During a standard turn, you must take the following 5 phases in order:
Action Phase
During this phase you may use one or more cubes in your active pile for their effect.
To do this, select one cube at a time. Place this cube in your used pile, then perform the effect as stated on its respective
card. If you choose to apply the effect of the cube's card, you must apply it in full. The effects on the card are applied from top
to bottom. If some of the card's effects cannot be applied, you cannot apply any of the effects.
Note: There is a single exception to this rule, in that if a card requires that you gain wear, and there are
no wear cubes left in the stock, you may still apply the other effects.
After applying the effect of your first chosen cube, you may choose another and another and another. The only
limit is the quantity of cubes you have in your active pile.
If an effect requires you to gain cubes from the stock (including wear cubes), place these gained cubes in your used pile.
When a cube affects the movement of your race car on the track, don't actually move your race car yet, instead use that cube to
mark the progress on the track. If such an effect requires you to gain wear, it's helpful to place that wear cube on the track with the
affected cube. This aids in remembering this step, plus it shows your opponents that you have completed this part of the effect.
Note: All cubes on the game board are still considered to be in your used pile for the purpose of card effects.
How to move on the track
A space of movement is defined as being from one bold line to the next and may contain smaller segments.
Single dark gray space
Smaller segments in the space
Each cube placed on the track must begin its movement in a space adjacent to your own race car or another cube (diagonal spaces
count as adjacent). Also this space, or segment, must progress your race car forward on the track. You cannot move sideways or backwards,
and you cannot place a cube on a segment that is occupied by an opponent's race car.
Buy Phase
During this phase, you may use one or more cubes in your active pile
as money to buy one or more cubes from the stock. You start each Buy
Phase with a pool of zero money. After your Action Phase, all cubes
remaining in your active pile will now be used as money. For each cube,
you gain as much money as the value stated on its respective card. This
creates your pool of money for this turn.
With this pool of money, you may buy one or more cubes from the
stock. You can buy several cubes if you wish, including multiple copies of
the same cube, as long as you have enough money to pay for them. Keep
in mind, cubes are limited to their quantity in the stock. Once they are
gone, they are gone and you won’t be able to buy them anymore.
Any cubes that you buy are placed directly into your
used pile.
Note: Money is only valid for the current turn, so either you use it or you
lose the unspent money at the end of your turn.
Car Phase
During this phase, you will get to see the results of your actions as your
race car speeds around the track. To do this, move your race car from its
current space to the space occupied by the farthest cube you placed on
the track this turn. If you pass the finish line during this movement, move
your lap marker forward one space. If your lap marker is now on the
Finish space, the game ends after the current round is completed.
Note: You cannot drive through other race cars. You must maneuver
around them. Keep this in mind, when placing your movement
cubes during your Action Phase.
Decline Phase
During this phase, you will see the adverse effects racing has on your car.
Please reference the Wear Chart found below and on the game board.
You must gain wear cubes equal to the highest color track space you
moved on this turn. Black is considered the highest color and white is
the lowest. This is based only on the color of space you moved on, not
the color of cubes you used. For instance, if you moved on four light gray
spaces and one dark gray space, you will gain three wear cubes.
Note: This quantity is not cumulative. You only gain wear equal to one
line of the Wear Chart (the highest moved on this turn), not multiple lines.
Note: If you moved on a space with more than 1 color, you always gain wear for the higher color.
Place any gained wear cubes into your used pile. If you didn’t move this
turn, you don’t gain any wear cubes.
Drafting
Alternatively, if you ended your movement this turn in a space or
segment directly behind another opponent’s race car, you are considered
to be drafting. If drafting, you do not collect any wear despite what color
spaces you moved on this turn. Drafting is good!
Wear Chart
- Black: Gain 4 wear cubes.
- Dark Gray: Gain 3 wear cubes.
- Light Gray: Gain 2 wear cubes.
- White: Gain 1 wear cubes.
- Drafting: Gain 0 wear cubes.
End Phase
During this phase, you will place all your cubes from the track, active
pile, and used pile into your discard pile. Then randomly draw seven new
cubes out of your bag to place in your active pile.
This ends your turn. Play then continues with the next player clockwise.
Note: Since you draw your new cubes into your active pile at the end of
your turn, this gives you the entire time during other players’ turns
to plan out your strategy for your next turn. While their plans may
disrupt yours somewhat, you can usually make the game move
along at a nice pace if you plan ahead!
Momentum
At this time, all race cars automatically move forward to fill any vacated segments
within the space they currently occupy. This means at the
beginning of each turn, you will either be in the front segment of a
space, or in a segment directly behind another race car.