Game: MotorChamp

Thread: Re: Rule Query

Great Dane — 2008-07-10T18:56:18+00:00

davoflick wrote:
Also is the tri-angular portion of the track at the start and finish of the pit lane a seperate area or is it counted as being part of the same area as the inside one of the track itself.

This has been answered in the official forum (see link above):

The triangular areas at the start and end of the pit area are part of the space on the race track, and not part of the pit - and not individual spaces. A car cannot stay in the half-space.

It is there purely for aesthetic reasons.

Thread: Re: Rule Query

Great Dane — 2008-07-10T18:51:16+00:00

As I read the English (and German) rules, each car has to leave the starting area they can move normally.

If the cars behind had to risk a crash even before they had left the starting area would the rule be pointless - as it is the cars behind that are running the risk, not those in front.

But to get an official reply, please ask at the AZA forum:
http://www.aza-spiele.de/frameset.php3?sprache=e&start=konta...

Thread: Rule Query

davoflick — 2008-07-09T20:29:41+00:00

Fellow Motorchamp Players,

When the first car has left the start area do all the other cars have their turn before the normal track rules for the amount of dice to be used come into effect or do they apply once the first car has left the area.

Also is the tri-angular portion of the track at the start and finish of the pit lane a seperate area or is it counted as being part of the same area as the inside one of the track itself.

Dave.

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DavidNorman99 — 2007-11-21T02:00:32+00:00

Back of Box

Thread: Session Report for MotorCamp

bharath — 2007-09-27T19:11:28+00:00

My first session report ... hope I don't mess it up:-).

We were 2 players (Tej and Me) and because of fewer players each of us took 2 sets of cars for racing and used a smaller racing track and what a blast we had.

I personally like racing games were there is nothing to think and just roll big numbers and run.. even on the curves:-) (I know that isn't racing at all but well what can I say.. thats me). In contrast Tej likes when racing simulates real ones and where right postioning of cars matter....yes he does manage to block my cars a lot.

So, we had few in-house rules to suite both our needs where it provides option to race faster but also has lot of room for car positioning and stuff and it worked out quite well.

Rules Modifications: (a) Each set of cars get only 3 modifiers (any) at the beginning of the game and when each car takes a pit stop players gets 3 more modifiers. We went with this option because modifiers enable players to race faster but since we have fewer modifiers we cannot continue doing so till the end of the race (b) White dice cannot be used with color dice. In other words if player wants to roll two dices then one of them cannot be white. This enforced that we cannot race faster but still its the player choice to try their luck.

At the start of the game we rolled dices to determine cars postioning and two dice can be rolled for each car from get go but slip streaming and crashing doesn't happen till the car crosses the start line.

In the beginning game was very poised and went very well for Tej. His cars managed to block me everywhere and I was slowed a lot. Seeing this I made my cars to take pit stops early so that there are fewer cars on the track making Tej's cars tough to block me. Given then freedom my other cars started racing faster. As my cars came out of the pit stop.. others were coming in and as there was more space on the track cars continued going faster.

Tej managed to use his modifiers extermely well in the beginning to position his cars but I managed to use them better later in the race to go faster. In the end I pretty much used up all my modifiers but Tej has many left as they didn't help much. Ofcourse I was very lucky with the dice at many times as I took lot of risk but somehow managed to not crash or overturn any cars. Once I rolled three dice (Which can go upto 15 spaces) but there was only room for 9 movements on the track and believe it or not dice rolled 9. Lucky.

In the end game was close but my cars managed to win because of lucky dice rolls.

Game was so much fun despite of many game plays we already had with MotorChamp. Only problem we felt during game play is that properly marking the cars when they finish each lap and take pit stops as it is tedious work.

Thread: Re: Why doesn't this rate as highly as Das Motorsportspiel?

craniac — 2007-05-15T15:38:47+00:00

Ah, thank you, that makes sense.

Thread: Re: Why doesn't this rate as highly as Das Motorsportspiel?

Great Dane — 2007-05-15T15:28:16+00:00

MotorChamp is closer to Formula Dé and most other motor racing games.

Das Motorsportspiel is unique. The entire game is based on a simple die roll move - which must be fully completed within matters of seconds.

You can use the Motorsportspiel rules with any racing game, but it is only interesting to play if the track has the right mix of sharp corners and slip-stream spaces. Otherwise will it degerate into a simple roll-and-move game requiring no skill at all.

