Zeepkistenrace
Zeepkistenrace Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 6 soapbox racers (cars), in six colours
- 18 finish tokens (3 each for positions 1 to 6)
- 6 player tokens (matching the racers' colours)
- 55 playing cards:
- 48 race cards: 12 Left, 12 Right, 24 Straight
- 6 qualification cards
- 1 race number card
The Next Race
[Note: the source text begins this column mid-sentence. The opening words of the sentence, which would say what happens when the first race ends, are not in the source file. The continuation is transcribed below as printed.]
"... is de eerste race afgelopen en worden de finishfiches verdeeld." — "... the first race is over and the finish tokens are handed out."
The player who finished in the lead receives a 1st prize (number 1). The player behind them receives the 2nd prize, and so on.
Afterwards a new race can begin. There is no qualification for the next race. The racer who finished first in the previous race may start. This player shuffles all race cards and deals each player 8 new race cards. The race number card is placed on the table with the 2 facing up, so that you can see you are in the 2nd race. For the 3rd and last race, you place it with the 3 facing up.
Cheating
If cheating is detected by one of the racers, that racer's soapbox car is immediately disqualified for the race in progress. In a possible next race, the racer may take part again (in the rearmost position).
Cheating occurs, for example, when someone deliberately makes a steering error, even though that racer did have a race card in hand that would have let them go the same way as the leader.
End of the Game
After three races the game is over. Award the last cups and medals.
Winner of the Game
Then each racer adds up their earned finish points. The player with the lowest total of finish points is the fastest and may stand on the highest podium to receive the championship cup.
Champagne pils for the winner!
Rules for 2 Players
A so-called ghost rider can now race. After qualification, place one soapbox car in the last position. This soapbox car is the ghost rider. Place 8 cards face down in a stack for the ghost rider. Whenever cards must be played, take the top card from the ghost rider's stack for the ghost rider. Move the ghost rider's soapbox car in the same way as for the other racers.
Object of the Game
With your soapbox car (after three races), finish as high as possible in the overall standings.
Short Game Overview
In Zeepkistenrace you try to finish as high as possible. You do this by playing your race cards. Each race lasts exactly eight cards.
The racer in the lead sets the course, that is, whether to go left, right, or straight.
The other players try to follow without making steering errors. Meanwhile, everyone looks for a chance to overtake each other. In this race you must fight your way forward one place at a time. But be careful! In a single turn you can drop from the lead all the way to the back of the field!
May the fastest win!
Preparation for the Game
Each player chooses a soapbox car. From now on you may call yourself a real racer. Shuffle the race cards and the qualification cards and place each in its own stack. Place the points tokens in a stack. To make clear who plays which soapbox car, each player places a player token in the colour of their soapbox car in front of them.
One player deals each racer 8 race cards face down. Each racer takes these cards into hand and does not show them to the other participants. The race number card only takes part from the 2nd race onward.
Take your places!
Qualification
Everyone blindly takes a qualification card. The racers then place their soapbox cars in a row, one behind the other, in the position that their qualification card indicates. So: the player with the highest starting position places their soapbox car in front, the player with number 2 places their soapbox car directly behind that, and so on.
If a position for your soapbox car is left unoccupied, you move your soapbox car one position forward.
Fig. 1: You have qualification card number 3. If nobody has qualification card number 2, that position is free. Place your soapbox car now in position 2.
Ladies and gentlemen: start your engines!
The Race
Playing Cards
The racer whose soapbox car is in front plays 1 card. They place this card face up, alone, in front of them. The racer in front determines the course, because the others can see which way they are heading. This can be a turn to the left, a turn to the right, or straight ahead. The number on the card gives the speed of your soapbox car. The higher the number, the faster you go.
The other players must, if they can, head in the same direction as the racer in front. Only if they cannot, because they do not have such a card, may they head in a different direction.
But note: this means they then make a steering error (see below).
Once the course has been set by the leader, the racer in 2nd position plays a card. But note: they place this card face down in front of them. Then the racer in 3rd position follows, and so on.
Turning Cards Face Up
After all racers have played their card, the racer in 2nd position turns their card face up. Now three things can happen:
- You overtake the racer in front of you.
- You stay behind your leader.
- You make a steering error.
1. You overtake the racer in front of you: If you follow the correct course, which was set by the racer in the lead, and you go faster than the racer directly in front of you, then you overtake them.
Fig. 2: The green racer in the lead position has played a straight card with speed 3. The red racer in 2nd position shows a straight card with a 4 or a 5. Red overtakes green.
2. You stay behind your leader: If you follow the correct course, which was set by the racer in the lead, but you go just as fast or slower than the soapbox car directly in front of you, then you cannot get past it and you stay behind it.
Fig. 3: The red racer in the lead position has played a right turn with speed 3. The green racer in position 2 shows a right turn with a 3. The racer with the yellow soapbox car in position 3 shows a right turn with a 2. Red, green and yellow all keep their positions.
3. You make a steering error: If you go in a different direction than the leader, you make a steering error. As a penalty you move your soapbox car 1 position backward.
Fig. 4a: The red racer in the lead position has played a left turn with a 2. The green racer in position 2 shows a right turn with a 3. Green makes a steering error and moves 1 position backward.
Fig. 4b: Yellow is now directly behind red. Then the racer with the yellow soapbox car shows their played card: a left turn with a 3. Because yellow's card is faster than red's (3 against 2), yellow overtakes this soapbox car. The new situation is now: 1-Yellow, 2-Red and 3-Green. Yellow has thus moved two places forward in a single turn!
After a racer has moved their soapbox car or not, the next racer, who is furthest forward and has not yet shown their card, turns it over. They then decide whether their soapbox car must move forward or backward, or whether it stays where it is. After all players have turned over their cards and moved their soapbox cars, the played cards are removed from the game by placing them on a discard pile.
The Next Card Is Played
Then a new round of the race begins, and the next course-setting card is played by the racer who is now in the lead. They place this card face up on the table. The others then follow with face-down cards, in the order of their soapbox car positions. Each racer again moves their soapbox car, or not, as described above.
The Finish and Points Scoring
After the last cards have been played and all moves have been made,
[Source ends here. The remainder of this paragraph and the finish-point scoring rule are not present in the source PDF and are MISSING from this transcription. Nothing has been supplied in their place.]