1998 Puesto n.º 3051 en BGG

TurfMaster

2–8 jugadores 75 min A partir de 10 años 1.9/5 de complejidad 6.0/10 de valoración

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Turfmaster is a horse-racing game for two to eight players, played over a "meet" of three races. The board is two-sided, and hurdles are provided so that players can choose flat racing or steeplechases (races with fences that the horses must jump). Players each have their own deck of 32 movement cards, dice and a horse of their own colour. Ten cards are randomly selected for each race, with two cards left over which can be drawn for use in any one race. Cards played in a race are removed from the game. A round consists of two parts. First all players simultaneously select a card and move the number on the played card (if able), in position order. After this, a single pair of dice is rolled by one player (the rolling player rotates throughout the game). The player rolling the dice decides if all horses move the value of one or both of the dice and all horses move (again in position order). Like a real horse race, inside position is important. The game has rules for lane changing, blocking and handicaps on the leaders which restrict the values of the cards the players whose horses are in the first three spots are able to play, or how much (or even IF) a horse in one of those spots can move on a dice roll. To try to counter this, players have "joker" cards which can be used to avoid being handicapped when in one of the first three spots. The steeplechase introduces additional rules for jumping fences. Horses can be forced to pull up short of a fence (because they are blocked on the other side and have nowhere to land safely) or can occasionally fall if their movement ends on a fence - which takes four movement points to jump. Players will need to plan their moves carefully to prevent other players from getting their full amount of movement, and to avoid having players doing that to them. The first four horses to finish each race are awarded points towards their final total. The game comes in two versions. The regular version which has single-colour plastic horses, and the "DeLuxe" version which has hand-painted pewter horses (each jockey wears a different coloured jersey) - each in a little protective case. In addition, several other tracks are available - there are two course collections which can be purchased separately and a third (web-published) collection.

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Roll / Spin and Move Dice Rolling Hand Management Racing Animals Sports

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Preparación

1. Place the race track board in the center of the table.\n2. Each player selects or is assigned a horse of a specific color (Red, Green, Yellow, Purple, Black, White, Blue, or Orange).\n3. Place all horse tokens at the starting position on the track.\n4. Shuffle the card deck (containing All Tied Horses cards, Position cards, Race Favorite cards, Steady Now cards, Pushing Hard cards, and Momentum cards) and place it face-down as the draw pile.\n5. Determine who goes first (e.g., youngest player or random roll).\n6. Begin the race!

Flujo del turno

On each turn, the active player (or game event) draws or plays a card from the deck. Some cards grant +1 Movement before the die roll (i.e., the bonus is applied as a flat movement before dice are rolled and the die result is added on top), while others grant +1 Movement added to the die roll (i.e., the die is rolled first, then +1 is added to the result). Some cards impose -1 Movement subtracted from the die roll. After any pre-roll card effects are resolved, the player rolls the die, applies any added-to-die-roll modifiers, and moves their horse the total number of spaces. Play continues until a horse crosses the finish line.

Puntuación y victoria

The first horse to cross the finish line wins the race. Puntuación objetivo: Cross the finish line first. Fuentes de puntuación: First horse to complete the track course wins.

Fuente: Rulebook

Reglas que debes conocer

Las reglas más útiles para jugar bien la primera partida.

Card play

Pre-roll movement bonuses are applied before the die is rolled.

Cards marked '(Performed before die roll)' grant +1 Movement that is applied before the die is rolled. The horse moves 1 extra space as a flat bonus, and then the die is rolled for additional movement. This means the +1 is guaranteed regardless of the die result.

Card play

Added-to-die-roll movement bonuses are added to the die result after rolling.

Cards marked '(Added to die roll)' grant +1 Movement that is added to the die result after the die is rolled. The player rolls the die first, then adds +1 to the number shown. This bonus is applied on top of the die result rather than as a separate guaranteed move.

Card play

Subtracted-from-die-roll penalties reduce the die result after rolling.

Cards marked '(Subtracted from die roll)' apply -1 Movement to the die result after rolling. The player rolls the die first, then subtracts 1 from the number shown. This penalty reduces the horse's total movement for the turn.

Special

When all horses are tied, the inside horse receives +1 Movement (pre-roll).

There are 12 'All Tied Horses – Inside Horse' cards (numbered 1–12). When all horses are tied in position on the track, this card grants the inside horse (the horse closest to the inner rail of the track) +1 Movement, performed before the die roll. This helps break ties by favoring the inside position.

Special

When all horses are tied, the outside horse receives +1 Movement (pre-roll).

There are 8 'All Tied Horses – Outside Horse' cards (numbered 5–8 and 13–16). When all horses are tied in position on the track, this card grants the outside horse (the horse closest to the outer rail of the track) +1 Movement, performed before the die roll. This is an alternative tie-breaker favoring the outside position.

Special

Steady Now cards cause horses to hold position with no bonus movement.

There are at least 2 'Steady Now' cards in the deck. When a Steady Now card is drawn or played, horses hold their current position and no bonus movement is granted to any horse that turn. This effectively cancels any positional advantage for that card's effect.

Special

The last-place horse receives +1 Movement for the rest of the race (added to die roll).

