Speed Circuit
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WBC Rules

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Updated July 7, 2009
Running Log of Changes

The World Boardgaming Championships (WBC) is a yearly convention for boardgame players.
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  1. Qualification Heats

    1. Field Size: Races will be composed of no more than 12 cars each. Multiple races will be run simultaneously during each qualifying time slot to accommodate all drivers wishing to participate. No driver may run in more than one race at the same time.

    2. Field Seeding: If more then 12 people are participating in a qualifying round, participating racers are seeded based on their WBC Laurel count for Speed Circuit. Ties are broken randomly. Each driver is then assigned to a specific race in snake-draft order (ABBAABBAA...; ABCCBAABCCB...; etc.). If the number of drivers does not divide evenly between the number of races held, place the last (most) drivers in the same race as the lower seeds. The number one seed in a qualifying should never race against more drivers then another race in the same heat.
    3. Starting Grid: The starting grid will be determined by a wear + driver skill bid. At the beginning of the race, all drivers place wear and driver skill chips in their hand and simultaneously reveal their bids. There is no maximum or minimum amount of wear or skills chips that can be used for this bid. The driver who has bid the most chips gets the pole (driver skill chips count at half the value of wear chips for the purpose of this bid), and so on. All bid wear and driver skill is lost for the race. Ties are broken by percentile die roll, highest result receiving the better position.

  2. Finals
    1. Finals: 12 people will qualify for the finals.

    2. Finals Qualifying: All drivers are ranked based on their single best qualifying finish. As the term suggests, a person must finish a race in order to have that result count as a finish. Ties amongst drivers with the same single best finish are broken using the following criteria.
      1. Best Finish occured in first heat entered.
      2. Most finishes at the same level as their best finish.
      3. Best Finish occured in second heat entered.
      4. Best Finish occured in third heat entered.
      5. Most total qualifying points.
      6. Average finish of all heats entered. DNF results count as a finish equal to the total number of entrants in that race for purposes of this calculation only.
      7. High Dice Roll

    Qualifying Points Table
    PlacePoints
    110
    27
    35
    44
    53
    62
    71

    1. Alternates: Any driver who fails to qualify for the Finals' field of 12 soley because of a tie-breaker situation becomes an alternate. Alternates are ranked as per the above qualifying rules. No other drivers may participate in the finals.

    2. Finals Starting Grid: The starting grid will be determined by a combination of qualifying points and wear+skill bid. Like in qualifying races, at the beginning of the race, all drivers place wear and skill chips in their hand and simultaneously reveal their bids. Unlike qualifying, those bids are then added to the qualifying points associated with that driver's best finish. As during qualifying, skill chips count for half of both wear and qualifying points. This combined total is used to seed the grid. All bid wear and skill chips are lost for the race. Ties are broken by percentile die roll, highest result receiving the better position.

  3. Car Construction

    Car Design Table
    car design points (8 total)
    -10123
    Accelerationn.a.204060n.a.
    Decelerationn.a.204060n.a.
    Top Speed120140160180200
    Start Speed204060100n.a.
    Wear4 (12)5 (15)6 (18)7 (21)8 (24)
    Driver Skilln.a.2 (6)4 (12) *6 (18) **n.a.

    1. Skill Chips: Skill chips are bought during car construction similar to how wear is bought. On the chart above, the first number is the total value of skill chips bought per lap raced. The number in parenthesis is the total value of skill chips bought for a 3 lap race. The astericks indicate the number of -3 chips included in that skill chip buy.
    2. Skill Chip Use: Skill chips are usable on the race tables noted below. Typically no more then -2 can be applied to any one die roll. However, a driver can apply -3 to a single die roll by using a -3 value skill chip. -3 skill chips can be changed into three -1 chips if a driver wants to use them that way. However, a driver can never apply -3 to a die roll unless the driver has a -3 chip.

  4. Race Rules: Clarifications or Modifications to Original Speed Circuit Rules

    1. Speed Cards: Instead of using speed logs, drivers use the speed cards that will be provided. A deck of speed cards includes 1 card for every possible speed and a card labeled "M.P.S." or Maintain Present Speed.

