Game: Breaking Away

Thread: Re: Mountains?

djfrank — 2008-08-01T19:18:24+00:00

I did think about this last winter, but no time in the summer to follow up. My ideas revolved around either making the movement per space cost more depending on steepness a la Um Reifenbreite--no kudos for brilliance there--or cutting down on the amount of slipstream bonus gained in the mountains, or some combination of the two. Practically speaking, the end result of the two is probably the same. Of course a slippery slope develops as one begins to think about mountain climbing specialists, etc. The genius of Breaking Away is its simplicity and any variants I'd choose to use would have to keep that as much as possible. I'm going to have to pull my notes out so that I can think about this more as winter approaches. I'll be fascinated to see what others have come up with.

Thread: Mountains?

provence — 2008-07-30T18:35:35+00:00

All,

Has anybody given some thought to the effect of mountains in order to re-create a Tour de France stage?

I saw a mountain variant posted on the web somewhere but the rules felt arbitrary.

Provence

Thread: Re: The Fiendish Games website is back up

Fiendish — 2008-06-24T16:39:59+00:00

Dear all,

Thanks for the good wishes about my father-in-law (not my father). Sadly the story did not have a happy ending.

Anyway, the web site has been back up for a while. I got a reminder that the domain name was due for renewal and so I renewed that but for some reason the same company does not have a policy of reminding users when their hosting arrangement is due to run out, so I forgot to renew that!

Life remains hectic and I don't have as much time to devote to Fiendish things as I used to have but the good news is that this has resulted in me deferring US price increases for 18 months now - so long, in fact, that the US dollar has almost recovered to where it was back at the end of 2006. So, all you US buyers, hurry up and buy before I convert all prices to euros and the dollar and sterling join each other in a foreign exchange tailspin.

Regards,

John

Thread: Re: The Fiendish Games website is down

LA_Ken — 2008-05-14T07:25:59+00:00

I ordered the game off of Fiendish's website recently. It took him a few days to to respond, but the package arrived very quickly. If you're thinking of picking this game up you should be able to do the same.

Thread: Re: The Fiendish Games website is down

DarrellKH — 2008-03-26T11:59:51+00:00

Breaking Away is truly a game that should have been "picked up" by a bigger publisher (such as RGG), and given the audience it really deserves.

Thread: Re: The Fiendish Games website is down

icheyne — 2008-03-25T18:34:31+00:00

Thanks Mik. I hope things go well for John and especially his father.

I have added John's blog to my blogroll.

You are right about the quality of this game. It deserves far more attention.

http://cheyne.net/blog/2008/03/breaking-away/

Thread: Re: The Fiendish Games website is down

Great Dane — 2008-03-25T18:28:54+00:00

According to John Harrington's blog
http://my.opera.com/fiendishgames/blog/
is his father seriously ill at the moment, so that could have something to do with the closure.

I wish the best for his father
and hope this great game will still be available - it deserves a wider audience!

Thread: The Fiendish Games website is down

icheyne — 2008-03-25T13:20:34+00:00

Is it still possible to buy this game?

Thread: Re: Back in print

autumnweave — 2008-01-09T08:17:10+00:00

Got a message that the e-mail address fails permanently. :cry:

Thread: Re: Back in print

autumnweave — 2008-01-09T03:08:37+00:00

I'm hoping that it is still in stock. I sent the publisher an e-mail tonight.

Thread: Re: I'm looking for the rules!!!

Carver — 2007-08-02T14:49:20+00:00

This is an excellent game Rob. If you have difficulty in understanding a rule tell me. I will then try to explain in Italian.

- Derek

Quest' è un gioco eccellente Rob. Si lei trova difficoltà con una regola (in inglese), io proverò di spiagarla in italiano.

Thread: PBEM Winter/Spring '07 Turn 5

Raid1280 — 2007-05-02T13:45:36+00:00

The peloton has now come back together to form two groups. The Black team was working hard to close the distance between the two groups but just came up short.

[IMG]http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/4936/1000843du7.jpg[/IMG]

The Yellow team has taken over the pace making on the front as teams get lined up and put their cyclists in position to attack the 2nd sprint line coming up at 72/73!
Michael’s 100% Peddlers show us the meaning of teamwork as they have reformed into one unit with 3 of them on the same space! Teams with all 4 cyclists in the lead pack include – Yellow, Silver, and Orange. Could these be the teams to watch in the upcoming sprint? Don’t think for a second that the other teams will allow any extended breakaways to go off the front.

