Brilliant rays of sunlight reflect off the waters of the Mediterranean onto the glitzy casinos and gently bobbing yachts and speedboats of the Monaco marina. A sudden roar from the streets rises above the sound of the sea—the shouts of thousands of spectators, suddenly drowned by the bellow of high-octane engines making 18,000 revolutions per minute. In blur of color, a pack of Formula 1 cars race down the Monaco speedway at over two-hundred miles per hour. Take your place in the pack and accelerate to victory in Formula D!
Formula D is a high-stakes game of speed and danger for two to ten racers. Every game is a race between you and the other drivers that begins as soon as you shift into first gear on the starting line. Every turn you must choose how fast you will push your car, while you navigate the corners and chicanes that could send you skidding into defeat. Whether you race along the beaches of Monaco in sleek Formula 1 cars or take your place in a dangerous, high-speed street race, you’ll need all your skill and luck to cross the finish line first in a game of Formula D.
Push the Limits
A race in Formula D begins with each player’s car in position behind the starting line. Each player has a gearstick that slots into his dashboard, and by moving this gearstick at the beginning of your turn, you determine how fast you want your car to move. Every turn, you can shift up by one gear to increase your speed coming into a straightaway, you can shift down to slow your car for a corner, or you can remain in the same gear to maintain your relative speed. You do have the option to skip gears when you downshift, but skipping gears quickly wears out your gearbox, which we’ll explore below.
After you’ve changed gears, you roll the dice corresponding to your current gear and move your car that many spaces along the track. As you move, you may change lanes to dart around your opponent’s cars or ride their slipstreams to gain a slight advantage. Of course, a Formula 1 race isn’t a simple matter of accelerating to your highest gear and maintaining speed. Countless corners and dangerous chicanes riddle the track, and if you move through these too quickly, the stress may strip your tires or even send you sliding off the track.
Every corner on the circuit has a large number in a yellow box near it, and this number determines the number of times your car must stop within the bounds of the corner. If you fail to stop the required of times, you will certainly face the consequences. For example, a corner may require you to make two stops before you exit the corner. If you only stop once within the corner, your tires take damage equal to the number of spaces by which you overshot the corner. If you blow through a two-stop corner without stopping at least once, the stress will destroy your car and you’ll be eliminated from the race! Moderating your speed between the tight corners and the long straightaways is the first level of skill required to emerge victorious in Formula D.
Balance Your Car
Actually driving your car is only half of the race. Formula 1 drivers represent some of the most prestigious automobile manufacturers in the world and taking the time to optimize your car for speed, handling, and durability is crucial. Before the race, you have the option to build your own car, rather than simply using the industry standards. By choosing how many points you allocate to tires, brakes, gearbox, body, engine, and handling, you can make your car run exactly how you want it to.
What’s more, over the course of the Grand Prix, your car will take damage to its systems. Your tires take damage when you overshoot corners, and your brakes take damage if you’re forced to slow down to avoid another racer. Skipping gears to cut your speed can hurt your gearbox. Collisions with other vehicles can damage your car’s body, and extremely high speeds can wear out your engine. If one part of your car is ever completely damaged during the race, your car may suffer dangerous setbacks or even be eliminated from the race. Fortunately, you can make a pit stop between laps to change your tires and heal all the damage you took from overshooting corners. Still, a pit stop takes valuable time, and if you’re willing to push your luck, you may bypass the pits in order to gain the lead!
You’ll even need to cope with inclement weather as your cars roar along the Monaco circuit. Sunny weather is obviously best for the racers, but pouring rain is also possible, causing cars to skid dangerously on the corners. Before the race, you’ll decide on hard tires, soft tires, or rain tires, each offering unique advantages and disadvantages. Will you gamble on the weather staying the same or plan for the worst if it begins to rain in the middle of the race?
On the Streets
Formula 1 races on the Monaco circuit are thrillingly fast, but you may crave a racing experience with fewer rules. On the reverse side of the Formula D board, you’ll find a new track allowing you to engage in road races through the heart of a city. Here, the personalities of the drivers dominate the performance. Each road race driver has a unique setup for his car and a unique special ability that can be used to gain the advantage. Diane Montfort is renowned for her quick reflexes, and always moves first if she and another driver are tied for position. Jack Owens is an expert at skidding, allowing him to adjust his movement inside the corners, and Derek Manson is an aggressive driver who’s more than willing to crash into other cars to gain the advantage. With ten unique drivers, every road race becomes a battle of wits and skills.
Road races are even more dangerous than the Formula 1 circuits. Some portions of the road are in disrepair, potentially forcing drivers to take damage as they swerve to avoid debris. Illicit nitro-boosted fuel can give you an edge for a single turn, so you’ll have to use it wisely. Angry bystanders may even take potshots at your car as you speed down the streets! In a road race, there are no real rules, and only the fastest and most ruthless driver walks away with the victory.
Speed Matters Most
From your car’s layout and construction to the race itself, Formula D puts you in the driver’s seat of a Formula 1 circuit or a wild street race. Your skill, your luck, your reflexes, and your car are all that you can rely on. Strap in and prepare for the race of a lifetime!