Board Game Geek:
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/312630/supercharged
The advantage of pole position is that you can get clear of the field and end up in an individual one-on-one speed battle (see below, a local bespoke addition to the standard counter is adding orange trim to the car counters side. This indicates the car has moved for this turn, more obvious than the subtle flip-flop position of the driver and helps game play. As the game is played, it is phased, with white trim car to move first one turn and then the orange trim cars to move the next turn. This avoids a needless car flipping reset at the start of each phase - which we first started to do, then wondered why! Keep it simple!):
You have a huge problem if you get stuck behind cars still yet to move, if you cannot make your minimum move or three (IIRC) you spin (see below, if orange is to go .. they will have a big problem):
The corners can be carnage (see below, note teh colours represent national teams, in two tiers, first rate nations [which have slightly better cars and can go .. potentially .. faster] and the second tier enthusiasts .. which are mainly "bot run", which makes them less aggressive, speed bumps that need to be passed):
By the time we come to the second lap the car drop-out is over 50% (see below, the field is certainly spaced):
What I love about the mechanics is the very clever event deck (no scrambling around for dice lost underneath the table) that drives a fast paced game (see below, the crowds cheered and went wild as a sixth car out a field of twenty starters actually finished):
Taken from the Board Game Geek web-site (see photograph below), it shows a little of the back story of Supercharged's development. It started off life as a wargames convention participation game, touring the country with its inventors/designers Mike Clifford and Mike Siggins (of Wargamers Notebook fame in the old school Wargames Illustrated and Miniature Wargames magazines). The 1/72 kit looked absolutely epic (see below, now that looks like trouble ahead at the first bend):
The game comes down to head-to-head contests of tailgating cars trying to survive the tangle of the bends (classic pile up territory) but tensely waiting for the chance on the straights to push on with a devastating turn of speed (see below, is that not pure atmospheric bliss of the period and also touching your inner child!):
I consider the above game set up as a "stretch goal" but one well worthy of pursuing!
Dietz Foundation (Shop):
To put it in context, I am no petrol head but this is a racing game I actually enjoy playing. Set in the 1920's to 1930's where motorsports seemed to be the preserve of the richly insane, it has a certain crazy international charm (Siamese Princes for example) and warmth that allows it to be a good family/mates game (despite the natural urge for your team to be winning, it is also a spectator). It lacks the cruel cheesiness of rules from other racing games and here purely finishing a race is in itself something of an achievement. Historically one race was called a draw because nobody finished! Two circuits of the track constitutes the race which sounds achievable, but isn't for most cars (see below, a self assembly track, playing deck and card stock period motor cars playing pieces):
The Race:
A very busy start (see below, the compressed field on the first two corners means that "spin-offs" are inevitable):
The advantage of pole position is that you can get clear of the field and end up in an individual one-on-one speed battle (see below, a local bespoke addition to the standard counter is adding orange trim to the car counters side. This indicates the car has moved for this turn, more obvious than the subtle flip-flop position of the driver and helps game play. As the game is played, it is phased, with white trim car to move first one turn and then the orange trim cars to move the next turn. This avoids a needless car flipping reset at the start of each phase - which we first started to do, then wondered why! Keep it simple!):
You have a huge problem if you get stuck behind cars still yet to move, if you cannot make your minimum move or three (IIRC) you spin (see below, if orange is to go .. they will have a big problem):
The corners can be carnage (see below, note teh colours represent national teams, in two tiers, first rate nations [which have slightly better cars and can go .. potentially .. faster] and the second tier enthusiasts .. which are mainly "bot run", which makes them less aggressive, speed bumps that need to be passed):
By the time we come to the second lap the car drop-out is over 50% (see below, the field is certainly spaced):
What I love about the mechanics is the very clever event deck (no scrambling around for dice lost underneath the table) that drives a fast paced game (see below, the crowds cheered and went wild as a sixth car out a field of twenty starters actually finished):
The game comes down to head-to-head contests of tailgating cars trying to survive the tangle of the bends (classic pile up territory) but tensely waiting for the chance on the straights to push on with a devastating turn of speed (see below, is that not pure atmospheric bliss of the period and also touching your inner child!):
I consider the above game set up as a "stretch goal" but one well worthy of pursuing!
PS: I think the design is great ub capturing the gentlemanly feel of the period, as there was a lot of respect between the racing enthusiasts (they helped each other out a lot). The designers skillfully avoided the game becoming a Mad Max Rally - which of course is Car Wars!
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