[IMG]http://img241.imageshack.us/img241/4649/1000842ju6.jpg[/IMG]

“The Tour is basically a 2,000 mile race and people sometimes win by a minute or less. You always have to be ready… that minute could happen any second.” Lance Armstrong

[IMG]http://img172.imageshack.us/img172/1658/1000847kn3.jpg[/IMG]

Thread: Re: Less than total move variant

mlvanbie — 2007-04-28T05:57:49+00:00

EricTorch wrote:
To speed games up we have been playing that the cyclists movement is not decided in the order along the track, but the movement for your 4 cyclists is determined simultaneously and secret before any other riders have moved.

That's how play-by-mail games work.

After a recent game someone mentioned the idea of instead of being forced to move the exact movement value, having the option of moving the value or less, could help develop some more interesting team tactics. I probably won't play a game for a while, so I'd like to hear if anyone tries this or has tried this in the past. This may give players too much flexibility, but it sounds intriguing. Obviously, I wouldn't use this if you were playing the standard rules of letting the riders in front move, then decide your cyclists movement.

I think that would make it too easy to keep your riders drafting, but try it and write a detailed session report.

Thread: Less than total move variant

EricTorch — 2007-04-28T04:39:24+00:00

To speed games up we have been playing that the cyclists movement is not decided in the order along the track, but the movement for your 4 cyclists is determined simultaneously and secret before any other riders have moved. After a recent game someone mentioned the idea of instead of being forced to move the exact movement value, having the option of moving the value or less, could help develop some more interesting team tactics. I probably won't play a game for a while, so I'd like to hear if anyone tries this or has tried this in the past. This may give players too much flexibility, but it sounds intriguing. Obviously, I wouldn't use this if you were playing the standard rules of letting the riders in front move, then decide your cyclists movement.

Thread: PBEM Winter '07 Turn 4

Raid1280 — 2007-04-19T22:14:48+00:00

And they charge for the line……!!!! It’s Gold 1 who walks away with the 10 points from the first sprint closely followed by Red 1.

Sprint Results

1 Gold 1 10 pts
2 Red 1 8 pts
3 Orange 1 6 pts
4 Green 2 5 pts
5 Purple 1 4 pts
6 Green 1 3 pts
7 Yellow 2 2 pts
8 Yellow 1 1 pt

[IMG]http://img260.imageshack.us/img260/4779/1000768xz5.jpg[/IMG]

What action! A few athletes have attempted to go off the front looking for some break away bonuses but the peloton will not have it! This next few turns look for the group to chase hard and for constant attacks all the way to the 2nd sprint. The speed of this race has caused a few unfortunate souls to be pushed off the back. The Black team appears to have been hit hardest. Hang in there guys!!!

[IMG]http://img260.imageshack.us/img260/4596/1000774xv8.jpg[/IMG]

Current Score

Gold 10 pts
Red 8 pts Green 8 pts
Orange 6 pts
Purple 4 pts
Yellow 3 pts

Tune in next week folks, as the teams either attempt to gather a few moments of rest to prepare themselves for sprint 2, or launch themselves off the front in an all out-effort to snag as many points as possible to claim the title of team champion!!!

[IMG]http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/9246/1000767yp9.jpg[/IMG]

Thread: Re: PBEM Winter '07 Turn 3

Gomez — 2007-04-16T01:33:33+00:00

Does anyone know what's happened to this game?

There haven't been any updates in a while, and Eric is not responding to emails nor Geekmails :(

Image

Verkisto — 2007-04-13T18:45:46+00:00

Another artist's rendering of the board, on Lombard Street in San Francisco.

Image

Altaira — 2007-04-04T17:27:36+00:00

Gameplay [from Anki Toner - www.cyclingboardgames.tk ]

Thread: Re: I'm looking for the rules!!!

dragodelbiondo — 2007-03-30T16:00:34+00:00

No italian rules??? Sigh......

Thread: Re: I'm looking for the rules!!!

Great Dane — 2007-03-29T17:40:52+00:00

No problem!
The game comes with rules in English.
And you can get for only 28 Euro
at the designer's website:
http://www.fbgames.co.uk/shop/catalog.htm

Thread: I'm looking for the rules!!!

dragodelbiondo — 2007-03-29T16:45:43+00:00

Hi,
I'm Robert from Italy (sorry for my bad english).
How you can see in the subject, I'm looking for the original rules of this game. I found postal rules, german rules (that I don't understand) and nothing else.
Can you help me?
Thank you!
:-) Rob

a_salty_dog@hotmail.com

Image

gregandjan — 2007-03-15T04:38:36+00:00

Artist-rendered Breaking Away Board

Thread: PBEM Winter '07 Turn 3

Raid1280 — 2007-03-14T20:56:58+00:00

Red 2 has been caught! Charging for the line, Gold 1 overtakes the hard working Red team to snag 1st place at the first sprint! What a race we have going here ladies and gentlemen!

[IMG]http://img254.imageshack.us/img254/1841/1000687wg5.jpg[/IMG]

Gold 1 overtakes the hard charging Red team to snag 10 points on the line! Red 1, and 2 are both set to nab 2nd and 3rd and will receive 14 points between the 2 of them making the Red team the big winners here! Lets see how the rest of the sprint pans out!

