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Top Race box art

Top Race

Game ID: GID0360808
Game Info
Year
1996
Collection
Rating
Mechanic profile
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Vibe profile
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Description

Re-issue of Kramer's Niki Lauda's Formel 1 with tweaks.

Make as much money as possible, by becoming one of first at the finish line! If you place advanced RACE, you can also make money by betting!

This game is based on running and betting;
Each player gets 200.000 credits and the deck of "Speed cards" is shuffled and divided among the players, who now sort out the cards in the order they want.
Now the "Contestants cards" are stacked face down. Each card matches the colours of the player pawns (Red, Yellow, Blue, Green, Purple and White). Now there will be an auction of the cards, where you figure our what to buy by the help of your "Speed cards". Each bidding starts with 10.000 credits and is raised by 10.000 credits. All players have to have at least one (1) "Contestant card".

The last player to buy a card starts, and plays a "Speed card" to move all the pawns as the card shows; a pawn can only be moved ahead; either straight or diagonally; never backwards or sideways. Only one pawn is allowed on a spot, and it is NOT allowed to jump over another pawn.
An example of a Speed card could be:
Blue: 6 spaces
White 4 -
Black (means joker/free choice that is not on the card): 2 -
Yellow: 1 -
The speed cards also include "Sprints" and "Injury"

The player who's colour is first over the finish line gets 200.000 in price money. Second place pays out 150.000, 3rd 100.000 and so on.
Even if your colour have finished the race you continue playing your remaining speed cards.
The race ends when the fifth player have crossed the Finish line or when all "Speed cards" have been played.

The card dealing of both SC and CC plus the auction is now restarted and the next race goes on untill the agreed amount of races. The winner is the one with the most money.

Other games in Wolfgang Kramer's racing series include Detroit-Cleveland Grand Prix and Daytona 500.

Description

Re-issue of Kramer's Niki Lauda's Formel 1 with tweaks.

Make as much money as possible, by becoming one of first at the finish line! If you place advanced RACE, you can also make money by betting!

This game is based on running and betting;
Each player gets 200.000 credits and the deck of "Speed cards" is shuffled and divided among the players, who now sort out the cards in the order they want.
Now the "Contestants cards" are stacked face down. Each card matches the colours of the player pawns (Red, Yellow, Blue, Green, Purple and White). Now there will be an auction of the cards, where you figure our what to buy by the help of your "Speed cards". Each bidding starts with 10.000 credits and is raised by 10.000 credits. All players have to have at least one (1) "Contestant card".

The last player to buy a card starts, and plays a "Speed card" to move all the pawns as the card shows; a pawn can only be moved ahead; either straight or diagonally; never backwards or sideways. Only one pawn is allowed on a spot, and it is NOT allowed to jump over another pawn.
An example of a Speed card could be:
Blue: 6 spaces
White 4 -
Black (means joker/free choice that is not on the card): 2 -
Yellow: 1 -
The speed cards also include "Sprints" and "Injury"

The player who's colour is first over the finish line gets 200.000 in price money. Second place pays out 150.000, 3rd 100.000 and so on.
Even if your colour have finished the race you continue playing your remaining speed cards.
The race ends when the fifth player have crossed the Finish line or when all "Speed cards" have been played.

The card dealing of both SC and CC plus the auction is now restarted and the next race goes on untill the agreed amount of races. The winner is the one with the most money.

Other games in Wolfgang Kramer's racing series include Detroit-Cleveland Grand Prix and Daytona 500.

