[Headline]

ROBORALLY

[IMAGE]

Author: Richard Garfield

Publisher: AMIGO 2000

Awards: none

EVALUATION

[IMAGE]
[IMAGE]
[IMAGE]
[IMAGE]
[IMAGE]

Gamebox author Ralf Togler writes about the game:

ROBO RALLY is one of these games you can explain to your friends in about five minutes and nevertheless is complex enough to let you think over twice what you have planned to do in your next turn. The complexity of the game increases with the number of players (in the English version of the game up to eight players are allowed).

ROBO RALLY is a robot race game. Each player controls a robot and tries to maneuver it across a dynamic race course which is marked by a set of flags on the board. But of course there are a lot of obstacles. The biggest difficulty is that each player plans five of his moves in advance and then all players move simultaneously which often results in pushing of robots.

[IMAGE]

At the beginning of each turn the players get a hand of program cards. These cards allow the robots to move (up to three squares on the board) and rotate. Then each player chooses five of this program cards and arranges them face down in the order in which he wants to play them. All players reveal their first program card simultaneously and the robots move. During this phase the robots can collide and push each other if their movement is blocked by another robot. After that the board elements move. There are gears, pushers, crushers and conveyor belts which will rotate, push, destroy and transport the robots. All these movements one has to include in his considerations while planning the move. After the first program card is played and the board elements moved the robots, the second program card is revealed and so on. Every program card must be followed no matter what happened to the robots before (except the robot has been destroyed). Unnecessarily there are also laser beams which can damage and in the end destroy your robot. Every robot has a front laser to shoot the other robots and then there are lasers on the board, too.

In summary I think that ROBO RALLY will not become boring even if you are playing it several times. The game surely wins with the number of players. In the English version the robots can also get additional or optional weapons, which makes the game even more varied. Besides you have the choice between more boards than in the German version. So if you have the choice, take the English version.


Looking for this game? Visit Funagain Games!


[Gamebox Index]

Kulkmann@aol.com

Copyright © 2006 Frank Schulte-Kulkmann, Essen, Germany