[IMG]http://img254.imageshack.us/img254/4028/1000686ab7.jpg[/IMG]

The peloton is stretched out into a long line because of the sprint and many of the riders are in agony attempting to hold onto the pack! There are many HUGE movement values being racked up in the back of the pack as many riders are already preparing for the 2nd sprint! The 2nd sprint will take place on the line between 72/73.

[IMG]http://img252.imageshack.us/img252/425/1000690wk4.jpg[/IMG]

Tune in next week to find out how the sprint pans out!

Image

Raid1280 — 2007-03-14T20:48:03+00:00

Gold 1 sprints for the line as the pack bears down on him!

Thread: Re: When determining sprint speeds....

Verkisto — 2007-03-12T22:54:32+00:00

Ah! Well, that makes sense. It sure is a lot easier to handle the sprint speeds with the charts, though. I guess some player screens would help.

Thanks for teaching me the game, Chris. That was one of the surprise games of the weekend, so I may have to hunt down a copy for myself. I only wish I could get a copy of that sweet custom-made board....

Thread: Re: When determining sprint speeds....

SybotCB — 2007-03-12T22:34:37+00:00

Here's the quote from the designer in his faq.

*

Are a team's movement values open or secret?

This is a tough question to answer as it depends on the playing style of the group you play with - some people might prefer a (much) longer game in which the aim is to work out the optimum move for each cyclist each turn.

However, the game was designed to be a fast moving race in which many of the decisions are made "by the seat of your pants". On most turns there is a choice to be made between "taking what's on offer" (i.e. slotting in behind another cyclist) or taking a gamble on making something better happen (e.g. a breakaway attempt, or hanging back off the pack in the hope the gaps will be filled). My own view is that to allow players to halt the game whilst they mathematically work out all the permutations would be detrimental to the game. My ruling therefore is....

All movement values for cyclists remain secret but a player may choose to reveal them if he wishes.

The exception to the above would be when one player suspects another has made an error, such as using cyclist number 2's movement value for cyclist number 3. In such cases I think it is reasonable for a "time out" to be called to sort out any possible errors. Of course, it is possible for some players to abuse the time out option but they are the sort of people who pretty soon can't find anybody else to play with.

Thread: Re: When determining sprint speeds....

SybotCB — 2007-03-12T22:31:16+00:00

Actually Verkisto, I never mentioned it to you when we played, but the rules are quite clear. You never know what the other cyclists have in their tanks. The start values are completely secret, as are the values later (Of course, someone with a VERY good memory might be able to know what some people have).

That's why the main game uses a sheet to write the values on. It's a bit easier with the mat's, but it does allow someone to look over and see what your cyclists can do.

Thread: When determining sprint speeds....

Verkisto — 2007-03-12T22:00:49+00:00

Is it public knowledge what you assign to your cyclists before the start of the game? It might be easy to place yourself at the end of a large group, thus getting a large sprint speed to replace the ones you spend, if you know what other players are planning to assign their cyclists.

Just curious.

Image

Verkisto — 2007-03-11T09:05:42+00:00

Close up of a tight start, on a custom-made laminated board.

Thread: Re: 3 vs. 4 values for the 1st Cyclist?

GeoMan — 2007-03-10T12:24:09+00:00

It depends on your playing style and the number of players. With fewer players (less cyclists on board) i prefer 4 values so i have more options, with more players i usually go for 3.

I split my team in two, keeping two cyclists near the front and leaving the other two behind to rest. When the cyclists in front get tired i sprint with the cyclists i left behind.

Thread: Re: 3 vs. 4 values for the 1st Cyclist?

Great Dane — 2007-03-10T09:16:14+00:00

I prefer to give my captain 3 values - like the rest of the crew.

I find it more important to be able to make a long breakout if the opportunity arises - or to be able to catch up on a strong opponent. Nothing is more satisfying to see someone making a huge breakaway and then fill the gap with one of the very last riders to move!
:cool:

Also, in my experience (but that may be because I'm a lousy rider) my 4 different values quickly ends up being 4 equally useless values of '3'...

Thread: 3 vs. 4 values for the 1st Cyclist?

Raid1280 — 2007-03-09T14:32:06+00:00

I was wondering peoples take on taking 3 values for the 1st cyclist as opposed to 4. I think that 4 just gives you more options in the long run, which is a better place to be in.

While I can see that if for your starting movement values you took 15, 14, and 1, played the 1 first turn (hoping for no overcrowding), and then you're off to the races with your massive movement values, the first sprint line is practically yours.

What do you guys think, 3 or 4 values, and why?

