift card.
Example: During Board Element Activation, both robots here would convey 1 space to the left at the same time. No push event would occur.
Roads
Road elements allow your robot to speed across the city or desert, but only if you're in alt mode and heading in the direction of its arrows. You can enter them in bot mode, but they don't provide the bonus effects. There are 2 types of road elements: straight roads and road corners.
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Straight Roads - You ignore all effects of this element when in bot mode. In alt mode, if you start your movement on a straight road element facing in the direction of the road's arrow, you gain 1 additional movement when activating a Move card. This is an immediate, mandatory benefit, not a Board Element Activation effect.
Example: Even though Megatron is on a straight road in Alt Mode, he would not gain a 1 Move bonus when activating a Move card because he is not facing in the direction of the road's arrows. However, Drag Strip would gain a +1 move bonus since he is facing correctly. If either robot were in Bot mode, they would not benefit from any move bonus.
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Road Corners - You ignore all effects of this element when in bot mode. If you move onto this element in alt mode from any direction after activating any card in your registry, you may immediately turn your robot 90 degrees in the direction of the corner's arrow before continuing your movement. This is an optional effect.
If you are pushed onto a road corner, you don't gain this benefit.
Additionally, as with straight roads, if you begin your movement on a road corner element when facing in the direction of the arrow's head, Move cards you resolve gain 1 additional movement.
Example: If Megatron played a Move card, he could choose to automatically turn the corner with no need to play a Turn Left card: The road corner can automatically rotate him 90 degrees in the direction of the arrow, mid-movement, and he'd continue on until his movement ran out. Or he could ignore the corner effect and go straight, leaving the road. If Drag Strip moved onto the same road corner, he could also choose to turn left, and face (and maybe push) Megatron, or ignore the free rotation and continue straight. Megatron's +1 move bonus for starting his move on a road element is mandatory, but using the road corner's turn effect is optional. If either robot were in Bot mode, they would not benefit from any bonus or turn effect.
Buildings
Buildings can be found throughout the race, and robots in bot mode can take cover inside or use them as shortcuts to pass through. Buildings may have 2, 3, or 4 doors per space they occupy, and cover a single space or multiple spaces. Here are the rules for buildings:
- You can only move or be pushed into a building while in bot mode, and only if there is a door to go through.
- A robot in bot mode can end their movement inside a building.
- If you move into a building space with a curved arrow icon, you may immediately turn your robot to face the other doorway (other than the one you just entered) before continuing your movement. This is optional. See example 1 below.
- Weapons cannot shoot into or through a building from outside that building. However, a robot inside a building can shoot another robot in the same building following normal rules. Furthermore, a robot inside a building can shoot out through a single doorway in the space you occupy at a robot outside that building (see example 2 below).
- You cannot convert to alt mode while in a building.
- If you jump onto a building in either mode, you continue moving to the next unoccupied (non-building) space in the direction you were moving, which may even be off the map board.
Example 1: If Arcee moves onto the building space with the curved arrow, she could choose to rotate right and face Flamewar without playing a Turn Right card.
Example 2: Arcee can shoot Flamewar OR Megatron. Flamewar can only shoot Arcee. Megatron can't shoot Arcee because you cannot shoot into a building from outside. However, Arcee can shoot robots outside of the building, as well as robots inside the same building.
Jump Ramps
While in alt mode, a jump ramp allows you to jump over other board elements, using your momentum from Move cards, road bonuses, and other effects. Here are the rules for jump ramps:
- When in alt mode, if you move onto a jump ramp in the same direction as the jump ramp's arrow, you continue moving a distance equal to the number of spaces you used to reach the jump ramp, and no further. This additional movement is a "jump," and any board elements you "jump over" are ignored. Ignore this jump effect when in bot mode.
- Your facing doesn't matter, only the direction you are moving. You can trigger this effect using both Move and Drift cards.
- Any unused movement after jumping is lost.
- You can only move or be pushed onto a jump ramp in the direction of its arrow; however, when jumping, you may land on another jump ramp which is facing any direction.
- If this extra movement causes you to land on an element you cannot normally occupy, such as a building, grandstands, or another robot, you continue to move until you reach the next legal, unoccupied space.
- You can be pushed off a jump ramp, but you don't get the jump bonus and it counts as a normal push event.
- If your movement ends on a jump ramp without executing a jump from that ramp (such as when pushed or when in bot mode), you remain there.
- If you start your movement on a jump ramp, you can move off in any direction, but you don't receive any movement bonus from the jump ramp.
- A jump ramp obstructs weapons fire from all sides. However, a robot on a jump ramp is not obstructed from being shot from any side, nor are they obstructed from shooting others not on the ramp.
Example 1: If Optimus activates a Move 3 card while in alt mode, but only moves 2 spaces before reaching the jump ramp, he jumps only 2 additional spaces (not 3), allowing him to jump over the fire pit. His remaining move (including the road bonus) is lost. If he started 1 space closer and moved only 1 space to reach the ramp (no matter if the card was Move 2 or Move 3), he'd execute a short jump of 1 space and land in the fire pit.