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All mentions
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 3
This page: 3
Sentiment: pos 1 · mix 1 · neu 0 · neg 0
Mentions per page
Showing 1–3 of 3
Video nqFrntqcz-o Review at 0:04
video_pk 69394 · mention_pk 165873
Top Race video thumbnail
Click to watch at 0:04 · YouTube ↗
Pros
none
Cons
none
Thematic elements
  • vying to achieve the highest startup valuation and outwitting your competitors
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
  • Area Control — Expanding territories in the Action phase.
  • bidding — Competing in bidding wars during the Lobbying phase to implement new policies.
  • set collection — Collecting materials to develop futuristic technologies.
  • worker placement — Hiring and training employees in the Staffing phase to unlock abilities and build the company, implying actions are taken by these employees.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
  • coming to Kickstarter on January 21st is Tech Race by one of our sponsors brain Hardy
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video aXsLH7NQk4Y Meeple University Discussion at 0:05 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 63877 · mention_pk 157396
Meeple University - Top Race video thumbnail
Click to watch at 0:05 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
  • capture the feel of the industry in a playful way
Cons
  • payroll costs can escalate and be punishing
  • prototype components and rules (not final)
Thematic elements
  • Tech industry startup simulation focusing on revenue, customers, and employees
  • CEO of a tech company
  • playful exploration of industry feel
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
  • Business actions by employee type — Actions include Sales to bring in customers, HR to recruit, Marketing to replenish customers, Finance to gain money/points, and Office/Research related actions to expand capacity and tech.
  • End-game scoring — Points come from technology awards, customers, offices, policy cards, and coins; game ends after nine rounds or when a player reaches 100 points.
  • End-of-round income and payroll — Players calculate income from customers; unpaid items result in point loss; payroll costs influence decisions.
  • Firing employees and cost management — Players can fire employees to cut costs, impacting points and future actions.
  • Policy cards and round-based effects — Rounds 3+ add policy cards allowing global effects; later rounds introduce more challenging policies with potential penalties.
  • Resource management — Players manage employees and finances to run the company and earn points.
  • Simultaneous Actions — Players gain employee tokens and reveal actions by flipping tokens one at a time, performing actions in turn order.
  • Simultaneous actions and token flipping — Players gain employee tokens and reveal actions by flipping tokens one at a time, performing actions in turn order.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
  • Tech race is designed by Ionin
  • the components featured in this video are prototype so rules and artwork are not final
  • profit margins are thin your payroll escalates quickly
  • it's just like business in the real world
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video Xis3OUe-8s8 JestaThaRogue Rules Teach at 0:00 sentiment: positive
video_pk 59860 · mention_pk 152367
JestaThaRogue - Top Race video thumbnail
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
  • Clear, instruction-focused presentation of setup and core rules in a how-to-play format
  • Thematic integration of English Reformation-era politics with card mechanics
  • Hidden agenda and round-based monarch mechanics add strategic depth
  • Three distinct rounds with end-of-round scoring provide structure and closure
Cons
none
Thematic elements
  • political and religious factionalism; royalty and clergy clashing over power and piety
  • England in the 16th–17th centuries during the Reformation, spanning the reigns of Mary I, Elizabeth I, and James I
  • historical intrigue with card-driven scoring and social mechanics
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
  • deck setup and monarch cards — At the start of each game, a portion of monarch cards is set aside and a 69-card deck is shuffled; the deck is dealt to players and reorganized between rounds.
  • end-of-trick effects — Winners or specific cards trigger end-of-trick effects that influence tax/money, piety, or other scoring modifiers for that trick.
  • hidden agenda / roll card secrecy — Players can keep their roll card facedown to hide potential scoring goals until the end of the game, adding a layer of hidden information strategy.
  • round-based monarch control and scoring — Each round is named after a monarch (Mary, Elizabeth, James). The current monarch affects scoring and the abilities of certain cards, guiding end-of-round scoring and overall winner determination.
  • taxes, money, and piety tracking — Living cards in a trick influence money (taxes) and piety totals, tracked on each player's sheet, with monetary and religious implications during scoring.
  • Trick-taking — The game is played over three rounds; each round consists of 12 tricks. The lead card determines the lead suit, and players must follow if able. The highest card in the lead suit wins the trick.
  • wild card suit and designation — Certain cards are wild and show a four-suit indicator (jester hat) that can designate which suit it represents, affecting following restrictions and strategic choices.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
  • Tolerance this is a game for three to five players
  • a copy of this game was generously provided by Dragon Dawn Productions
  • the video does constitute an advert
  • the deck needs to be set up first
  • the winner of the trick then leads the next trick
  • end of round scoring
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
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