Thread: PBEM Winter '07 Turn 2

Raid1280 — 2007-03-07T18:37:33+00:00

Ladies and Gentlemen! We have our first attack going off the front. Red 2 has sought fit to make an attempt at the sprint line! Can he maintain the attack?

[IMG]http://img294.imageshack.us/img294/5448/1000655rj0.jpg[/IMG]

Near the back of the pack, Team Matic’s Cyclists look poised to send someone off the front any moment! The peloton has come together perfectly to allow for some very large replacement factors to build up. Will the Dragon’s attack hold?

[IMG]http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/1551/1000624nb9.jpg[/IMG]

There are very important points on the line coming up in this first sprint! The teams are rocketing down the straightaway as the crowd cheers and the flash of photographs dance on the racers jerseys. Will they catch Red 2 in time?

[IMG]http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/5193/1000638lm7.jpg[/IMG]

The sprint is coming! Tune in next week to see if Red 2 can hold off the peloton!

Thread: PBEM Winter '07 Race

Raid1280 — 2007-02-28T18:21:45+00:00

Hello race fans! Welcome to the second indoor track race at the Hehl Velodrome! Before we get started lets take a look at the rules for tonight’s event:

- 8 teams of 4 cyclists each will vie for points over 2 sprints and the finish line.
o The points for each sprint are 10, 8,6,5,4,3,2,1 for ranks 1–8 respectively.
o The points for the finish line are double those of the sprint and are as follows: 20, 16, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, and 2 for ranks 1-8.
- Once the 8th cyclist crosses the finish line, points will be calculated and the team with the most points will be declared the champion!

Without further ado, lets meet tonight’s coaches!

Darrell (Team Black) Black
Paul Anthony (Pauls Team) Gold
Steve Martin (Steve’s Team) Yellow
Russell Alphey (Classical Gas) Orange
Michael Van Biesbrouck (Silver Cyclers) Silver
Jason Steinhurst (Team Matic) Purple
Pete Beck (The Dragons) Red
Michael (100% Peddlers) Green

[IMG]http://img187.imageshack.us/img187/4083/clipimage002hp8.jpg[/IMG]

The coaches will be squaring off for the coveted Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Yellow cyclist trophies in tonight’s event. Many of these coaches have been around the track for years, but you can never underestimate the newcomers. Things are all set, the racers are set on the line, lets get things underway!

Thread: PBEM Winter '07 Turn 1

Raid1280 — 2007-02-28T16:20:20+00:00

And the teams are off! This promises to be a very fast race as the eight teams have formed a long peloton right from the beginning.

[IMG]http://img50.imageshack.us/img50/6601/1000519sm5.jpg[/IMG]

The eight teams rolled off the starting line and Silver 1 and 2 are driving the pack forward as the other half of Michael’s Silver Cyclers sit tucked into the pack for an amazing draft, once again he shows his veteran tactics from the very beginning!

There’s a lot of movement on space #1 down there, it looks like there are too many cyclists on it fighting for space for anyone to gain a benefit! This is most unfortunate for the Team Matic who has planned on snagging a big draft at the back of the pack. This has certainly disrupted their plans.

[IMG]http://img264.imageshack.us/img264/4382/1000533pk3.jpg[/IMG]

The first sprint line is the line between spaces 40/41. So even if someone decides to attack, they still have 30 more spaces to cover, that’s a lot of ground! The peloton has spread out into a long line. While some are near the front leading the pack and are in a good position to attack, the cyclists in the middle and near the back are in the draft are saving their energy for the sprints to come.

[IMG]http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/757/1000525na3.jpg[/IMG]

Tune in next week sports fans as the sprint line draws near and the coaches jockey their cyclists for position on the Breaking Away Velodrome!

Thread: Re: Group Breakaways

Raid1280 — 2007-02-21T17:06:59+00:00

The ruling would work like this:

Lets say Yellow 1 and Yellow 2 have moved in such a way that they are now off the front:

33
32
31 Yellow 2
30
29 Yellow 1
28
27
26
25
24 Black 3, Pink 4
23 Yellow 3, Orange 2
22 Etc.

Yellow 2 and Yellow one will both receive "Breakaway Bonuses" if using the optional Team Breakaway Rule. In this case, Yellow 2 will receive a replacement movement of 6 (6 spaces in front of Black 3), and Yellow 1 will receive a replacement factor of 4 (4 spaces in front of Black 3).

I hope this helps

Image

Raid1280 — 2007-02-21T14:07:42+00:00

Staggered Start

Image

Raid1280 — 2007-02-21T14:02:47+00:00

Thread: Play by email starting

Raid1280 — 2007-01-29T15:27:37+00:00

Hi, I am going to be running a play by email game of Breaking Away starting as soon as I can fill the 6 coaching positions for the teams!

