J.R.A. Formula De/D

3-Lap/Cup Rules


- House Rules Disclaimer -
These rules are specifically modified for play in games with the J.R.A. We have messed with quite a few of them and want to warn anyone looking at this site that we in no way claim ownership or rights to these rules. They are only for personal use. Please drive responsibly.






 

The Basics

Gears


The cars have 6 gears, each gear has its own die. The numbers on the dice tell you how many spaces to move the car. The higher the gear you choose, the faster and further the corresponding die will allow the car to travel (see movement table below). You are not allowed to skip gears when accelerating (e.g. changing straight from 1st to 3rd gear). You are allowed to skip 1, 2, or 3 gears when braking (e.g. from 6th to 4th or from 4th to 1st gear); however there is a penalty for doing this which will be explained later.





Driving

As in real life, the car starts in 1st gear. Then you shift up to 2nd gear and so on up to 6th gear, in order to move as fast as possible. When it is a driver's turn, they announce which gear they have chosen, move the gear stick on their dashboard accordingly, and then rolls the die which corresponds to the chosen speed. They then moves their car forward the number of spaces indicated on the die. When the move is finished, the car "stops". This concept is important especially in the corners.

Order of Play


In each round, the drivers play according to their car's position on the track.

In this example, Car "A" is in front of Car "B", so Car "A" would go first.







Same Position


If two cars on the track are level with each other, the driver with the highest gear plays first.

In this example, we are assuming that Car "A" is in 3rd gear, and Car "B" is in 2nd gear.









If both cars are in the same gear, the car nearest the inside with reference to the next (or the current) corner plays first.

This is a change from the "Whoever arrives first" rule from Formula De.






Driving Code

The cars drive in the track lanes. Different driving codes apply to corners and straights. Driving through other cars is generally not allowed - they must be driven around. Driving backwards is also not allowed.

Driving Code in the Corners

To drive through a corner, a car must stop a minimum number of times (indicated in the yellow box) within the limits of the corner. After the requisite number of stops, the car may exit the corner on its next move. To make it easier to drive through the corner, the driver should consider the indicated number of spaces. The number in the green box refers to the longest path, the number in the red box refers to the shortest path.

In this example, you would need 2 stops for this corner. The shortest path is 5 spaces, and the longest is 10 spaces.

Driving Code on the Straights

Straights are the portions of track between corners. Depending on the length of each straight, cars may need several rounds before entering the next corner.


Examples:
A - While driving in a straight line, a car may change two lanes in one direction.
B - "Zig-zag" driving is allowed when overtaking another car.
C - "Zig-zag" driving on a straight is not allowed (Except when passing). A cat may not change lane and return to the same lane during the same movement.
D - A further example of illegal movement.

Important: In Example "B", the maneuver must be completed using the smallest number of spaces possible.

Wear Points


Wear Points reflect the ability of the car to stay on the track and survive events during the race. Each car has a certain number of WP at the beginning of the race, which are divided up between six different categories. These points are distributed as seen in the Base column on the left.

- Tires are used when overshooting corners
- Brakes are used to slow the car
- Gearbox allows you to skip gears while downshifting
- Body measures physical damage/strength of the car
- Engine is used only when a driver rolls a 20 or 30
- Road Handling is grip and down force




Car Construction

Additionally, in a 3-Lap race, each Team gets 4 points to allocate to Both of their cars using the Cost column on the left. This means that they can allocate 2 points to each car, or 4 points to just 1 car, etc...

Weather

Rain can play a crucial role in any race. 

Tires

The correct choice of tires is fundamental, both for Qualifying and the Grand Prix itself. Soft tires allow you to go much faster, but also degrade quicker. Hard tires take less penalty to using them for multiple laps, but they also do not give any benefits. In many ways, a successful tire strategy can win or lose you a race. It is extremely important to understand the benefits and detriments in each lap and weather condition.

Important: With the exception of wet weather conditions, which were discussed in the previous section, it is required that each car run on 2 different compounds during each Grand Prix. You MUST pit at least once to change your tires for a different compound.

Dry Weather Conditions

Hard Tires: Hard tires in the dry can go 2 laps without any change in their performance. They provide no bonus to speed. They degrade normally.

Soft Tires: Soft tires in the dry gain a +1 movement bonus in corners and straights on every roll of the die, but only for the first lap you use them. On the 2nd lap they take -1 on both, and degrade at 2 tire points per point of damage. It is recommended that you use Soft tires for no more than one lap.

Wet Tires: Wet tires on dry track are terrible. They take a -1 on both corners and straights, and degrade at double and triple the normal rate.