Thread: Why doesn't this rate as highly as Das Motorsportspiel?

craniac — 2007-05-15T15:00:19+00:00

They seem very similar. I wonder if Motorsportspiel rules could be used with these components...

Thread: Re: Cool Components

JohnnyD — 2007-01-12T14:38:34+00:00

I am with Doug! The game is a blast....I wish there were more tracks!
If you are going to buy it just for the cars, i tink you can get them right from the website. http://www.aza-spiele.de/frameset.php3?sprache=e&start=ja

Thread: Re: Dice-Less variant: any impression?

freeman74 — 2007-01-12T14:32:26+00:00

Hi John,
happy to hear this
I made this variant because was very frustrating to roll the dice and have always low results!!!
Sorry for the bad english on the rules, if you (and everyone who read the rules) wants to know more, just write here a message!

Thread: Re: Dice-Less variant: any impression?

JohnnyD — 2007-01-12T14:27:01+00:00

Hi Giuseppe!

GREAT job on the dice-less variant! I just printed it out and am reading it! I like the ideas and do think it will make the game more strategic!

-John

Thread: Dice-Less variant: any impression?

freeman74 — 2007-01-12T11:16:34+00:00

Hi,
i've posted the Dice-Less variant, i would like to know what do you think about, any impression or suggestions are welcome!

p.s. excuse for the bad english...

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tonyfung1205 — 2006-11-28T19:27:33+00:00

Extra MotorChamp Team Set 10 (Kart 20/21) with cyan dice, ordered directly from AZA

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tonyfung1205 — 2006-11-28T19:26:23+00:00

Extra MotorChamp Team Set 9 (Kart 18/19) with ivory dice, ordered directly from AZA

Thread: Re: Cool Components

dougadamsau — 2006-05-13T00:49:04+00:00

John Weber wrote:
Frankly, the only reason to get this game is the cool components. You get 16 matching sets of two-car teams (a total of 8 teams) which are color-coded with consecutive numbers, just like the teams in real-life F1. I recall there were two additional teams with different colors and numbers you could buy for an additional fee which made a grand total of 20 really cool-looking F1 cars! I never played the game much so I can't rate it, but I've used the cars for other racing games that lack the components, notably Lambourne Games' Grand Prix Circus.

How can you not play the game, then state the only reason to get it is because of the components?

I agree, the components are amazing. I have played the game and that's good too. Expensive buy just for the bits, though.

Thread: Cool Components

John Weber — 2006-05-12T21:17:20+00:00

Frankly, the only reason to get this game is the cool components. You get 16 matching sets of two-car teams (a total of 8 teams) which are color-coded with consecutive numbers, just like the teams in real-life F1. I recall there were two additional teams with different colors and numbers you could buy for an additional fee which made a grand total of 20 really cool-looking F1 cars! I never played the game much so I can't rate it, but I've used the cars for other racing games that lack the components, notably Lambourne Games' Grand Prix Circus.

Thread: 2nd Edition?

Kevin_Whitmore — 2006-04-25T23:05:21+00:00

What's this about a 2nd edition? This 1st edition owner wants to know!

Thanks,

Kevin

Thread: User Review

hvogel — 2004-10-11T14:31:22+00:00

Without question, I believe this is the best looking racing game available. Yes, Formula De fans, the FD boards look good, but the boards for Motorchamp look at least as good and the cars are vastly superior. The cars, in fact, are the only ones capable of matching the cars that come with das Motorsportspiel for overall coolness. The game comes with 8 pairs of cars, each pair having identical paints schemes but different numbers on the cars, a matching set of three dice for each team of cars and three game boards with track printed on both sides. The game boards can be put together to create 12 different tracks, four short tracks that use on two boards and eight long tracks that use all three boards. There are also lots of little bits used to track laps and pit stop status. So, while the game is expensive, you get plenty of bang for your buck.

As you’d expect from the “matching set of three dice” bit above, this game uses dice for movement. The dice are similar to those in Das Motorsportspiel in that you have two standard six sided dice and one die with the digits, 1, 2, 2, 2, 3 and 3. The color of the space your car is on at the start of its turn determines how many dice you may roll. If your car is on a light gray space, you may roll three dice, two dice for medium gray and one die for dark gray. You may choose to roll fewer dice, perhaps because the track ahead is blocked or due to a “speed limit” (more on that in a moment). However, once you choose the number of dice to roll, you simply roll them and move your car that number of spaces. The “speed limit” I just mentioned is a number printed next to some of the spaces on the track. If your car is starting from a space with such a number, that speed limit applies to your car for that turn. For example, a car could be on a light gray space (roll three dice) but have a speed limit of 12. As long as the total you roll is less than or equal to 12, you have no problems. That’s one reason you may choose to roll only two dice even though you are allowed to roll three. And going over the speed limit is definitely something to be avoided, as is ramming other cars from behind.