You don't need anything to play except an email address and in interest in playing. I will be providing all information including digital pictures and a race flyer with all information contained therein. No experience necessary!

If you're interested drop me a message on this website, or email me at Raid1280@hotmail.com.

Thread: Re: Session Report: Mojo Headwinds Defeat Cyclists

Coffeebike — 2007-01-15T23:58:42+00:00

DarrellKH wrote:
Can you tell me where you got the cyclist miniatures? Personally, I painted the plastic figures which came with the game, and made a modular board with a graphics program, printed it out and mounted it on foam-core pieces.

It took some time but on my old computer I found a link to the web store I used: http://www.go-velo-city.com/

I have no affiliation with the store (other than customer). I don't know what they currently hold, but they did have several different lines of pre-painted metal and plastic cyclist Tour de France figures. I really like the ones I have, which are of a slightly flattened style, like antique tin soldiers. I love 'em.

DarrellKH wrote:
In the future, you might offer playing the game up to only the second sprint line. That should cut the playing time by a third.

Thanks--I'll try that!

Thread: Re: Session Report: Mojo Headwinds Defeat Cyclists

DarrellKH — 2006-12-22T11:49:04+00:00

Can you tell me where you got the cyclist miniatures? Personally, I painted the plastic figures which came with the game, and made a modular board with a graphics program, printed it out and mounted it on foam-core pieces.

In the future, you might offer playing the game up to only the second sprint line. That should cut the playing time by a third.

Thread: Session Report: Mojo Headwinds Defeat Cyclists

Coffeebike — 2006-12-21T19:20:29+00:00

I eagerly painted 4 modular boards to play Breaking Away with my iron cyclist miniatures. I painted them in the garden shed, and varnished them. They seemed to dry OK over several days but, due to the cold weather, did not quite completely cure of the chemical smell. I probably should have given them more time, but as you might understand, I wanted to try them out and told myself it was fine.

The modular boards had 10 spaces each. I painted wooden disks with numbers (like 20 on one side, 80 on the other) to place on the evolving board to help keep track of where we were. I also painted disks for the sprint lines.

The game session occurred at the house of an excellent gamer whom I have nicknamed the Computer. She is really an ideal person to game with, motivated, game-smart, good humored, and unflappable. She happened to have a baby a few weeks before. We assembled there and met the lovely baby girl.

Everyone there was in a great mood, meeting the baby and laughing. After some cocktails (fateful words?) we moved to the kitchen table to play.

Three of my modular boards could fit on the table diagonally, so that's how we played. We didn't use the fourth board. It seemed to work OK, handing the last lap across the table, and sliding the others forward.

I began to feel the heat of the house. It felt to me like something like 85 degrees (F). I didn't want to complain in case they kept it that way for the baby. But it was stifling. In addition I could smell the chemical from my boards and felt bad about that.

Nonetheless we started playing. Six people played, one husband and wife (two lovely, generous-spirited people) playing as a team. So there were 20 cyclist figures in five teams. Everyone seemed to understand the game quickly. Miss N. said she got it and seemed to enjoy herself. One player, whom I nicknamed the Abacus, seemed to thrive with this game more than others. The husband and wife made their calculations quickly. The Computer did so as well, but was sometimes distracted because the baby started crying and would not stop.

Of course I don't blame the baby, and for a long time I did not let it bother me. I wondered if the faint chemical small bothered the baby, and felt bad about it.

But it did not stop. It went on and on and on. The kitchen walls reverberated the sound. That, and the heat, and the chemical smell started oppressing me.

The husband and wife team started having difficulty. I don't know, but I think the husband felt some environmental stress as I did, and withdrew inwardly. This offended the wife, and she left the room. She came back latter, but they didn't seem to be having fun any more.

Meanwhile, I had been guiding the game up to this game, telling people when they should make their decisions and sometimes showing the calculations. But as I started to feel increasing environmental stress, I abandoned that bit by bit and, most of the time, the others picked it up. I took that as a positive mark for the game and for the session. However, sometimes myself or others were just a little slow to pick up the need (move, decision, calculation), or conversation wandered away from the game. And so, little by little, the game time suffered.

Maybe there were too many cyclist figures for a group learning the game. I don't know. They looked good on the table, I thought, and others seemed to like the feel of the crowded race. (One of the players took pics; if I receive them I'll share them here.) Although turns seemed to move along in a reasonable manner, it just took some time and added up. The length didn't bother me though, the other factors did. In the midst of all this, around half way through the game, while the baby was crying, the Computer commented, "This is a very long game." I felt some increasing frustration.

The Abacus took the baby and eventually she stopped crying. The Computer's husband came home. With kind and jovial words, he began to talk to the Abacus about setting her up on a blind date. This conversation was quite lively and long, and interesting...

But it was frustrating and ultimately joyless to try to play the game at the same time.