Example 2: Arcee in alt mode behind Optimus activating a Move 2 card with +1 move bonus could push him all the way up the jump ramp and into the fire pit and then execute her own jump of 3 additional spaces!
If either Optimus in Example 1 or Arcee in Example 2 were in bot mode, they'd ignore their respective jump bonus, along with any road movement bonus.
Walls
Walls are obstacles that create a barrier between other board elements. You cannot move or fire your weapon through a wall. See page 23 for more information on obstacles like walls.
Fire Pits
If you enter a fire pit for any reason, immediately gain 1 damage and discard all your cards in Register 5, if any. If you entered the fire pit during your activation, your remaining move during the current register is lost.
During Board Elements Activation, all robots still occupying a fire pit space gain 1 additional damage. Fire pits do not obstruct weapons fire between a shooter and target who are both outside the fire pit. However, robots in a fire pit cannot be hit by weapons fire (unless a card says otherwise) and cannot shoot others outside the pit.
Oil Slicks
If you end your movement on an oil slick, you continue sliding in the direction you were moving until you are not on an oil slick or until you hit another obstacle, such as another robot or wall, then you stop. This is an immediate effect, not a Board Element Activation effect. You cannot slide into buildings or onto moving walkways when in alt mode. If you slide into another robot who is not on an oil slick space, you do not push them, and remain on the oil slick. However, if your robot slides into another robot that is on an oil slick space, a push occurs and both slide as described above. This push/slide effect typically ends when the pushed robot is either pushed into a wall or a space without an oil slick.
When starting your turn on an oil slick, you incur a -1 Move penalty (e.g., Move 1, Move Back, and Drift have no effect). If an oil slick covers a board element, the covered element's effects are ignored.
Energon Cubes
When you move onto a space with 1 or more Energon Cubes, immediately remove them from the board and gain that amount of Energon by moving your Energon Cube marker 1 space to the next slot on your player board. You do not need to end your movement on that space to gain this benefit. A Damage card (Energon Leak) may cause you to lose 1 Energon, in which case you place 1 Energon Cube from the general supply in your space.
Pit Stops
If you are on a pit stop during Board Element Activation, take any 2 actions from the following choices, which may be repeated:
- Gain 1 Energon.
- Discard 1 damage from your hand or in play.
For example, you may gain 2 Energon and not discard damage, or discard 2 damage and not gain Energon, or do 1 of each.
Pushers
If you are on this space during the Board Element Activation Step for a register that matches either of the pusher's numbers, your robot is pushed 1 space away from the wall that houses the pusher. Any robot in your path is pushed as well.
Grandstands
Grandstands are immovable objects like buildings and walls. Thematically, they are your robot peers spectating and cheering you on. You typically see them at the start and end of the race, or near Checkpoints. They especially enjoy watching robots jump over (or into) fire pits.
Laser Turrets
Laser turrets shoot a laser that extends until it hits another obstacle, be it a robot, building, or wall. If you are in the line of fire during that Board Element Activation Step, you gain 1 damage if no other robot or obstacle is between you and the laser turret. If 2 or more robots are in the path of a laser beam, only the robot closest to the turret gains damage. If there are laser turrets on both sides (2 total), a single robot would get hit by both and gain 2 damage instead. If 2 robots are in the line of fire with a single laser turret firing from either side, each robot would gain 1 damage.
Advanced Mode Options
The following tokens can be added to your custom racecourses to increase difficulty or provide alternate paths to victory. When a token is on top of a board element, the covered element's effects are ignored.
Mines
If you move onto a space with a mine at any time, immediately gain 1 damage and move your robot back 1 space in the direction you came from, if possible (do not move back if you would push another robot). Then, remove the mine token from the game. You lose any remaining movement.
Space Bridge
If you are on a space bridge token during Board Element Activation, you may move your robot to any other space bridge of the SAME color on any map, without changing your facing. If another robot is in the destination space, you would push that robot out, moving them 1 space in the direction you are facing (if possible). If the robot cannot be pushed, you cannot enter that space. You may enter and exit a space bridge from any side, like any other unrestricted space. However, a space bridge obstructs weapons fire unless the shooter or target is on the space bridge itself.
Upgrade Cards
Upgrade cards provide the means for your robot to rise above the competition and gain an edge, by granting you access to special abilities, new weapons, defenses, movement bonuses, and more. There are 2 main types of upgrade cards: permanent and temporary, as well as "personal" upgrades, which are a type of permanent upgrade. These are explained in more detail below.
Each upgrade card has an Energon cost in the upper left corner of the card, which is what you must pay to install it. Refer to the Upgrade Phase (page 5) for how to draw and install new upgrades for your robot. If the upgrade deck runs out and you need to draw a new upgrade, shuffle the upgrade discard pile to form a new deck.
