Circus Maximus Rules Return to Game Circus1

The start lanes are marked on the board in grey. No attacks are allowed on these during the initial turn of the race, but are ignored thereafter.

Play Sequence (divided into 2 phases)
1. Movement Notation: Each player determines his Speed for the coming turn
2. First Movement Phase: Each faction (colour) is chosen randomly, and that colour makes its move. The moving player may make attacks while moving. The other players may not move, except to avoid attacks, or as a mandatory result of attacks..
& Further Movement Phases: The process is repeated for a second faction (colour), and so on until all factions have moved once.

Movement:
1. Notation: Speed is the number of movement factors the chariot can use in the Movement phase without voluntarily straining his horses. The Speed should include any change for driver modifier, but cannot exceed the total of maximum team speed and Current Driver Modifier.
A chariot may never move backwards or against the main flow of the race.
2. Movement Factors (MF): These are any combination of the following:-
a) Forward Movement  b) Lane Change Movement  c) Braking the movement  d) Movement to avoid a blocking chariot (sideslip)
e) Making an attack on another  f) Evading as a response to an enemy attack (This is done during the enemies movement)
At no time may a chariot expend less Movement Factors than the recorded Speed.
At no time may more than one chariot or team occupy the same square.
3. Forward Movement: 
a) Moving 1 space straight ahead in the same lane is 1 MF
b) A chariot moving straight ahead into a corner (curved sides) may not expend more MF's than the number on the board for that corner, without incurring penalties.
c) Maximum safe speed for each corner are on the first & last corner space of each lane.
d) If a chariot expends more MF's than the safe speed for the corner lane then is is straining, and may also flip.
e) Maximum safe corner speeds apply to a chariot as long as either part, team or car, is in the corner.
4. Lane Change Movement: A lane change is either toward the inside, or the outside:
a) a lane change to the inside costs 2 MF's; to the outside costs 1 MF.
b) When making a lane change on the straight the chariot moves 1 forward & 1 sideways. (Diagonal movement is NOT allowed)
c) On the corners: inside: move 1 forward & 1 sideways/backwards; outside: 1 forward & 1 sideways/forward
d) When a chariot makes an inside corner change, it is subject to the maximum Safe Speed of the new lane. If it exceeds this it is straining in a corner
e) A chariot in the innermost lane which changes lane to the inside, or outermost to outside, crashes.
5. Straining: There are 2 different forms of straining:
a) Corner Strain - a chariot that exceeds the maximum safe speed in a corner lane. For each MF used in excess of the lowest maximum safe speed corner lane entered, the chariot loses 1 endurance point. In addition to endurance costs, any such chariot is subject to flipping.
b) Voluntary Straining: A player may voluntarily whip his horses to gain extra speed, providing he still has a whip, and endurance remaining. This must be announced at the start of his movement phase, before he begins his move. Voluntary straining is resolved by adding a die roll to to the recorded turn speed for that turn. (Straining can increase the MF's beyond the team maximum speed). Each MF added reduces the chariot's remaining endurance by that amount. A team may not add more MF's than it has endurance factors remaining.
6. Braking: Braking may be used to either reduce speed by consuming MF's, or to avoid attacks.
a) Braking is only allowed if the chariot has endurance factors remaining.
b) To brake the player announces during his move that he is braking by 1 or more MF's, and instead of moving checks of 1 or more endurance.
c) A chariot that brakes to avoid attack will do so during the attacker's movement phase. No MF adjustment is carried over into the defenders next movement phase, but the endurance lost by braking are immediately marked off, and the chariot is immediately moved back one square. A chariot that brakes to avoid attack uses up 2 endurance factors.
7. Sideslip: Sideslip moves are allowed if called for by one of the Combat Table results, or if all other means of movement are blocked.
a) A chariot is blocked if another chariot is directly ahead of it, so that normal ahead and normal lane change movement is impossible.
b) Blocking may occur at any time during the chariot's movement phase. A player may deliberately drive his chariot into a blocking position.
c) The sideslip move costs 3 MF's. The chariot is then moved directly sideways into an adjacent lane (or slightly behind).
d) A blocked chariot may be unable to sideslip due to other blocking chariots. In that case it must brake to use up remaining MF's, (and endurance). If that is also impossible then it is the target of an involuntary ram attack by the blocking chariot against its horses.
8. Attacking: Only a moving chariot can make attacks. Each attack uses 1 MF. A car cannot cannot make more than 1 attack from the same square.
9. Evading: If a chariot is attacked it may evade by losing MF's from its next turn. See Evasion.