And so, soon after the blind date conversation ended, about 2/3 of the way toward the finish line--after the Computer's second or third comment about the length of the game--I suggested we abandon the game and play something else.

People agreed, but not in a sense of hostility toward the game. It was not fair to the game, and for more evidence, the game we next played, Colossal Arena, a reliable winner, also failed, clearly due to the broken mood of some of the gamers.

I asked the gamers what they thought of the modular board approach to the game. They were divided, some preferred it, while others preferred to play on an oval track. Since a modular board needs frequent manipulation, I think the size of the room is a factor--players need room to move themselves as well as the boards around.

Image

William Hunt — 2006-10-11T01:35:46+00:00

this image is of Ludo Nauws (http://users.skynet.be/wielerspellen/) and posted with his explicit permission

Image

William Hunt — 2006-10-11T00:12:53+00:00

this image is of Ludo Nauws (http://users.skynet.be/wielerspellen/) and posted with his explicit permission

Image

William Hunt — 2006-10-11T00:12:52+00:00

photo shot by Ludo Nauws, posted with his kind permission

Thread: Anyone for a 12 player game?

Fiendish — 2006-09-25T17:52:06+00:00

Look, I'm not suggesting anyone actually tries a 12-player game of this ... I am merely pointing out that there are now 12 different sets of colours available for the cyclists.

The standard set has Black, White, Blue, Red, Yellow and Green.

The extra colours are:

Orange
Purple
Bubblegum pink
Brown NEW!
Gold NEW!
Silver NEW!

The brown and the gold are a little bit similar in colour in poor lighting.

You can order extra teams from the Fiendish web site: http://www.fbgames.co.uk/shop/catalog.htm

Thanks,

John Harrington

Thread: Re: Not just a cheesy 70's movie anymore

Fiendish — 2006-09-25T17:43:05+00:00

taraba wrote:
JimPAX wrote:
2. Begining with the start player, each player places their #1 cyclist on the start line, then in reverse order the #2 cyclists are placed on the space behind, then keep switching back for the #3 and #4 cyclists.

I think that's just my home rule. I don't remember what the rules say about setup anymore.

You can either have all cyclists starting on the start line or, optionally, have a staggered start as described above. The staggered start rule should, in theory, reduce the amount of overcrowding on the first turn.

Thread: Re: THAT'S why they call it Breaking Away

DarrellKH — 2006-08-21T16:19:42+00:00

Amanda's #1 cyclist got out far enough that it became mathematically impossible for any other cyclist to ever catch her.

I stumbled at this assertion, considering that you only get the breakaway movement reward on the turn that you move into first place. After that, the breakaway cyclist is at a severe disadvantage, compared to those benefitting from the "pack" movement bonuses.

Then I looked back, and noticed you had only 3 players. That would make things difficult. (OTOH, it also means the maximum movement allotment she could have collected prior to breaking away is 14.)

Still, if the 8 bikes amongst those two players tried to coordinate "stacking up" some bonus points, they might still have been able to catch her. But it's a lot more likely with more players.

Another thought - you're not letting a bicycle gain movement allotments off of bicycles that it has lapped, are you?

Thread: Re: THAT'S why they call it Breaking Away

taraba — 2006-08-21T16:18:31+00:00

Did you give there the Breakaway bonus every turn or just once? If you gave it to her just once, then she had all those big numbers from hanging back and conserving energy and not really from breaking away. (at most 14 with 3 players, but that was be harder to get since you only have 12 pieces on the board to form a pack) If you gave it to her every turn, then that's your problem.

Thread: THAT'S why they call it Breaking Away

JimPAX — 2006-08-21T14:38:13+00:00

So now that I've played this excellent race game twice with the Elgin Eagles, it was time to introduce it to some of my friends. Saturday night saw Amanda, Dan and I sitting around the track.

In previous games, I had seen a player send one cyclist out on a breakaway in the early stages of the game, only for it to flame out early and not be much of a factor in the rest of the race. This time, it was Amanda pushing her #1 cyclist out in front. Dan and I took our time developing our place in the peloton. This turned out to be a HUGE mistake.

By the end of the fourth turn, it became obvious what happens to opponents who let a player establish a breakout without sending a chase pack. Amanda's #1 cyclist got out far enough that it became mathematically impossible for any other cyclist to ever catch her. We went ahead and awarded Amanda the top scoring chit of each stage, netting her 40 points.

The rest of the game turned out to be a foregone conclusion, since the second place score was 43, Amanda's early lead proved insurmountable. The rest of the race saw the peloton develop along conservative lines, with the group staying pretty much together until the final push. I was able to pull my favorite stunt in the endgame of pushing two cyclists across the line in two moves after crossing the second sprint, but that minor victory was shallow. Final scores: Dan - 37, Jim -43, Amanda - 72. Ouch!