When an upgrade refers to a "Move" card, "Drift" card, "Turn" card, etc., it means any card with that term from your initial planning deck. For example, a "Turn" card can be Turn Left, Turn Right, or U-Turn, because they all include the word "Turn." If an upgrade mentions a specific card, like "Move 3," it means only that exact card.
Note: Upgrade cards might break the rules of the game with their special abilities. When this happens, the card takes precedence over the rulebook.
Example upgrade cards shown on this page (cost, name, type, text):
- 2, TWO-WHEELING, Permanent: Alt Mode: You may pass 1 or more robots instead of pushing them if you have sufficient movement to reach an unoccupied space.
- 3, DOUBLE TROUBLE, Permanent, Personal - Arcee: Bot Mode: During Robot Weapon Activation, you may deal 2 damage to any adjacent robots you choose instead of firing your weapon.
- 4, PHASE SHIFTER, Permanent: Once per round, you may pay 1 Energon to ignore obstacles when activating a Move or Drift card, if you have sufficient movement to reach an unoccupied space.
- 2, ROLLING THUNDER, Permanent, Personal - Megatron: Alt Mode: When you would push 1 or more robots, you may roll over them instead and keep moving until you reach an unoccupied space. Deal 1 Damage to each robot you roll over. You cannot roll over other obstacles this way.
- 2, MIRAGE, Temporary: After resolving a card in your register, you may move 1 Checkpoint up to 3 spaces away from its original location. The new space must be unoccupied, accessible from at least 3 directions, and not be on a moving walkway or oil slick.
- 2, AIR STRIKE, Temporary: During the Activation Phase for any register, deal 2 damage to all robots in any single 2x2 grid (4 spaces total) on any map board, including robots inside buildings.
Key Terms
- Adjacent: An orthogonal space next to your robot (left, right, front, back) that is not through a wall.
- Register Card: A card in one of your registers, be it damage or a regular planning card.
- Target Robot: The robot your robot's weapon will hit. This is the nearest robot in a straight line away from your robot in the direction in which your robot fires its weapon. In alt mode, all weapons fire forward only unless an upgrade specifically says otherwise. In bot mode, they fire only forward, left, or right unless otherwise specified.
- Unoccupied: A space that is not occupied by a robot. Board elements (such as walls, buildings, etc.) do not make a space "occupied."
- You May: Upgrade effects that say "you may" are optional, meaning you can choose not to trigger them. Otherwise, the effect is mandatory as long as the triggering conditions are met. For example, Blasted's first effect (deal 1 additional damage) is not optional. However, the second effect (discard a Move card to push) is optional.
Personal Upgrades
Personal upgrades are permanent upgrades that are unique to your robot. Only you can install these, and you cannot acquire more of this type. You start the game with 3 personal upgrades, and during each Upgrade Phase you may install 1 of them by paying their Energon cost and placing it face up above your player board. Personal upgrades count against your 4 permanent upgrade limit.
Bike Lane - Flamewar
Alt Mode: You may move onto a space restricted to bot mode when resolving a Move 1 or Drift card.
This breaks the rule of needing to be in bot mode in order to move onto a moving walkway or into a building, but only when resolving 1 of these 2 specific cards.
Blasted - Optimus Prime
Bot Mode: When you shoot a robot, they take 1 additional damage. If adjacent, you may discard any Move card to also push them 1 space in the direction you shot them.
You must be adjacent and discard 1 card with the word 'Move' from your hand to trigger the push effect of this card. If you do, the target robot is pushed 1 space away from you, but your robot remains in its original space.
Bullseye - Flamewar
Bot Mode: When activating your weapon, you may ignore any obstacles such as walls, buildings, and other robots. You can only hit 1 target.
Essentially, you can shoot any 1 target in the same row or column as you, no matter what's between you and the target. That includes if they are inside a building.
Bumper Jumper - Flamewar
Alt Mode: You may treat another robot in alt mode like a jump ramp and jump 1 additional space. You must move onto them from the front or behind, not the side, to trigger this effect.
The target robot must be in alt mode, and either facing you, or facing directly away from you.
Catch My Drift - Drag Strip
Once per round, you may program a Drift card in combination with another card in the same register. Resolve them in any order.
If an effect forces you to discard a card in your register (such as the SETBACK damage, or going off the board), you discard both cards.
Don't Blink - Blurr
Alt Mode: When you activate a Move 2 or Move 3 card, you may move 1 additional space.
This is optional.
Double Trouble - Arcee
Bot Mode: During Robot Weapon Activation, you may deal 2 Damage to any adjacent robots you choose instead of firing your weapon.
This effect cannot be combined with any other weapon effect - It takes their place.
Eat My Dust - Blurr
If you begin your movement adjacent to another robot when activating a Move card during your turn, they must discard all cards they have in Register 5 (if any).
It doesn't matter which direction you're facing or moving, so long as you start this movement adjacent to the other robot.
Fast Start - Drag Strip
Alt Mode: The first time you activate a Move card each round, you may move 1 additional space.
