Formule De is a motor racing game in which up to ten cars compete over 1 to 3 laps of a circuit. Hence up to ten can participate (this is rare for a board game), taking around two to three hours, but is more normally played with 3 to 5 players where each takes two cars (a team) and lasts nearer the 1 to 2 hour mark.
The game comes with two circuits - Monaco and Zandvoort. The board shows an aerial view of the circuit and its surroundings, with clear and very detailed graphics. Also included are the ten cars, 6 dice for the movement, a black incident dice and the 10 control panels, which record the status of the car.
The game mechanics are relatively simple. In your turn you select your gear, you can change up or down one gear with no penalty, you roll the appropriate dice and move that number of spaces.
Each dice has a different value range, so in first gear you could move 1 or 2 spaces, in second gear 2-4 spaces, in third gear 4-8 spaces, in fourth gear 7-12 spaces, in fifth gear 11-20 spaces and finally in sixth gear 21-30 spaces. The requirement to slow down for the corners is covered by the rule that each car must finish a number of turns with in a marked area at each corner. Failure to do this, due to excessive speed, will result in damage to your car or even a possible spin. This mechanism is simple and leads to careful gear selection or reckless seat of the pants cornering. Although there is a luck element on the die roll, the movement system is slick and feels about right.
The car will suffer wear and tear during the race, and this is recorded on the control sheet. Tyre wear points are lost for over shooting a corner-stopping zone. Brake points are used up to reduce the spaces moved. Fuel points are lost for down shifting 2 or more gears. Engine points maybe lost whenever a player rolls a 19 or 20 in fifth or sixth. Bodywork damage can occur when cars come into close proximity to each other. All in all, your car may prove to be unreliable and not finish the race unless you treat it with care.
In the optional advanced rules each player has the opportunity to customise his car before the race. They can allocate 20 points in the main areas: tires, brakes, fuel, bodywork, engine; every choice affects the car's ability to survive the race, so you need to be careful in this step. Tyres can be chosen according to the current weather conditions. The weather can even change during a race and require a pit stop to allow the correct tires to be fitted, and refueling to occur.
Is this a good game?? Certainly and if you like motor racing it’s a must. But be prepared for the randomness of the dice to upset your racing line from time to time.
"So Murray it’s over to you…."