This game demonstrated another reason to love it. With such a simple game mechanic, it proves to be a very elegant simulation of what happens in real life. In this race, a bike got out to an early breakaway, and the correct response, as in life, would have been to send a chase pack to try and reel her back. Breaking Away, indeed.

Thread: Re: Not just a cheesy 70's movie anymore

taraba — 2006-08-02T17:16:25+00:00

JimPAX wrote:
2. Begining with the start player, each player places their #1 cyclist on the start line, then in reverse order the #2 cyclists are placed on the space behind, then keep switching back for the #3 and #4 cyclists.

I think that's just my home rule. I don't remember what the rules say about setup anymore.

Thread: Re: Broke Even

craniac — 2006-08-01T13:51:46+00:00

Is it possible to engage in blocking? (nice review)

Thread: Re: Not just a cheesy 70's movie anymore

JimPAX — 2006-07-20T02:41:17+00:00

Dane.

I mentioned a four player game as an example. A range of 3-6 includes 4.

Also, I mentioned the fact that you can buy other bicycles (in the same line of the review. . .) and also mentioned why I thought you wouldn't want to play with more than 6. . .

I'm pretty sure that was clear.

Thread: Re: Not just a cheesy 70's movie anymore

facesnorth — 2006-07-19T22:33:47+00:00

One of my personal favorite games. Especially love the fact that it accomodates 6 so well, a difficult # for good games.

Ryan

Thread: Re: Not just a cheesy 70's movie anymore

JPDillon — 2006-07-19T21:24:58+00:00

C.H.A.D. wrote:
Just for the record the movie won an oscar for best screen play and was nominated for best movie (for which it won a Golden Globe) so I don't think it qualifies as cheesy... :)

Absolutely! One of my all time favorite movies. Full of terrific quotes:

"I want some American food, Dammit! I want French Fries!"

"What's the matter?"
"He's shavin'."
"Well... so what?"
"...his legs."

"I didn't want you to be this miserable. A little bit's all I asked for."

"There! There is the spot that I lost all will to live."

"I was sure I was going to get that scholarship. My dad of course was sure I wasn't. When I didn't, he was real understanding, you know. He loves to do that. He loves to be understanding when I fail."

Thread: Re: Not just a cheesy 70's movie anymore

C.H.A.D. — 2006-07-19T20:11:19+00:00

Just for the record the movie won an oscar for best screen play and was nominated for best movie (for which it won a Golden Globe) so I don't think it qualifies as cheesy... :)

Thread: Re: Not just a cheesy 70's movie anymore

TheSolarGarlic — 2006-07-19T19:34:34+00:00

Great write-up, Jim, but you're wrong one one thing.

I was green. I am only ever not green when someone faster than me grabs green first :p

Thread: Not just a cheesy 70's movie anymore

JimPAX — 2006-07-19T02:16:30+00:00

A few weeks ago, at the end of my regular Thursday gaming night with the Elgin Eagles, a friend brought out a homemade-looking box with pasted on graphics. But kit games can be fun, so I thought, "why not?" Then the theme was presented - a race game. I'm fairly certain that the groan that that piece of news engendered did not actually escape. Opening the box did nothing to improve my first impression. The board was a laminated piece of cardstock with an oval track subdivided into 40 wedges, and my pieces were (admittedly cooler) plastic bicyclists. This plus a piece of paper with four large columns subdivided into three or four smaller columns made up the entirety of the game.

I should pause here and say that I am not the kind of gamer that chooses games based on bits. I appreciate a finely made set of pieces as much as the next person, though, and find that higher quality components do have an impact on my enjoyment of the game. They are not the most important element, but there it is.

So, after taking my customary green pieces, we were ready for the rules. Here is a summary:

(From the rule book) "In Breaking Away you control a team of four cyclists and determine their race strategy in an attempt to outscore your opponents."

Goal
The race takes place over 100 wedges or "squares," or two-and-a-half laps of the circuit. Furthermore, there are three scoring stages to the race, two "sprints" which are roughly one circuit each, and the finishing stage where the scores for crossing the line are doubled. Only the first 8 cyclists to cross any of these stage lines gets points, and the points diminish for each of these. A player's final score is the sum of the points earned by all of his racers.

Setup
Each player takes the four cyclists of one color (numbered 1-4) and a racing form (ok, it's really just a modified spreadsheet, but racing form sounds cooler).
The first order of business is to assign movement values to each of your cyclists. This is a crucial element to the game, as it provides your team with the flexibility needed to find advantageous spots in the peloton. Here is a brief rundown of the options:

Cyclist 1 takes 30 points and breaks it up into 3 or 4 values between 1 and 15 inclusive.
Cyclist 2 does the same with 25 points over 3 values.
Cyclist 3 does the same with 20 points over 3 values.
Cyclist 4 does the same with 16 points over 3 values.