This can be triggered during any register.
Fire in the Hole - Megatron
Alt Mode: You may fire your weapon in any single direction during Robot Weapon Activation, ignoring up to 2 obstacles. Deal 1 damage to each robot you shoot through (if any).
This effect allows you to shoot through multiple robots (up to 2), dealing damage to each before hitting the target robot. You can also ignore Buildings to shoot targets inside, as long as it falls within the "2 obstacle" limit.
Fly Girl - Arcee
When you use a jump ramp to execute a jump, jump 1 additional space.
If it takes you 2 moves to reach a jump ramp, you'd normally jump 2 additional spaces beyond the jump ramp. With Fly Girl, you'd jump 3 spaces instead.
King of the Road - Optimus Prime
Alt Mode: You cannot be pushed by a robot who activated a Move 1 or Drift card this register, unless you are on a Checkpoint. When you push another robot, you deal 1 damage.
A robot can only push you when activating a Move 2, Move 3, or Move Back card, unless you are on a Checkpoint (in which case it can be any viable card). If more than 2 robots are involved in the push event, you only consider the originating robot's cards.
Lucky Duck - Blurr
Bot Mode: Once per register, during Robot Weapon Activation, you may discard any Turn card to ignore 1 robot's attack.
Your discard can include a U-Turn, and you may do it once each register so long as you have a Turn card to discard. When you ignore an attack, you ignore the entire attack effect from that robot, not just the damage.
Pit Crew - Drag Strip
When on a pit stop during Board Element Activation, take 1 additional action for a total of 3. You cannot repeat the same action all 3 times (such as gaining 3 Energon).
When triggering this effect, you must choose a combination of BOTH actions, such as gain 1 Energon and discard 2 damage. You can't discard 3 damage or gain 3 Energon.
Rolling Thunder - Megatron
Alt Mode: When you would push 1 or more robots, you may roll over them instead and keep moving until you reach an unoccupied space. Deal 1 Damage to each robot you roll over. You cannot roll over other, non-robot obstacles in this way.
Instead of pushing a robot (or multiple robots, if more than 1 in a row), you could choose to move right through them and not stop moving until you are completely clear of their space(s). Then deal 1 damage to each robot you passed in this way.
Rulebreaker - Megatron
Once per round, you may swap out up to 2 face-down, unresolved cards in your register(s) with cards from your hand.
As long as you have not flipped a card in your register face up, you may put that card back in your hand and replace it with another card from your hand. You may replace up to 2 cards this way per round, but both cards have to be replaced at the same time. You can't replace 1 card now, and 1 card later.
Style Points - Arcee
Alt Mode: After you activate a Turn card, you may move 1 space in the original direction you were facing.
For example, if you resolved a Turn Left card, you could essentially "drift right" if there was space to do so.
Up and Over - Optimus Prime
Bot Mode: You may discard any Move card to ignore 1 wall, grandstand, or building when activating a Move card. You must have sufficient movement to clear the obstacle.
This effect is to simulate climbing OVER an obstacle. Therefore, you cannot use it while inside a building to ignore the building you are in. Since you are trying to climb over the element, you must be able to move enough spaces to completely move past that element. Unless it's a wall, you will likely need at least a Move 2 card to trigger this effect.
Permanent Upgrades
When you install a permanent upgrade, place it face up above your player board. You are allowed a maximum of 4 permanent upgrades (including personal ones) at any one time. As long as they are installed, permanent upgrade effects apply to your robot for the remainder of the game.
Apex Armor
Before resolving Robot Weapon Activation, you may pay 1 Energon to ignore all damage and weapon effects from Robot Weapon Activation this register.
You must choose to activate this effect at the start of this activation period, before you draw your first damage.
Firewalker
You may discard any Move card to ignore the effects of moving into a fire pit during this register. You may still gain damage during Board Element Activation.
Fit pits have 2 triggering events: when moving into them, and during Board Element Activation. You only avoid the first event, and may trigger this effect just before resolving it.
Homefield Advantage
When you end your movement adjacent to the front (striped) side of a grandstand, gain 1 Energon.
Only one side of a grandstand is considered the front, and it's clearly marked with a striped bar.
Phase Shifter
Once per round, you may pay 1 Energon to ignore obstacles when activating a Move or Drift card, if you have sufficient movement to reach an unoccupied space.
You cannot end your movement on an obstacle, but you can ignore all obstacles in your path to reach a space that is not an obstacle.
Sideswipe
When you end your movement adjacent to another robot and facing the same or opposite direction, you may drift 1 space in their direction, pushing them. If they can't be pushed, they gain 1 damage instead.
You must be facing in a direction where drifting left or right allows you to move in the direction of the adjacent robot.
Tractor Beam
Instead of firing your weapon at a target robot, you may pay X Energon to move them X spaces toward you in a straight line.
The same targeting rules for weapons apply to this effect. This is a handy way to pull a robot off a Checkpoint from a distance, into a fire pit, or just off course.