So what happens if you go over the speed limit or ram another car? That depends on how much you go over or how many spaces you have left to move when you ram another car. If your roll is only one higher than the speed limit, a 13 when the limit was 12, for example, your car spins out. Move your car 13 spaces then put it off the track next to the 13th space facing backwards. If you ram a car with only one movement point left, your car also spins out. A car recovers from a spin out as other cars pass its position. When the first car passes the spun out car, you turn the spun out car around to face forwards. When the second car passes it, you place it back on the track. All right, we’ve covered what happens if your roll is just one higher than what you want. What happens if your roll is two or more higher than the speed limit or you have two or more spaces left to move when you ram a car? Simply put, your car crashes and is out of the race.

The game also includes an easy to learn slipstreaming rule and one pit stop is required from each car. The results of failing to make a pit stop are very bad. You can only roll one die each turn until such time as you make a pit stop. Races are run for six laps and most players will, at some point, experience a spin out or a crash. It’s because of the possibility of crashing that each player runs a team of cars.

From what I’ve read, opinions on this game are highly divided. There are those who like it and those who simply can’t stand it. I’m in the group that likes the game. The luck of the die roll does tend to even out through out a full race. I’ve also found that careful movement can leave you well positioned for your next turn. For example, in one game I played there was a particular space that was the best position to be in approaching one of the turns. Those of us who paid attention to what we were doing were able to land our car in that space almost every time (unless, of course, some other player was already in that space). So, the dice matter, but smart play matters, too.

Thread: Re:Clarifications

GeoMan — 2004-07-28T22:43:43+00:00

3. A car that is eliminated is removed from the game from the square it occupied at the beginning of its move (so it doesn’t move and doesn’t count as a car passing next to any “temporarily out” cars).

Thread: Clarifications

GeoMan — 2004-07-28T22:16:38+00:00

I asked for some rules clarifications from AZA Spiele. The answers are:

1. You are not allowed to use the Special die instead of a normal D6 when you roll exactly 2 dice under any circumstances.

2. You must always roll the max number of dice (depending on the track space you are located) that allow you to move with no risk of spinout or elimination.

Thread: Re:Session Report

Walt Mulder — 2004-07-25T06:58:19+00:00

GeoMan (#46623),
This is true, and remember like in real races, don't expect someone in last pole position to make it to the front and win. It's best to play with 10-12 cars and teams. Use points to determine the final wins. Team tactics can be brutal.

Thread: Re:Session Report

GeoMan — 2004-07-24T23:45:50+00:00

Paul Evans (#13501),

Using the pitstop rules and playing a full race with at least 10-12 cars on track, makes for quite a tactical game.

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Eddy Bee — 2003-04-13T00:02:35+00:00

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Eddy Bee — 2003-04-13T00:02:26+00:00

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Eddy Bee — 2003-04-12T17:49:37+00:00

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Eddy Bee — 2003-04-12T17:49:33+00:00

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Eddy Bee — 2003-04-12T17:49:24+00:00

Thread: General Comment

BoardGameGeek — 2002-01-01T06:00:00+00:00

This game should rate higher than it does. The boards are great, the pieces great, the speed of the turns...realistic. But there are a few problems with the rules which make it a much less accurate Formula-1 simulation than it should be. Specifically, if you exceed the speed limit by 2, you're out of the game. Well, in real life, a driver would choose to slow down. However, by forcing the number of dice which must be used, slowing down isn't necessarily possible (which makes the formula de' gear die such a nice accessory). Another annoying thing is if you spin out, two cars must pass before you can get back in the game. That is definitely unrealistic. Yes, the spinner should be slowed down...but if the last person in the pack spins, he shouldn't have to wait an entire lap to get back on. And it is ridiculously easy to get thrown out of the race entirely.

We've varied the rules as follows:

The 'fair play' rules have been completely discarded. That is, you can choose how many dice you wish to roll, as long as it doesn't exceed the number allowed by that color space.

Spinouts (unblocked track/speed limit exceeded by exactly 1) have to lay out two turns.

Spinouts (speed limit exceeded by 2) lay out three turns.

Ramming other cars (unblocked track exceeded by 2) Rammer must roll only one die to limp back to the pits after laying out one turn.