      When using these cards to plot with, leave the previous turn's speed face up in front of you to show what speed you moved last turn. Then place a speed card representing your speed for next turn face down in front of you. If you wish to go the same speed as you did last turn, use the MPS card. When everyone is done plotting, all speed cards for the upcoming turn are revealed at the same time.

    2. Plot Errors: Any non-existant plot results in the car maintaining its speed from the last turn. Any plot that is impossible to achieve is replot at the closest achievable speed to the one originally plotted, assuming maximum possible use of wear and test tables.

    3. Order of Movement: The second tie-breaker for the order of movement for cars on the same row of the track changes from the inside of the track to the side of the track with a grey line. Generally, this will be the inside the upcoming or just completed corner.

    4. What is a Corner? Obey cornering speeds and assess cornering penalties only when entering spaces with posted speeds regardless of one's intended use of a racing line through the corner. A car may accelerate from the last marked space of a corner.

    5. Changing Radius Corners: It is possible for a driver to go through a single corner and yet run over spaces with different speed limits in different rows. This makes for relatively more complex interpretations of the cornering rules.

      The first thing to remember is that spending wear and rolling on the chance table in a corner does not "buy" a partciular speed, it "buys" +20, +40, or +60 mph more then the corner speed limit. So while the speed limit may change in the middle of the corner, a driver is still entitled to safely drive at 0, +20, +40, or +60 mph over that limit depending on how they have paid for the corner.

      If the speed limit drops, the driver must either slow down accordingly or be prepared to increase their "payment" for this corner. Remember that all wear penalties for a corner are paid for the corner as a whole. So, If a driver is already running 60 mph over the speed limit and then the speed limit drops, the car MUST decelerate or hit the tire wall.

      If the speed limit increases, the driver is entitled to increase their speed accordingly. However, since there is no way to increase speed in the middle of a plot this can only be taken advantage of if the driver ended their previous plot in the middle of the corner on the last space of the slower speed limit, just in front of the higher speed limit. Note that this interpretation does run counter to the original rule prohibiting acceleration once a corner has been entered.

    6. Slipstreaming: Cars may slipstream through a corner as long as all other slipstreaming rules are obeyed. Drivers are not required to decide in advance if they will be trying to take advantage of a slipstream. If the bonus presents itself, the driver may take it. While the GM may prompt drivers, it is the driver's responsibility to ask for a slipstream. The front car must be plotted for at least 120 mph. The slipstreaming car does not have a minimum speed requirement. However, drivers may not take a slipstream bonus if either involved car began the turn at 0 mph.

    7. Emergency Braking: After a car begins its move, it may voluntarily burn off excess speed by consulting the deceleration chart. If the deceleration chart was consulted in order to achieve the car's originally plotted speed, Emergency Braking is added to the original excess deceleration and any additional called-for penalty is paid.

    8. Rear Ending: Instead of automatically spinning a car that plots spaces it can not use, the offending car must emergency brake to a safe speed.

    9. Moving After A Spin: The turn after a spin, do not use start speed for the next turn. Instead, accelerate from 0 using your regular acceleration. However, you are prohibited from pushing your acceleration that turn. Further, regardless of plotted speed or track position, a car moving after a spin moves last among all cars in the same row this turn.
    10. Forced Passing: If a moving car would like to move through an occupied space the moving car may attempt a forced pass. A forced pass can only be attempted if the moving car has enough speed to move beyond the occupied space and end its move on an empty space. The moving car's (passer's) attempt to move past the blocking car (passee) is governed by the passing table.

      Prior to consulting the table, both the passer and the passee may secretly determine a number of skill chips they will apply to this die roll. The passer's skill chips will act like normal skill chips, while the passee's skill chips will be added to the die roll instead of subtracted.

      If the passer succeeds on the passing table, the passer can continue its move. If the passer fails, that driver must stop in the space moved through prior to the attempted forced pass and modify their speed accordingly.

      If a successful pass results in another legal pass attempt, the passer receives a +2 penalty to the passing table for the subsequant pass. This penalty is cumulative with any other penalties that might apply to this pass attempt.

