Mcs - Speedway Card Game

[SCB]

Don't know. Perhaps I'll buy a copy and see what the wave of students and 20-somethings who attend games sessions think of it.

Ah, a bunch of geeks slagging off a bunch of geeks

 

Not really for me, at £5 it probably would be. So in that respect I see where JL is coming from. Charging £20+ for a speedway card game is asking for trouble IMO. speedway is a niche market, card games are a niche market. A niche within a niche is doomed IMO, sadly.

[Fourentee]

Ah, a bunch of geeks slagging off a bunch of geeks

Actually, that's me being polite...

[Papryk Ash]

The game looks professionally presented, which I was surprised about and the mechanics look intriguing. If they work well and offer a decent strategy, I'd consider £18 a worthy investment for sure.

The potential to further customise the game with individual rider cards is something that could greatly enhance the game also.

 

Glad you see the potential. We also believe this may vastly enhance the experience.so we've decided to take it one step further and started contacting clubs from the Polish Ekstraliga to release expansion packs with their riders. It's looking very good at the moment as we have obtained the initial permission from the first two we have got in touch with. Of course, those expansions will not be necesarry to fully experience the game,- everyone is invited to use the names without having them spelled on the cards -,but I believe some collectors will consider it worthwhile (particularly that their price will be much lower as each "booster" pack will include only 20 cards).

As for the mechanics, we are already on Board Game Geek and I think I will upload the full rule booklet there tomorrow. I'll inform about it as soon as I do that.

 

I think it must have a Frank Ebdon referee card included.

 

During talks with the authorities of the Ekstraliga we were told that if the game is ever going to be released, we must remove a card called "biased referee" (which swung the heat's outcome one or the other player's way) - apparently it would ruin the speedway image for good . So I'm afraid no Frank Ebdon for you, sir.

 

Do the rules change every year?!

 

It is not that exact simulation

 

Not really for me, at £5 it probably would be. So in that respect I see where JL is coming from. Charging £20+ for a speedway card game is asking for trouble IMO. speedway is a niche market, card games are a niche market. A niche within a niche is doomed IMO, sadly.

 

You might be surprised if you knew how popular card games are. Just take a look at the Games Lore - UK's leading online retailer when it comes to board/card games. Just see the "card games" section - there are hundreds of them and I guess those guys are not doing it just for fun.

[BWitcher]

Ah, a bunch of geeks slagging off a bunch of geeks

 

Not really for me, at £5 it probably would be. So in that respect I see where JL is coming from. Charging £20+ for a speedway card game is asking for trouble IMO. speedway is a niche market, card games are a niche market. A niche within a niche is doomed IMO, sadly.

 

Is it?

 

I would suggest there are many, many 'niche' markets within board/card games. The fact is, the theme is not altogether vital, if the mechanics of the game are sound and it produces a good playable game, word soon spreads within the community.

Edited March 13, 2013 by BWitcher

[The White Knight]

I know nothing about this Card Game and I am not a Gamer (?). This Game would be of NO interest to me. That said, there are those who DO like this sort of thing and that is up to them. :approve:

 

It really would be a very sad thing if we ALL liked and disliked the same things - wouldn't it?

 

Live and let live I say.

[TesarRacing]

I am a speedway fan and think this game looks interesting.

 

Do the rules change every year?!

Depends on what team you decide to be..........

[Fourentee]

As for the mechanics, we are already on Board Game Geek and I think I will upload the full rule booklet there tomorrow. I'll inform about it as soon as I do that.

Any sign yet?

[waiheke1]

Follow the link to their site and rules are there

Edited March 19, 2013 by waihekeaces1

[Fourentee]

Follow the link to their site and rules are there

Excellent, thanks. The last time I looked there was a play overview but no rules booklet.

[Papryk Ash]

We uploaded the rules only yesterday - so excellent timing, fourentee

For anyone interested, download the full rulebook (also in English) from here.

[21st century heathen]

I have absolutely no background knowledge on this type of card-based game and I'm not sure I understand how it really works. That said, as a speedway fan I am intrigued by it. Can someone give a brief idiots guide as to how this type of game is played, forgetting the specifics of how speedway has been integrated?