Turbo Boost
Alt Mode: Once per round, you may pay up to 3 Energon to move that many additional spaces when activating a Move card.
If you have Energon, you may spend up to 3 from your supply to then move an equal number of additional spaces beyond the value of the Move card.
Lane Changer
Alt Mode: When you activate a Move 1 card in your register, you may pay 1 Energon to also drift 1 space left or right immediately before or after moving.
This is like having a free Drift card you can resolve before or after your Move 1 card.
More Than Meets the Eye
Once per round, you may discard any Turn or Drift card to convert for no additional cost. If you do, you may draw 1 upgrade.
You have to change modes in order to gain the upgrade draw bonus.
Two-Wheeling
Alt Mode: You may pass 1 or more robots instead of pushing them if you have sufficient movement to reach an unoccupied space.
You must be able to move past the robots whose spaces you move through. You ignore any robots in your path and move through their space(s) as though they weren't there.
Temporary Upgrades
A temporary upgrade is a single-use card that is discarded after you resolve it. In order to use one, however, you first need to install it. When you install a temporary upgrade, place it face up next to your player board on the opposite side from where you keep your uninstalled, face-down upgrade cards. You can have a maximum of 3 temporary upgrades installed next to your player board at a time. Temporary upgrades often dictate when they may be used. If they don't specify a triggering event, they can be used at any time.
Once the effect is resolved, discard the temporary upgrade to the upgrade discard pile. The only exception is Minelayer, which may be used up to 3 times before being discarded.
Air Strike
During the Activation Phase, in any register, deal 2 damage to all robots in any 2x2 grid (4 spaces total) on any map, including inside buildings and on moving walkways.
You may use this at any time during the Activation Phase.
Counterstrike
When you are pushed or hit by any attack, the pushing/attacking robot gains 2 damage, regardless of their location.
This damage to your target cannot be avoided by any other effect. You still gain damage as usual, if you normally would.
Dropship
During the Planning Phase, move your robot to an unoccupied space that is adjacent to a Checkpoint you have not yet reached, but which has been reached by at least 1 other player.
The space you place your robot on must be a legal space that you could normally move onto in your current mode.
Energon Heist
After resolving a card in your register, steal 2 Energon from each adjacent robot.
You can only steal Energon an adjacent player has in their supply.
Jump Jets
When you activate a Move or Drift card, move 1 additional space and ignore all obstacles as though you jumped over them.
Your entire movement constitutes a jump event, not just the 1 additional movement.
Minelayer
Place 3 mines on this card. Once per register, you may remove 1 mine and place it on an adjacent, unoccupied space. You cannot place mines on spaces with Checkpoints or other mines. Discard when empty.
If there are not enough mines in the supply, you can substitute another item (such as a small coin) to serve as this component.
Quick Change
You may discard any number of unresolved cards in your registers (including SCRAP) and replace them with cards from your hand.
You may trigger this effect before or after flipping a card in your register face up, but only before resolving it. If you want to replace more than 1 card this way, they must all be done at the same time.
Mirage
After resolving a card in your register, you may move 1 Checkpoint up to 3 spaces away from its original location. The new space must be unoccupied, accessible from at least 3 directions, and not be on a moving walkway or oil slick.
You can move a Checkpoint out from under another robot, but the target location must currently be unoccupied.
Mirror Response Mode
During the Activation Phase, for 1 register, treat 1 installed permanent upgrade belonging to another player as if it were your own.
You do not affect the other player's card, only temporarily copy it for the duration of this register. You can copy a personal upgrade. This effect does not work on temporary upgrades.
Recycle
Before drawing back to 9 cards during the Planning Phase, put up to 3 cards from your discard pile back in your hand.
You choose which cards. You can only choose cards that are currently available in your discard pile.
Example of Planning Your Route
Arcee has drawn these planning cards (Move 1, Move 1, Move 2, Turn Right, Turn Left, U-Turn, Drift Right, Drift Left, Power Up) and is currently in bot mode. She studies the board to visualize how she wants to plot out her movement. She decides she wants to move ahead 2, turn left to face the pit stop, move ahead 2 to land on it, and move 1 ahead again to get on the moving walkway, which will eventually convey her straight to the Checkpoint. Afterward, she can Power Up to collect more Energon.
- Arcee starts here and wants to move ahead 2 spaces in the direction she is facing. So long as she converts to alt mode beforehand, she can take advantage of the road's +1 Move bonus to use a Move 1 card to move 2 spaces.
- Here she wants to turn left to face the pit stop.
- Next, she wants to move forward 2 spaces to stop on the pit stop. If she's able to remain on that space for Board Element Activation, she'll gain up to 2 Energon. Or she could choose to discard up to 2 damage instead, or do 1 of each.
- Next, she wants to move 1 forward to enter the moving walkway, which will convey her 1 more space, automatically conveying her to the Checkpoint! But first she needs to be in bot mode to enter the walkway, so she'll have to pay 1 Energon to convert. Her facing does not matter when conveying.