Each of these breakdowns gets placed into the Movement log (racing form) on the top row for each cyclist. Then it's time to place the cyclists on the board. This will require choosing a starting player.

For placing on the board, there are two setup options:

1. Begining with the start player, each player places their #1 cyclist on the start line, then their #2, etc. This will create a large line from inside to outside on the starting line.

2. Begining with the start player, each player places their #1 cyclist on the start line, then in reverse order the #2 cyclists are placed on the space behind, then keep switching back for the #3 and #4 cyclists.

Game Play From this point, the race begins! For every turn, the cyclist that is furthest forward and closest to the inside of the track is the next player to move. On a cyclist's move, the controlling player chooses one of the three or four numbers and travels that far forward, taking the innermost available slot for the target space. After all cyclists have moved, it's time to refresh the Movement log.

One of the choices for each cyclists has been used. Bring the others down to the next row and leave a blank for a new "replacement" movement value. Replacement values are calculated thusly:

Any cyclists in the front of a group get a replacement value of 3.
Any other cyclists in that group get a replacement value of 3 plus the number of cyclists in that group that are in front of her. This simulates the highly valuable cycling skill of slipstreaming.
Each group is evaluated separately. In addition, if a lone cyclist has "broken away" from the pack, he receives a replacement value equal to the number of empty spaces between him and the nearest group. Note that breakaways only refer to the lead, solo cyclist. If there is another cyclist on the space, or there is a group in front of the cyclist, it is not a breakaway, and the cyclist will get a replacement value of 3.

That's it. The whole game. Once the 8th cyclist has crossed beyond the finish line, the game is over and total points (in the form of chits earned for crossing stage lines) are totalled.

Impressions/Review

I am not an expert on race games, as up until now I have found almost all of them too reliant upon luck - dice, cards, etc. The only exception I had played up to this point was Mississippi Queen. This is another. There is no luck here at all. There is chaos introduced by the actions of others, but choosing the movement value is a matter of clever management. On each turn, there is pressure to stay toward the back of the pack, in order to get good replacement values, while also staying within striking distance of the front in order to get sprint points. There is great benefit in keeping your team functioning as such - this keeps a rider from being at the mercy of the other players, getting stranded alone and such.

This game is extremely mathematical in nature. The math is not advanced, but projecting what values will be needed for key moments in the race requires calculation. Like an actual bicycle race, tactics are more important than strategy - reacting to the conditions of the other players overwhelms the initial determination of values. Keeping movement logs secret is key to preventing analysis paralysis; turns should be taken relatively quickly, since in a four player game there will always be 16 cycles to move per round.

Overall I find this game to be intensly satisfying. Play is quick, with little downtime, and decisions are meaningful at almost every step of the race. The theme is strong, even with the mathematical construct of the logs (just look at the logs as the racers managing their energy levels throughout the race).

On a non-play note, the only place to get this fine product is directly from Fiendish Games. For us Yanks, that means a shipping time of about 2 weeks. The price as of this posting is $38 (US), which for a game is quite reasonable, especially as this includes overseas shipping (via air mail). Be warned, upon placing an order, I recieved no confirmation outside of the automated Paypal email. Don't panic. The game will arrive in a manilla envelope (you must assemble the box yourself) in 2 weeks.

Criterion Score (out of 5)
Components: 2

One step above kit level

Complexity: 2

Simple, relatively intuitive rules, with no text

Player Control: 4

Only the actions of other players can interfere with your plans.

Downtime: 1

While not simultaneous, turns are done in small-step sequence.

Strategy: 2

After initial choices, this is an almost entirely tactical game.

Tactics: 5

Reaction to conditions forms the difference between winning and losing.
Replayability: 5

Literally every game should be different through the player interactions.

Recommended Ages: 8+

Skills require simple addition and prediction.

Number of players: 3-6

It is possible to order more cyclist sets, but more than 6 seems like a board too crowded and a race too short.

Thread: Re: Group Breakaways

facesnorth — 2006-03-11T04:37:36+00:00

It seems clear to me that you subtract the value of the next closest racer of an opponents team from your team leader's value to determine the replacement value for breaking away with this optional rule. Each of your other racers (even if they are ahead of the next closest opponent) would go by normal scoring rules (3 + however many directly in front of them).

Ryan

Thread: Back in print

Henry Rhombus — 2005-12-23T13:22:08+00:00

I received an e-mail from John Harrington at Fiendish Games recently announcing that Breaking Away is back in print thanks to the arrival of 1,000 new boards. At the same time, he warned that prices for US customers will be jumping after the end of 2005 due to the miserable performance of the dollar against the pound. So if you plan to order, as I do after so long a wait, pick up the game now: http://www.fbgames.co.uk/games/ba/baway.htm