[Fourentee]

I have absolutely no background knowledge on this type of card-based game and I'm not sure I understand how it really works. That said, as a speedway fan I am intrigued by it. Can someone give a brief idiots guide as to how this type of game is played, forgetting the specifics of how speedway has been integrated?

If MCS doesn't do so during the day, I'll have a go tonight.

[Bryce]

To boil it down to the very basics : Each player has a hand of cards, some of which can be used to improve your position and some of which can be used to mess up your opponent's position. Using these cards it's up to you to play them strategically to achieve the aim of the particular game you're playing; in this case winning the speedway race. There are similar games for any genre you can think of, each with unique cards tailored to the theme of their game.

[Papryk Ash]

If MCS doesn't do so during the day, I'll have a go tonight.

 

I'm at work until 6p.m., but after that I'm planning to do some nice little overview (with pictures) on how one heat plays.

[Fourentee]

Certain cards will frequently combine well with others and it also helps to figure out your opponent's style of play. To put it at its most simple in speedway terms, if you're leading a renowned 'white-liner' you'll only have to cover that style of overtaking move.

[Papryk Ash]

I have absolutely no background knowledge on this type of card-based game and I'm not sure I understand how it really works. That said, as a speedway fan I am intrigued by it. Can someone give a brief idiots guide as to how this type of game is played, forgetting the specifics of how speedway has been integrated?

 

I will desribe an exemplary heat (for two players).

 

1. Both managers assign two rider’s cards (secretly) for the upcoming heat (red and blue for the hosts, yellow and white for the visiting team). Each rider's card has a different value on it ranging between 1 and 20. These values reflect how quickly a rider will gate.

 

2. After all rider's cards have been assigned, they are revealed and the race order is determined. The bigger numbers go faster. So let's say the cards for this heat are as follows: red - 20, blue - 8, yellow - 6, white - 13. In this case the order in the heat is (from left to right):

 

 

3. Next, we reveal the topmost card from the 1st lap deck and check what happens. The options are as follows:

 

-----------FINISH LINE------------------THE STRAIGHT---------------THE BEND---------

 

 

4. Finish line indicates that the heat finishes instantly. It means we witnessed a dull race – gating turned out to be crucial and nothing happened from start to finish. Points are awarded for each place, rider's cards go into the discard pile and managers select new ones for the next heat.

 

5. In the straight, riders who are directly after the opponent can try to overtake (charge). Both managers choose from their hand one racing card (they start each heat with 5 of them) and place it (secretly) on the table. Next the cards are revealed and the managers check whether the charge was successful. To do so, they must place them with their top edges touching and check the result.

 

 

In this example the charge was successful, for the holding-off rider (green letters) did not manage to block all lanes attacked by a charging opponent (red letters). Assuming it was white attacking red, the new race order would be as follows:

 

 

That sums up the battle in the straight.

 

6. Battle in the bend is bit more complicated as it is all about various symbols in the lower part of each card. One manager starts by playing a card with an effect he would like to trigger, i.e. 5:1. Now the opponent can replace it with his/her card provided it will have the same color along the left edge or the same effect. Below you can see exemplary exchange:

 

 

Let's assume that the visitor ran out of cards which could match either the green colour or 5:1 effect. As a result the host triggers his/her effect, taking the 5:1 lead.

 

7. And that is more or less all. Next, we draw a lap card from the 2nd lap deck and again check if it is the finish line, straight or bend.

 

The rules are easy to pick up and the game can be played almost instantly, even by newcomers. Only later, once we get to know all the cards (and our opponent’s style of play), strategic thinking kicks in. We start to analyze what cards have already been used, what our opponent might do, whether we should start the battle in the bend with our best effect or keep it for later use (or even keep it for the battle in the straight), etc. And finally we can throw actual riders and teams into the mix and this is where the real fun begins...

[21st century heathen]

Thanks. That's what I needed to see and read. How are cards assigned as the race begins? Does each player draw as required from a deck or is each player dealt 'x' cards randomly at the start? What happens if there is, for example, a long exchange in the bend on lap one and both players play all their cards but the race does not end with a 'finish line' card from the lap 2 deck? Does the race end by default with current race positions applying?