Ramming other cars (unblocked track exceeded by 3) Rammer is out.

Thread: General Comment

BoardGameGeek — 2002-01-01T06:00:00+00:00

You are never forced to use the maximum number of dice if there is a chance you might spin or crash out.

If there are hazards ahead, or you are on a corner with a speed limit, you can choose which dice to throw in order to minimise or eliminate the risk.

Drivers can therefore coose to slow down. The only time you are forced to drive at full speed is if you have clear track ahead and no limit on the square you are currenltly on - so deliberate blocking from the front is quite tricky.

Thread: Preview

BoardGameGeek — 2001-12-03T19:04:37+00:00

[I played the game at Essen and got thrashed] by the game's designer including a qualifying lap, where we had to go for grid position. Albrecht [the designer] also managed to get two of the top three places. While his dice rolling may have been good, he has studied the boards and always seemed to make the correct decision.

Rules look and feel.

The track is shaded in three levels of grey. On these areas you can either throw one special six sided die (1,2,2,2,3,3), one normal six sided, two normal six sided, or all three dice. The basic rule is that you must throw the maximum you are allowed if there is a path ahead that has no risk. The special die is use in situations where the road is blocked so a normal 6 sided won't provide safe passage ahead.

This is important as if you go one space further than the current track you are on allows, you spin off where the end of your move would take you. Two cars then have to pass you before you resume your race.

If you exceed the current square speed by 2, you are out of the race. So as Stuart points out, you can take enormous risks and lose or sensible risks and be involved in the game. But the risks appear to be easier to calculate than Formula De, where the variation in speed is more extreme.

So the track imposes speed restrictions. The second restriction are some specific squares. These have a number on (such as 10) where this is the top speed to travel safely from this square. Assuming that the road ahead is free, do you decide to rol one or 2 normal six sided? If you throw an 11, you spin off, whereas a 12 is out of the race. Or you could play safe and throw one normal six sided. The decision pretty much depends on your position in the race, your near rivals, the spaces up ahead, the outcome if you throw low, your need to pit and your position on the board if you need to pit.

I think that's alot of things to think about and more than Formula De, which is nearest in feel. If you do throw low, then this often takes you into a space with no restrictions. So the game baord itself allows you to catch up after an apparently poor throw.

The final track limiter is the corners. While these do not impose a specific danger, some corners, mainly the slower ones, do not allow you to change lanes. So if you end up immediately behind another car, there is a risk that the car in front of you will go slowly, and you will be forced to use the special die. You might have to rely on throwing a 1 to avoid spinning off and a 3 will end your involvement. Stuart and I found that this requires careful planning of the risks ahead. In our second game, several people went out when they mis-planned their previous turn.

The game is played over 6 laps and you are expected to pit once during the first 5 laps. The pit rules are really good and work well. You need to get to your own pit stop (in the larger track versions) and only travel with a normal six sided in the pit lane. There are no collisions, but you can get held up by a slow car in front. To exit the pits you throw 2 normal dice. If one shows at least a 4, you move the distance of the other. So sometimes you get held up in the pits; sometimes you storm out with a 6 & 4. If you fail to pit, you throw the normal six sided die only. As Stuart found, you either spin off or crash out of the race quite quickly.

The game also features clever slip streaming rules. If you can travel down the 2 squares immediately behind the car in front, you may move and extra 3 squares forward. This may not be to your advantage, so you have to decide whether you will accept this bonus. the slip streaming doesn't happen very often, so you have to remember to use it.

Another aspect that I thought was well designed was that each car moves in track position sequence and not by lap position. So back markers (which could and often have been lapped), are able to mix it with the front runners as well as having their own private race with other back markers.

The neat plastic markers fit on each car and are used to show whether you have pitted or failed to, as well as the lap that you are on. So you can see at a glance what position the cars are on during the race.

The overall touch and feel of the game was of a Formula One race. The interaction between the teams, the back markers, the pits, the lapping, the sheer number of cars, front runners taking an enormous lead all convey the feeling that you are involved in a race and it does resemble Formula One.

The main sensation I had during the game was excitement. If you get deeply involved in your games (and I do!) then I cannot fail to see how you would not get excited. As the game winner is the best team, final positions matter and when you lose a car out of the race as Stuart and I did, it hurts. It is important to have at least 2 cars in your team as you amy well lose one. But since the game comes with 16 cars in eight sets of 2 and there are two more sets of 2 available, this should not be a problem. I would agree with Stuart that it was one of the most enjoyable games I played at Essen and subsequentely at home. Yes, the price is high. I would ask you how many games do you have that you play regularly? Is £50 or so worth it for a special game? In my case I would say yes and as Geoff Brown said "What about the cars?". They look great. So is the game.