- Lastly, Arcee wants to use a Power Up to get that 1 Energon back, and be ready to move on to the next Checkpoint in the next round.
With that plan in mind, she places her planning cards in her registers. She then flips her character tile to its alt mode side, a free action during this phase. If no other robot interferes with her plans by pushing her off course, getting in her way, or inflicting damage that could undermine her, she will end the round on the first Checkpoint and be one step closer to winning the race!
Robot and Board Element Interactions
Pushing Other Robots
If a robot would enter a space occupied by another robot, this normally results in a push. The robot in motion will move the pushed robot in the same direction that it is moving until it ends its move. A push may also occur when a robot would move into another robot's space, but an obstruction prevents the pushed robot from moving (it is pushed 0 spaces).
No matter how far a robot is pushed, it is considered a single "push event." For example, if you resolve a Move 3 and push an adjacent robot 3 spaces, that counts as one long push, not 3 separate push events. Robots do not change the direction they are facing when they are pushed.
Robots can be pushed almost anywhere on the map board, including into a fire pit or off the side of the board (see next section)! However, robots cannot be pushed through obstacles like grandstands and walls, and they cannot be pushed into buildings unless there is a door and the pushed robot is in bot mode. If a robot pushes another robot into an obstacle that they normally cannot move onto, both robots immediately end their movement.
When a robot pushes another robot, that might cause other robots in a straight line of robots to also be pushed.
Some upgrades cause pushing or interact with pushing. When an upgrade uses the word "push" to describe an effect against another robot, that is a push. Pushing does not inherently cause any damage.
Example: Blurr activating a Move 2 card would push Megatron 1 space toward Optimus and then stop. Even with 2 move, he could not push Megatron a second space due to Optimus being adjacent to a wall, rendering him not pushable.
Going Off the Board
If your robot goes off the map board for any reason, you immediately gain 2 damage and discard the next unresolved card in your registry (if any). You then sit out the register with the empty slot. At the end of that empty register (or the current register, if register 5), after Checkpoint resolution, place your robot back on the map at the point where you fell off, if unoccupied. Or else place it on the nearest, unoccupied edge space that is not a Checkpoint or an obstacle. If there is more than one option, you can choose. Then orientate your robot to face any direction you choose.
Converting
Your robot has two modes: bot (robot) and alt (vehicle). These modes can affect what board elements you can use, or what bonuses they give. During the Planning Phase you can place your robot in either mode as a free action. Later, during the Activation Phase, you can convert again anytime by paying 1 Energon. However, you cannot convert in the middle of another action being resolved, such as during a push event. You may wish to start the round in alt mode to take advantage of the road movement bonus (page 12), then between registers convert to bot mode to run into a building (page 13). To show which mode you are on, flip your character tile to the side displaying that mode.
Obstacles
Obstacles include board elements and other robots that obstruct weapon fire and may obstruct movement and pushing. These include walls, buildings, grandstands, and jump ramps. If a robot cannot move through an obstacle, it cannot be pushed through it either. You don't normally take any damage from moving, or being pushed, into an obstacle.
- Walls: Walls are obstacles that robots cannot move or fire through. For example, if there is a wall 1 space in front of your robot when you resolve a Move 2, your robot moves 1 space and stops. The extra move is lost. A robot or board feature on the other side of a wall from your robot is not "adjacent" to your robot.
- Buildings: Like walls, buildings stop both movement and weapons fire in all directions that do not feature a door. Robots in bot mode can move (or be pushed) into a building through a door. Weapons fire that originated from outside that building is stopped (door or no door), but a robot inside can shoot out of a door. Read more about buildings on page 13.
- Grandstands: Grandstands stop both movement and weapon fire from all directions.
- Jump Ramps: Jump ramps stop movement from 3 of its 4 sides and weapons fire from all sides. However, robots can move (and be pushed) onto the ramp in the direction of the ramp's arrow, and a robot on a jump ramp can shoot others and be shot at. See page 14 for more details on jump ramps.
- Other Robots: Other robots are obstacles in that they obstruct weapon fire (that is, you can't shoot through a robot to hit another robot unless an upgrade effect says otherwise). They only obstruct movement when pushing them would move them into another obstacle, in which case they stay in their space and block the movement of the would-be pusher.
Racecourses
The city of Velocitron has both city and desert environments for racing in the Speedia 500. This game comes with 4 double-sided boards featuring 8 exciting maps (4 city, 4 desert) and 1 double-sided starting tile. Alongside 6 Checkpoint flags, 9 (out of 15) Energon Cubes and advanced game tokens like mines and space bridges, you can combine these in unique ways to create fresh challenges for each race. Over the next few pages you will find both pre-built racecourses and tips on how to create your own.