Chariot Flip: A chariot is in danger of flipping whenever it strains on a corner, or whenever it has a damaged wheel.
1. Straining in a Corner: 
a) Whenever a chariot uses more MF's than the printed safe maximum speed for its corner lane, it must check the Corner Strain Chart. This check occurs as soon as the chariot enters the first corner square at excess speed. If the chariot survives the check and is able to continue moving, no additional checks are needed during that turn for that corner lane.. If a chariot changes to a new corner lane then check for that changed safe speed limit.
If the chariot is again straining in the corner on its next movement phase then check again.
To determine what happens use the following:
Take the total speed (written speed plus MF's gained through voluntary straining or enemy lash attacks) and subtract from it the safe maximum speed for the corner lane. The difference is the number of strain/flip points. Roll 3 dice, subtract CDM, and cross index the result on the Corner Strain Chart
2. Flip due to Wheel Damage: 

Endurance:
1. Each chariot has an Endurance Factor, and a means means of checking off losses:
Endurance Factors are lost due to the following reasons:
a) Straining: one factor lost for each additional movement factor gained through voluntary straining.
b) Straining in a Corner: one factor lost for each factor of excess speed used in a corner.
c) Braking to Use Movement: one factor lost for each movement factor consumed.
d) Braking to Avoid Attack: two factors lost to avoid each attack.
e) Suffer Lash Attack: possible loss of one to six factors per attack (see Driver Lash Attack Table)
2. If a chariot has 0 endurance left the following apply:
a) The chariot may not use straining for the rest of the race. It must enter corners at a safe maximum speed for its lane, or automatically flip & crash.
b) The chariot may not brake for the rest of the race, including braking to avoid attacks.
c) The chariot's current team speed is reduced by 1 at the start of every new game turn for the rest of the race.
d) The driver's permanent modifier is reduced by 1 for the rest of the race.

Combat: Not allowed in the gray squares at the start of the race.
a) Each attack costs 1 Movement Factor. Attacks are made during movement, and as part of movement. A chariot can move, attack, move etc.
b) A chariot may make multiple attacks against one or more opponents (each using one movement factor), however only one attack per square.
1. Attack Procedure
a) The attacker must be directly beside to make an attack, or on a corner NOT partially behind.
b) The attacker must decide on type of attack - Ram or Lash
2. Defence Procedure once the attack is announced, the defender has 3 options:
a) Hold - do nothing and receive the attack or
b) Brake - Expend 2 endurance points, and move backwards to avoid the attack (see Braking)
c) Evade - If possible make an instant lane change away from the attacker to avoid the attack (see Evasion).(Uses 1MF to inside or 2MF to outside)
In order to Brake or Evade, the defender rolls 2 dice plus his CDM - Attacker does likewise. If defender wins or is equal then he can evade.
3. Lash Attack (see Tables) Attacker & Defender roll dice and add CDM to get difference. Then Roll 2 dice and check result on Table.
4. Voluntary Ram Attack (see Tables) Reduce the max ream speed of the attacker for the next movement phase.
a) Attacks against the horse are resolved by rolling 2 dice and consulting the Horse Injury Table. (Scythe blades add 3 to dice roll)
b) Attacks against the car are resolved first by checking which car (see Damage to Cars table) then 2 dice to check Wheel Damage- check for Flip.
4. Involuntary Ram Attack (see Tables) : may result due to forced movement. Same as Voluntary except for -3 to CDM.