I don't know if Funagain are importing it, but if not, I'd give them a call.

Thread: Session Report

BoardGameGeek — 2001-12-03T19:03:53+00:00

We then played MotorChamp to continue the motor racing theme. It turns out that the random element is total. Roll the dice, see what options are available and chose one. Roll too high and you're dead. Oh dear. Assuming we got the rules right there is nothing to this game - apart from the wonderful production.

Thread: Session Report

BoardGameGeek — 2001-12-03T19:03:33+00:00

Turfmaster is one of my favourite horse racing games and I was hoping for something similar with Motorchamp. Unfortunately I was to be utterly disappointed. As far as I can see there is little real decision making. I can see the point about when to play safe or take risks but the range of possible outcomes on the dice makes it very difficult to plan. There is also ne resource management. Its roll dice, move, roll dice, move.... for 3 hours! Not a game I will be returning to. I would rate this a 4.

Thread: User Review

BoardGameGeek — 2001-10-11T06:21:38+00:00

Without question, I believe this is the best looking racing game available. Yes, Formula De fans, the FD boards look good, but the boards for Motorchamp look at least as good and the cars are vastly superior. The cars, in fact, are the only ones capable of matching the cars that come with Das Motorsportspiel for overall coolness. The game comes with 8 pairs of cars, each pair having identical paints schemes but different numbers on the cars, a matching set of three dice for each team of cars and three game boards with track printed on both sides. The game boards can be put together to create 12 different tracks, four short tracks that use on two boards and eight long tracks that use all three boards. There are also lots of little bits used to track laps and pit stop status. So, while the game is expensive, you get plenty of bang for your buck.

As you'd expect from the "matching set of three dice" bit above, this game uses dice for movement. The dice are similar to those in Das Motorsportspiel in that you have two standard six sided dice and one die with the digits, 1, 2, 2, 2, 3 and 3. The color of the space your car is on at the start of its turn determines how many dice you may roll. If your car is on a light gray space, you may roll three dice, two dice for medium gray and one die for dark gray. You may choose to roll fewer dice, perhaps because the track ahead is blocked or due to a "speed limit" (more on that in a moment). However, once you choose the number of dice to roll, you simply roll them and move your car that number of spaces. The "speed limit" I just mentioned is a number printed next to some of the spaces on the track. If your car is starting from a space with such a number, that speed limit applies to your car for that turn. For example, a car could be on a light gray space (roll three dice) but have a speed limit of 12. As long as the total you roll is less than or equal to 12, you have no problems. That's one reason you may choose to roll only two dice even though you are allowed to roll three. And going over the speed limit is definitely something to be avoided, as is ramming other cars from behind.

So what happens if you go over the speed limit or ram another car? That depends on how much you go over or how many spaces you have left to move when you ram another car. If your roll is only one higher than the speed limit, a 13 when the limit was 12, for example, your car spins out. Move your car 13 spaces then put it off the track next to the 13th space facing backwards. If you ram a car with only one movement point left, your car also spins out. A car recovers from a spin out as other cars pass its position. When the first car passes the spun out car, you turn the spun out car around to face forwards. When the second car passes it, you place it back on the track. All right, we've covered what happens if your roll is just one higher than what you want. What happens if your roll is two or more higher than the speed limit or you have two or more spaces left to move when you ram a car? Simply put, your car crashes and is out of the race.

The game also includes an easy to learn slipstreaming rule and one pit stop is required from each car. The results of failing to make a pit stop are very bad. You can only roll one die each turn until such time as you make a pit stop. Races are run for six laps and most players will, at some point, experience a spin out or a crash. It's because of the possibility of crashing that each player runs a team of cars.

From what I've read, opinions on this game are highly divided. There are those who like it and those who simply can't stand it. I'm in the group that likes the game. The luck of the die roll does tend to even out through out a full race. I've also found that careful movement can leave you well positioned for your next turn. For example, in one game I played there was a particular space that was the best position to be in approaching one of the turns. Those of us who paid attention to what we were doing were able to land our car in that space every time (unless, of course, some other player was already in that space). There's no way we could have done something like that if the game was completely luck driven.

Note: AZA Spiele makes two additional pairs of cars for the game, complete with matching dice. For those who want to have more than eight players, these allow 10 players to race together.