Pre-Built Racecourses
On the following pages, you will find a series of pre-built racecourses you can set up and get right into the action. Each one is labeled with a name and difficulty level, along with what map(s) to use and where to place the Energon Cubes, Checkpoints and tokens. Pay careful attention to the orientation of each map board and starting tile. (The exact placement of Checkpoints and Energon Cubes is shown in the diagrams in the printed rulebook.)
- Twin Loop Warm-Up Lap - Map Board(s): Speedia Qualifier and Starting Tile A. Components: 2 Checkpoints, 5 Energon Cubes. Player Count: 2-6 (best with 2-4). Difficulty: Beginner.
- Burning Bot Challenge - Map Board(s): Dirt Boss Derby and Starting Tile B. Components: 3 Checkpoints, 6 Energon Cubes. Player Count: 2-5 (best with 3-5). Difficulty: Intermediate.
- Switchback Trials - Map Board(s): Renegade Run and Starting Tile A. Components: 3 Checkpoints, 6 Energon Cubes. Player Count: 2-5 (best with 4-5). Difficulty: Intermediate.
- Spiral Mesa - Map Board(s): Vortex Valley and Starting Tile B. Components: 3 Checkpoints, 6 Energon Cubes. Player Count: 3-5. Difficulty: Intermediate.
- Longhaul Speedway - Map Board(s): Diablo Desert, Downtown Delta, Starting Tile B. Components: 4 Checkpoints, 2 space bridges, 6 Energon Cubes. Player Count: 4-6 (best with 6). Difficulty: Intermediate.
- Chaos Junction - Map Board(s): The Crumplezone, Starting Tile B. Components: 3 Checkpoints, 6 Energon Cubes. Player Count: 3-5. Difficulty: Intermediate.
- Circle of Death - Map Board(s): Maccadam's Motorway and Starting Tile A. Components: 3 Checkpoints, 6 Energon Cubes. Player Count: 3-5 (best with 4). Difficulty: Intermediate.
- Triple Threat Grand Prix - Map Board(s): The Crumplezone, Dirt Boss Derby, Vortex Valley, Starting Tile A. Components: 3 Checkpoints, 3 space bridges (all same color), 4 mines, 7 Energon Cubes. Player Count: 5-6. Difficulty: Advanced. Note: Players cannot place their robot on either space with a red X on the Starting Tile during setup.
Designing Your Own Racecourses
Once your playgroup has become experienced at Robo Rally: Transformers, you might want to broaden your horizons by creating your own racecourses. The following are some suggestions that will help you create fun and fair courses that will cater to your player count and desired game length.
First-Timer Recommendation: If you have never created your own course, consider modifying a prebuilt course with new locations for 1 or 2 of the Checkpoints and maybe even reposition (or flip) the Starting Tile or Energon Cubes.
Make Sure Robot Density is Maintained: It might feel natural to link all 4 boards together to make an epic-length 3-player game. However, for games with 4 or fewer players, you're likely to not see much robot interaction with all of that extra space. Sometimes it's better to add additional Checkpoints to a 2-board course than to add a 3rd or 4th board. Using more than 2 boards should be a rarity.
Higher Player Counts Means More Playing Time and Chaos: The more robots there are to deal with, the crazier things will get. Games with 5-6 players naturally take longer than 2-3 player games. A 1-board racecourse might be too confining for 6 robots. It might be better to create a 2-board course and place only 2 Checkpoints if you're hoping for an hour-long game.
Where to Place Checkpoints: Checkpoints should criss-cross the boards to maximize player interaction. Avoid placing Checkpoints in a straight line from board to board to board away from the Starting Tile. You want the race leader to have to turn around to face their foes on their way to the next Checkpoint.
Checkpoints should be in areas where there are multiple entries and exits. Avoid placing them in corners where there is only one way in and one way out. Checkpoints are best placed on an open space with few or no obstacles around it, and should never be placed in a corner formed by two walls. Bottlenecks can easily occur, and players may become frustrated if 2 rounds of play are spent just with back-and-forth pushing. Checkpoints next to firepits and map edges, especially Checkpoint #1, can be particularly deadly.
Where to Place the Starting Tile: Place the Starting Tile on the edge of a board that does not feature too many nearby obstructions or moving walkways. If a robot gets gummed up as soon as they enter the board, they will fall behind through no fault of their own. Conversely, easy access to a moving walkway or road headed towards Checkpoint #1 can propel a robot into an unfair early lead. Use the side of the Starting Tile that seems most fair for all players.
Energon: You can place up to 9 Energon Cubes throughout the racecourse to supplement the pit stops. Energon Cubes are finite and first come, first serve, and so should be placed in areas that will lure robots that direction, not always on a path they are likely to go anyway.
Advanced Tokens: Mines and space bridges can be added to your racecourses for an added challenge and to help create unique paths to victory. Space bridges in particular can be used to move from one map board to another without the boards being connected in the normal fashion. Be creative!
Rules Variant: Team Versus Team
You can play Autobots versus Decepticons (or make up your own teams) and go for a team victory. In this variant, only 1 player from each team needs to reach all the Checkpoints to win, so a team can consist of "speedsters" going for the Checkpoints and "bruisers" trying to stop the others. What strategy your team employs may depend on what robots you pick to compete.
