Objective
Crash opposing riders and capture their dice as trophies.
In a 2-player game, the game ends when one player has an overwhelming majority of the opposing dice:
- 2–0: game ends.
- 2–1: continue.
- 2–2: continue.
- Capturing all 3 opposing dice: game ends.
Setup
- Shuffle the deck and choose a dealer.
- Give each player 3 D6.
- Deal 3 cards to each player.
- Each player chooses any point along the grid edge closest to them.
- Place 1 die on that point facing into the grid.
- Set each active die to 3 Pips.
- The dealer begins the first card check.
After the first exchange, begin each card check with the previous exchange winner and continue clockwise.
The Grid
Riders move only along printed lines from one point to an adjacent point. Diagonal movement is not allowed.
Whenever a rider travels along a line, draw that line. It is now claimed for the rest of the round. A claimed line may never be traveled again by any rider.
Points themselves are not claimed. Multiple trails may meet at the same point as long as each rider enters and leaves using unclaimed lines.
Playing Cards
Each exchange:
- Every player secretly chooses 1 card per active rider and places the cards face down.
- Reveal all cards simultaneously.
- Check cards beginning with the previous exchange winner, or the dealer during the first exchange, and continue clockwise.
- The highest-ranked card wins.
- If tied for highest rank, the last tied card encountered during the card check wins.
- The winner resolves first. Continue clockwise from the winner.
The winning card grants Movement.
Every non-winning card normally resolves its suit power. A non-winning card may grant Movement instead if its rank matches the Pip Value of the rider receiving it, or it is a Club. A rank match or Club Movement replaces the normal suit effect.
Suit Powers
- Hearts: Increase the rider's Pip Value by 1.
- Diamonds: Decrease the rider's Pip Value by 1.
- Spades: Flip the rider's Pip Value: 1↔6, 2↔5, 3↔4.
- Clubs: Gain Movement.
Pip Values cycle between 1 and 6 when increased or decreased beyond those limits.
Rank Match
If a non-winning card's rank matches the Pip Value of the rider receiving that card, its player may choose Movement instead of the suit power.
Example: A rider showing 4 receives a losing 4♦. The player may either reduce its Pip Value with the Diamond or take Movement.
Movement
When a rider gains Movement, its current Pip Value determines its available Action Points, to a maximum of 4 AP.
| Pip Value | AP |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1 |
| 2 | 2 |
| 3 | 3 |
| 4–6 | 4 |
Spend 1 AP to:
- Forward: Move along one grid line to the next point.
- Left: Turn 90° left without moving.
- Right: Turn 90° right without moving.
A Movement must travel along at least 1 grid line. Turning in place does not satisfy Movement. A player may spend fewer AP than available.
Example with 4 AP: Forward → Left → Forward → Forward travels 3 grid lines and uses 4 AP.
Draw each traveled line immediately.
Pip Decay
After a rider performs Movement, reduce its Pip Value by exactly 1, regardless of how many AP were spent.
Decay cycles: 6 → 5 → 4 → 3 → 2 → 1 → 6. Moving 1 grid line causes the same 1-Pip decay as using the full Movement allowance.
Rider Collisions & Crashing
A stationary rider has priority over the point it occupies.
A moving rider may arrive at a point occupied by another rider, but may not end its Movement there and may not continue straight through the stationary rider. The moving rider must turn and leave the point using an unclaimed line. If it cannot do so before its Movement ends, it crashes.
Crashing
A rider crashes if it:
- attempts to travel along a claimed line,
- attempts to leave the grid,
- ends Movement on a point occupied by another rider, or
- cannot legally complete the required minimum Movement.
Remove a crashed die from the grid immediately. Its previously drawn trail remains. In a 2-player round, the opposing player captures the crashed die as a trophy.
Hands and Drawing
Each player begins with 3 cards.
With one active rider:
- Play 1 card.
- On the next exchange, play another card.
- Draw back to 3 cards.
One card therefore carries into the next hand.
When drawing, the previous exchange winner draws first, then continue clockwise. Do not reshuffle discarded cards during normal play.
Deck Exhaustion and Grid Escalation
Continue until both the draw pile is empty and all cards remaining in players' hands have been played.
If no rider has crashed, trigger Grid Escalation. Do not erase any trails.
Each player with another available die places one additional rider on any point along their starting edge. Set each new rider to 3 Pips.
Shuffle all played cards to create a new draw pile and deal each player back to 3 cards. Players now play 1 card per active rider each exchange.
If the deck and hands exhaust again and players still have an undeployed die, add the third rider in the same way.
Multiple Riders
When a player controls multiple riders, each card played during an exchange must be applied to a different rider.
- With 2 riders, 2 cards are played and each rider receives exactly 1 card.
- With 3 riders, all 3 cards are played and each rider receives exactly 1 card.
Players choose which rider receives each card as it resolves.
Starting with the exchange winner, each player resolves one card/rider combination, then play proceeds clockwise. After every player has resolved one combination, begin another pass from the exchange winner for the second card/rider combination. Repeat for a third pass if necessary.
A rider may not receive more than one card during the same exchange.
End of a Round
In a 2-player game, the round ends when a player has no active rider remaining. The opponent captures the crashed die or dice earned during that round.
Then:
- Erase all trails.
- Remove remaining riders from the grid.
- Shuffle the full deck.
- Each player deploys 1 available die.
- Set each rider to 3 Pips.
- Begin the next round.
End of the Game
Check trophies after each round:
- 2–0: the player with 2 trophies wins.
- 2–1: continue.
- 2–2: continue.
- 3 trophies: that player wins.
The player who achieves an overwhelming majority of the opposing dice wins PIP Cycle.
3-Player Prototype Note
Use the 11×11 grid and ranks 1–9. Card comparison, Movement, Pip effects, escalation, and crashes work exactly as above.