 

Overall, as I stated, I am intrigued and interested in this type of game because of its speedway element more-so than having a long-standing interest in the genre as some members have. I can understand that they would be willing to part with £18 because they know it's the going rate and adding speedway to something that's already of interest is an obvious plus to them. Likewise I can see that non-speedway fans but fans of card-based strategy could relish a new challenge or a twist on an established theme.

 

However, I do think that it's a hard sell at £18 to the wider speedway fan base. What may reap reward is perhaps to have a stall set-up at speedway meetings, with the club's permission of course, with a couple of people actually playing the game so fans can see what it is and how it works. Combine that with a discount on the standard RRP if they buy/order there-and-then and you may shift a few. Finding a way to integrate real riders' names and clubs will be a major plus point to many too. Perhaps a panel on the card compatible with a dry wipe marker could be utilised so the user can assign whatever name he/she likes and change it as riders move clubs or fall in to or out of favour? Otherwise I think you may struggle to even get across to people what the game really is and you probably won't sell many within the speedway community.

[Fourentee]

As I understand it, 21CH, each player has the same deck to start with and draws randomly from it. However, although all cards played are discarded, the winner of each exchange draws a card to his or her hand. So, for example, if you feel you don't currently have a good defensive hand and it is unlikely that you could fend off an opponent's attack on the straight, you might well be better keeping your powder dry and attempting to re-pass on the bend -- a good parallel with the real thing. We've all seen riders who are better at attacking than defending and vice versa.

To quote MCS:

"We start to analyze what cards have already been used, what our opponent might do, whether we should start the battle in the bend with our best effect or keep it for later use (or even keep it for the battle in the straight), etc.

For the gamer, that would be where the lure lies -- the interplay between opponents and their styles, trying to out-think and second-guess them rather than just trotting out cards in a mechanical manner.

I think you are 100 per cent accurate in your analysis. For board and card gamers with an interest in speedway, if the game plays as well as the background info and rule book suggest it should, then we're going to be as happy as pigs in sticky stuff. But for speedway fans who don't come to it from that viewpoint, a harder sell.

However, it may be one of those where actually playing it through suddenly produces that light bulb "Oh, I get what they're doing" moment. I suspect that a bit of momentum could really produce results, but that actually getting the ball rolling will be the tough part.

[Papryk Ash]

As for the rider's cards distribution, there are 5 for each helmet colour. See below:

The key here was to give a slight advantage to the home team, so if one were to analyze it more closely, it would turn out that red's and blue's total is bigger than the opponents'. That's why, in a 4-player meeting we will recommend to play without the last 4 numerals (17-20).

 

As for racing cards there is one deck of 48 cards with each manager drawing them randomly. You must start each heat with 5 racing cards, so if you are short of this number, you just draw new ones.

 

As far as running out of racing cards is concerned, Fourentee was right - during a battle in the straight, the winner gets to draw a free card. Additionally, there are some effects which - when triggered - let you draw a free card or, even better, steal a card from your opponent's hand.

 

Of course it is possible to run out of cards during the race, although it's never happened to us. Again, as Fourentee rightly remarked, sometimes it pays off to let your opponent trigger his effect in the bend and hope for another exchange knowing he has less cards. What's more, each lap cards deck has different finish-bend-straight distribution, so it is more unlikely to get the finish line early. This is also an element of tactics, as you may try to remember which cards have already been used and anticipate what is going to happen in the next lap.

 

As the pricing goes, I completely agree with both of you (21 century heathen and Fourentee). When we started in Poland we also got our share of stick from some speedway fans who thought the price for a "dumb game" unrealistic. It took about 3 years of marketing the game (mostly via the internet) to get the ball rolling but in the end it worked out.

 

As for the UK it all boils down to the shipment costs (which we unfortunately need to cover). Were it not for them, the price could drop significantly. The smallest amount we ship to Britain is 12 - so actually it is all about finding those 12 people willing to buy the game from one retailer for him/her to order it. Once we do that we believe the game will do the rest.

 

Soon, we will be posting video gameplay for MCS, so perhaps it will give potential retailers better idea of what we are offering them.

[Fourentee]

That's very helpful, MCS; many thanks. Home track advantage is a neat addition.