Setup
Teams should be made up of an equal number of players, and can be 2v2, 3v3 or even 2v2v2.
Be sure players from each team are sitting in alternating seats, as turns will alternate between players from each team. For example, in a 2 Autobots (A) versus 2 Decepticons (D) game, you'd want to sit A-D-A-D. If you choose to play with 3 (2-player) teams made up of mixed factions, then have players sit accordingly to ensure even, alternating turns.
The winner is the team who has a robot that reaches all the Checkpoints first, even if their teammates reach none.
Compatibility with Robo Rally
While Robo Rally: Transformers is not inherently compatible with other versions of Robo Rally, here are some guidelines you can follow to integrate non-Transformers map boards and robots into this game, or bring your Transformers robots and personal upgrades over to other versions of Robo Rally.
Robo Rally Map Boards in Robo Rally: Transformers Games
When adding other Robo Rally boards to this game, follow these guidelines:
- Treat any blank space on a map board without a board element as a Road element. Anytime a robot begins its movement on such a space in alt mode and resolves a Move card, they gain the move bonus.
- Robots need to be in bot mode to move onto Conveyor Belts, just like Moving Walkways, and follow the same Moving Walkway rules for converting. Otherwise, follow regular Conveyor Belt rules.
- If your robot falls into a Pit, treat the event as though they fell off the map board (gain 2 damage, etc); and when you return your robot to the map board, place them adjacent to the Pit.
- Follow Robo Rally rules for most board elements (ignoring mode restrictions); However, treat Batteries like Pit Stops.
Regular Robots in a Robo Rally: Transformers Games
To include non-Transformers robots in a Transformers game, follow these guidelines:
- Provide each regular robot character with 2 random, permanent upgrades and 1 random temporary upgrade (uninstalled).
- Regular robots can convert in this game and follow the same rules as Transformers robots. Give each regular robot player an unused character tile to mark their current mode, alt or bot, or use a reboot token to designate the mode. You can decide what their alt mode is!
Transformers Map Boards in Robo Rally Games
You can use Robo Rally: Transformers map boards in other Robo Rally games, but ignore all bot and alt mode restrictions. Otherwise you follow the rules for those elements as outlined in this rule book. In addition:
- Treat Moving Walkways like Conveyor Belts.
- For Building and Road elements, any rotation effects from corners are compulsory, not optional.
Transformers Robots in Other Robo Rally Games
You can mix your Transformers robots with Robo Rally's robots like Smash Bot when playing Robo Rally by following a few simple guidelines:
- Transformers robots start with 1 of their personal upgrades (uninstalled) and 2 random upgrades from the Robo Rally upgrade deck. For the personal upgrade, choose one that does not require them to discard a card or interact with board elements that do not exist on the regular boards.
- Transformers robots do not convert in a non-Transformers Robo Rally game. Ignore any mode restrictions on your upgrades.
- Transformers robots can only shoot straight ahead like other robots.
Round Sequence (Summary)
1. Upgrade Phase
Everyone performs this phase at the same time. Once during each Upgrade Phase, each player may do one each of the following, in any order:
- Pay 1 Energon to draw 1 new upgrade card.
- Install 1 new upgrade from your collection of uninstalled upgrades by paying its Energon cost.
- Uninstall 1 upgrade.
2. Planning Phase
Everyone performs this phase at the same time.
- Draw cards from your own planning deck until you have 9 cards in your hand.
- Choose 5 cards to play, and place 1 of them face down on each of the 5 registers on your player board in the order you want them to resolve.
- You may convert for free, if desired.
- Do not discard any cards in hand at this time.
3. Activation Phase
For each register slot in order from 1-5, all players:
- Activate their planning card(s) in the current register, starting with the player who holds the Cosmos Priority token and going clockwise round the table.
- Activate Board Elements (in this order):
- Moving Walkways - Convey 1 space in the direction of the arrows.
- Pushers - Move 1 space away from the wall that houses the pusher.
- Space Bridges - Move to same color Space Bridge, maintaining facing.
- Fire Pits - Gain 1 Damage.
- Laser Turrets - Gain 1 Damage per turret.
- Pit Stops - Take 2 actions: Gain 1 Energon and/or discard 1 Damage.
- Activate Robot Weapons.
- Perform Checkpoint Resolution. If a player's robot has reached the last checkpoint, they win!
- Else, repeat all of the above for each register.
4. End of Round
When the 5th Register has been fully resolved (after Checkpoint Resolution):
- The player holding the Cosmos Priority Token passes it to the player on their left.
- Return all SCRAP damage cards in your registers to the damage discard pile, as well as any Special damage that only lasts until the end of the round.
- Place all face-up planning cards in your registers into your own discard pile.
- Do NOT discard SCRAP damage in your hand.
- Return to the Upgrade Phase (unless the race has ended) and start a new round!