There are 2 'Pushing Hard' cards in the deck. When drawn, the horse currently in last place receives a permanent +1 Movement bonus for the rest of the race. This bonus is added to the die roll on every subsequent turn. This catch-up mechanic helps prevent a horse from falling too far behind.

Card play

Seeing Victory: the horse in 1st position receives +1 Movement (pre-roll).

The 'Seeing Victory' card grants the horse currently in 1st place on the track +1 Movement, performed before the die roll. This rewards the leader with a temporary speed boost.

Informe estratégico

Understanding Pre-Roll vs. Added-to-Roll Bonuses

Pre-roll bonuses (from position cards and All Tied Horses cards) are guaranteed movement regardless of the die result. Added-to-roll bonuses (from Race Favorite and Pushing Hard cards) scale with the die but still add a flat +1. If you can trigger a pre-roll bonus, it's a safe, unconditional gain—ideal when you need just one more space to reach a key position.

Leveraging the Pushing Hard Permanent Bonus

The Pushing Hard bonus is the only permanent movement buff in the game. A horse that falls to last place and triggers this card gains a lasting +1 to every subsequent die roll, which can compound significantly over a long race. Intentionally letting a horse fall to last place to earn this bonus—then using catch-up cards—could be a viable comeback strategy.

Race Favorite Card Probability

There are two Race Favorite cards per color in the deck (one per set), giving each horse color two chances to receive +1 added to the die roll from these cards. Knowing your horse's two Race Favorite names helps you track whether these valuable cards have already been played.

Tie-Breaking Advantage

With 12 Inside Horse cards and 8 Outside Horse cards, ties are more likely to benefit the inside horse (3:2 ratio). If you can maneuver your horse to the inside position during a tie, you have a statistically better chance of receiving a tie-breaking movement bonus.

Position Card Coverage

Every race position from 1st to 16th has a corresponding position card granting +1 pre-roll movement. This means no horse is ever 'out' of receiving a positional bonus—even the last-place horse has the 'All Lost?' card. Managing your position carefully matters because each slot has exactly one card dedicated to it.

Protecting Against Bad Step

Bad Step is the only negative card in the deck. It targets a randomly drawn horse, subtracting 1 from its die roll. Since the target is random, there's no direct way to avoid it—but if your horse is in a strong lead, the -1 penalty has less impact. Conversely, if a rival's horse draws Bad Step while already in a weak position, it can be a decisive setback.

Preguntas frecuentes y casos límite

A horse receives both a pre-roll +1 bonus and an added-to-die-roll +1 bonus in the same turn. How is total movement calculated?

The pre-roll +1 is applied first as a guaranteed flat movement. Then the die is rolled, and the added-to-die-roll +1 is added to the die result. Total movement = 1 (pre-roll) + die result + 1 (added to roll). Both bonuses are cumulative.

A horse draws the Bad Step card and rolls a 1 on the die. Does the horse move 0 spaces or go backward?

Bad Step subtracts 1 from the die roll, so rolling a 1 results in 0 movement. The rulebook does not state that horses can move backward, so the minimum movement is assumed to be 0. Verify with the full rulebook if negative movement is possible.

The last-place horse (e.g., 16th) receives the Pushing Hard permanent bonus. Later, the 'All Lost?' position card (16th position) is drawn. Does the same horse get both bonuses?

Yes. If the same horse is still in last place when the 'All Lost?' card is drawn, it receives the pre-roll +1 from 'All Lost?' in addition to its permanent +1 (added to die roll) from Pushing Hard. The bonuses are from different cards and stack: total movement = 1 (pre-roll from All Lost?) + die result + 1 (permanent Pushing Hard bonus added to roll).

Both Pushing Hard cards are drawn during the race. Can one horse receive +2 permanent movement, or does each card go to the current last-place horse?

Each Pushing Hard card is applied to whoever is in last place at the moment the card is drawn. If the same horse is in last place both times, it stacks to +2 permanent movement added to the die roll. If different horses are in last place each time, each horse receives its own +1 permanent bonus.

If a Steady Now card is in effect, do other movement bonuses (e.g., Pushing Hard permanent bonus) still apply?

Steady Now cards state 'No Bonus Movement' and that horses hold position. This suggests all bonus movement is suppressed for that card's effect. However, the Pushing Hard bonus is described as permanent for the 'rest of the race.' Clarify with house rules or the full rulebook whether Steady Now overrides persistent bonuses.

When all horses are tied, both an Inside Horse and an Outside Horse All Tied Horses card are drawn. Which horse gets the bonus?

Each card targets a different horse—the inside horse and the outside horse respectively. If both are drawn as separate events, the inside horse gets +1 pre-roll movement and the outside horse gets +1 pre-roll movement. They affect different horses simultaneously.

There are two Race Favorite cards for each horse color (one per set). Can a horse receive +1 from both sets in the same turn?

Each Race Favorite card is a separate card in the deck. If both cards for the same color are somehow triggered in the same turn, the bonuses stack (+2 added to die roll). Typically, however, only one card is drawn per turn, so a horse would receive at most +1 from a Race Favorite card in any given turn.

When Bad Step or Good Momentum is drawn, which horse is selected?

Both cards instruct the player to draw a Horse card to randomly determine which horse is affected. The randomly selected horse then receives -1 (Bad Step) or +1 (Good Momentum) movement applied to its die roll for that turn.