Wet Weather Conditions

Hard Tires: YYY

Soft Tires: YYY

Wet Tires: YYY

Racing

Preparation for Play

The race is held on the circuit of your choice. The two halves of the game board are spread out on the table side by side. Each player is given a car (or cars), a scorecard, a dashboard and a gear stick. The selected gear is marked on the dashboard with a ('gear stick") piece. Each player places a marker in each car zone - next to each part listed in the scorecard.

Qualifying

At this time, qualifying is a matter of chance instead of a matter of skill. Every player rolls the black die in order to determine the starting position of their car. Whoever rolls the highest number gains pole position. The other cars are positioned in decreasing order according to the numbers rolled. (In the case of a tie, all concerned players re-roll the die.)

Race Start

Before engaging 1st gear, every player rolls the black die to see how successfully they can start.


Pushing Your Car

Overshooting


If a car passes through a corner at the end of its turn without making the required number of stops, it overshoots the corner. The number of spaces the car overshot the corner by is deducted from the car's tire WP as a penalty.

In this example, the car would lose 3 Tire Points. One for each space it overshot by.





  • Corner with 2 Stops: If the car has made no stops, it is automatically removed from play.
  • Corner with 3 Stops: If the car has made no stops, or only one stop, it is automatically removed from play.
When coming out of a corner the car may not change lanes, but must stay in the same lane. If the move ends in another corner, this stop does not count for the new corner. If the car is blocked by another car, they cannot drive around it and have to brake.

When a car loses its last tire WP by overshooting a corner, it spins around in a circle. The car is placed on the space where the move ended, pointing backwards. The player must turn their car round again and drive off in 1st gear when it is their next turn. If they overshoot a corner again, they will again spin around in a circle. If the car overshoots the corner by more than one space, the driver is out of the race.

Braking


A player may use their brake WP at any time to avoid having to advance the full number of spaces shown on the die. This can help to prevent losing tire WP if they would otherwise overshoot a corner.

In this example, assume the driver must move 3 more spaces to complete their move. The driver decides to move only 1 space to avoid overshooting a difficult corner and therefore loses 2 Brake Points




A driver can find themselves blocked by one or more cars which they are unable to overtake. After the driver has moved their car forward as many spaces as possible, they count how many spaces they would have moved if they had not been blocked. The table below shows how many brake WP and tire WP the car loses as a consequence.

Note: If a car doesn't have enough brake WP and tire WP to stop before a blockage, it is eliminated from the race.







Gearing Down


A driver can skip one, two or three gears when changing down, however this wears out his gearbox. As a result, the car then loses a certain number of brake WP, engine WP and gearbox WP. The table to the left lists the corresponding wear. 


Notes: It is not possible to skip four gears (from 6th to 1st gear). If a car has no gearbox WP left, the driver can only change down one gear at a time until the game is over.

DRS (Drag Reduction System)

There are always 2 DRS Zones on each track. If a car drives in the wake of another car inside a designated DRS Zone, they can gain a significant advantage.

For the two concerned drivers, DRS is possible from the 4th gear on, and the car must be driving as fast as or faster than the car in front.

If a car wants to profit from DRS after moving, it has to stop directly behind another car. From this position they can then add 3 spaces onto their last move. The driver can move forward 3 spaces in the following ways:
  • Change a lane, overtake the car in front and return to the original lane.
  • Change a lane and move two spaces in a straight line.
  • Change two lanes and move one space in a straight line.
The player must move a total of three spaces in any case. (However, the driver may use brake WP in order to reduce this number of spaces.) If DRS brings a car up immediately behind another car, they can carry on DRS (and so on).

Some notes:
  • If a car is carried into a corner by DRS, they lose a brake WP (without the number of spaces being reduced).
  • Braking in order to take advantage of DRS in the wake of another player's car is not allowed.
  • Drivers do not have to use DRS!
ADD: Collision should happen in order. In case a double DRS happens

KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System)

After completing EACH lap, a car gets 2 KERS points to spend (A car does not have KERS on the first lap). A car can have a maximum of 2 KERS points at any time.

A driver can spend one or both of their KERS points at any time. For each point spent the drivers car advances 1 extra space. All normal rules apply when using this extra space.

Vehicle Damage

Collision

Whenever a car ends its move on a space next to or behind one or several cars, there is a risk of collision. All drivers involved in this situation must roll the black die to see whether there is a collision or not. First each threatened driver rolls once and records any damage. Then the driver who threatened the collision rolls once for each other car they are threatening.

In Dry weather, if they roll a 1, their car loses 1 car body WP. In Wet weather, if they roll a 2, their car loses 1 car body WP.

In this example, the driver of Car "A" provokes a collision risk with the Cars "B", "C" and "D". Procedure is as follows: The players of Cars "B", "C" and "D" each roll the black die once to see if they collide with Car "A". Then the driver of Car "A" rolls the black die 3 times (Once for each car threatened) to determine whether he collides with them.

Note: If a car loses its last car body WP, it is eliminated from the race.