      If a passing car's failure on the passing table places the car in a row that is blocked, the passing car is moved off track, unless directed to crash by any result steming from the failed pass.

    11. Off Track Movement A car that is forced off track is moved just off the track on the side closest to the space where the car would have been placed had there been room (randomly break ties). The driver then immediatly replots at half their current speed (round down).

      Off track cars move as if there are spaces just off the side of the track. Off track cars always lose order of movement tie breakers. Off track cars may not exceed acceleration, top speed, or the corner speed of the spaces immediately next to them on the track.

      At the end of every turn in which a car is off track, that driver loses 1 wear and 1 skill chip. If the driver can not pay either penality the car is removed from the race (stuck in the kitty-litter).

    12. Engine/Brake Damage: If an acceleration or top speed test fails, that car's engine is damaged. If a car with a damaged engine fails an acceleration or top speed test (regardless of what kind of test caused the original damage) that car's engine fails completly and the car is removed from the race.

      Cars removed from the race due to engine failure immediatly reduce their plotted speed by half (rounding down) and move that speed for this turn, moving off track at the end of the move. If the car crosses the finish line at the end of the race, the car stays on track at the end of this move. If the car's speed this turn is 0 due to a stall when attempting to exceed acceleration, the car is immediatly removed from the race.

      If a brakes test fails, that car's brakes are damaged. Any subsequent brakes test failure, causes the brakes to fail completly and the car is removed from the race. Cars removed from the race due to brake failure are removed from the track immediately.

    13. Crash Involvement: When any on-course crash occurs, mark the row it occured on and remove the crashed car immediately. Any other car that subsequently ends its move in or beyond the marked row of spaces must roll on the chance table using the following modifiers:

      conditionmodifier
      move completed 0-2 spaces after crash row-2
      move completed 3 or more spaces after crash row-1
      crash row is a 3-wide section of track-1

      Note that the last modifier can be cumulative with either of the previous two and that skill chips may be used on this die roll.

    14. Race Finish: A driver has finished the race when he enteres the space immediately before the start/finish line (nose across the line). Any car that crashes the turn they crossed the finish line is not considered to have finished the race. Any car that finishes the race off track, finishes last of the cars that also finished in that row.

  5. Race Rules: The Tables

    1. Dice: All race tables below use 2d6 instead of the original rules standard of 1d6. Dice will be provided.

    2. Wear Penalties: Any driver that can not pay the wear called for on any table spins unless other results indicate that the car should crash.

Deceleration Chart
Over byPenalty
20mphUse 1 wear, or test brakes
40mphUse 2 wear, or use 1 wear and test brakes
60mphUse 2 wear and test brakes
80mph +Use 3 wear and test brakes and spin
Cornering Chart
Over byPenalty
20mphUse 1 wear, or consult chance table
40mphUse 2 wear, or use 1 wear and consult chance table
60mphUse 2 wear and consult chance table
80mph +Crash off course: out of race

Acceleration/Top Speed Test Table (skill chips)
DRResult
2-9Gain 20 mph this turn only
10-12Fail, replot 20 mph below attempted speed;
Engine Damage, -20 mph to tested catagory;
Engine Failure if second damage, out of race
Start Speed Test Table (skill chips)
DRResult
2-8Gain 20 mph this turn only
9Mis-shift, replot 40 mph below attempted speed
10-12Stall, replot at 0 mph;
Engine Damage, -20 mph to acceleration;
Engine Failure if second damage, out of race

Brakes Test Table (skill chips)
DRResult
2-9Safely decelerated
10-12Fail, use 1 wear;
Brake Damage, -20 mph to deceleration;
Brake Failure if second damage, out of race
Chance Table (skill chips)
DRResult
2-6Safely driven
7-9Spin
10-12Crash on course: out of race

Passing Table (skill chips)
+2 for each immediatly previous forced pass
DRResult
2-5Successful pass
6-9Unsuccessful pass
10-12Unsuccessful pass with contact: passer and passee both lose 2 wear