Motor Damage

If a player rolls a 20 in 5th gear or a 30 in 6th gear, this puts a strain on their engine. After their car has finished moving, they must roll the black die to test whether their engine has withstood the strain. 

Important: All players who are driving in 5th or 6th gear at this moment must also roll the black die. 

In Dry weather, if a number between 1 and 4 is rolled, the corresponding car loses 1 engine WP. In Wet weather, if a number between 1 and 3 is rolled, the corresponding car loses 1 engine WP.

Note: If a car loses its last engine WP, it is eliminated from the race.

Damage and Road Handling

Each time a car loses a car body WP or an engine WP, a damage marker is placed on the space where the move ended.

The same applies whenever a car is eliminated from the race for whatever reason. These spaces are judged to be "dangerous" from then on.

If a car passes over one of these spaces or lands on it, the driver must roll the black die. The dangerous spaces can be avoided by changing lanes.

In Dry weather, if the result is between 1 and 4, the car loses one road handling WP. In Wet weather, if the result is between 1 and 6, the car loses one road handling WP.

Note: If a car loses its last road handling WP, it is eliminated from the race.

Finishing

The player whose car passes the finishing line first (after the determined number of laps) has won the race. 

Important: In order to confirm the victory, the driver must successfully negotiate turn 1. They are allowed to use points from their car to accomplish this. If they fail to negotiate the turn, they are disqualified. 

The race ends when all cars have crossed the finishing line and negotiated the 1st turn, in order to enable ranking.

Pit Stops

At the end of any lap, a player may decide to make a pit stop to regain all the tire WP they have lost. The Pit Lane has special rules that differ from the original game.

Note: The rules for gearing down, collision, braking and engine damage do not apply in the pit lane. Overtaking is not possible as it is a single lane. 

Entering the Pits


To enter the pits you need to roll the minimum number required or higher to cross the Pit Entry Line (A). As soon as the car enters the pits, it receives all its tire WP back. It is then placed on the Pit Grid (B)*, In Pit Lane Entry, in the order it arrived in the pit. * See Pit Lane/Pit Grid Turn below

At this time the driver must declare two things:
  1. What type of tire they will be using
  2. What type of pit they will be taking (Quick Stop or Full Pit)
    • If choosing to Full Pit they must also declare what points if any they are spending on car repair. 
Full Pit (Recommended): If you choose to execute a Full Pit, your car remains on the Pit Lane Entry in the order it arrived. During a Full Pit a car can swap its tires AND spend up to 3 points to repair their car. Remember to record any unused points as these add to your bonus coming out of the pits.

Quick Stop: If you choose to forgo repairs to your car, and are willing to take the risk of botching your stop, you can attempt a Quick Stop. During a Quick Stop you regain only your tires, but have the chance to gain an advantage over the other people pitting with you. Roll a D20 and consult the following list:
  • Roll of 10-20: Quick Stop!! Place your car on the Quick Stop row on the Pit Grid (B).
    • This should be placed after any cars already in the Working on Car row.
  • Roll of 1-9: Botched Stop!! Place your car on the Botched Stop row on the Pit Grid (B).
Note: All cars are placed in order from first to last starting at the top of each row.

Pit Lane/Pit Grid Turn

At the end of the turn, after all cars On Track have gone, the Pit Lane (C) and Pit Grid (B) go.

Cars move in order from closest to being track, to furthest (On the Pit Grid, this is from Right to Left). See below:
  1. Cars in the Pit Lane (C), starting with the car closest to the Pit Lane Exit Line (D) and working backwards.
    • Cars may not exceed  4th  gear while in the Pit Lane (C). No car may pass another while in the Pit Lane (C).
  2. Cars in the Pit Lane Exit row move on to the Pit Lane (C) in order. (See Exiting the Pits)
  3. Cars in the Working on Car/Quick Stop row move to the Pit Lane Exit row in order.
  4. Cars in the Pit Lane Entry row move to the Working on Car row.
  5. Cars in the Botched Stop row move to the Pit Lane Entry row.
Finally, all cars remaining in the Pit Grid (B) are moved Up in their respective columns. This is only needed to place each car next to one another in the row. (This one is much simpler than it sounds. Just move em up so there are no spaces between cars in each column.)

Exiting the Pits

You've made it! Your pit crew has released you and you are exiting the pits!
(This should only be if your car spent this turn in the Pit Lane Exit and you are now in the Pit Lane/Pit Grid phase of the turn)

Important!! Drivers have to be patient and wait until the car ahead of them moves forward, regardless of selected gear and with no effect on their WP. You may not pass in the Pit Lane, but you do not take penalties to your car either.

To reenter the track from the Pit Grid, use the following steps:
  1. Place your car on the first space in the Pit Lane (Marked as C above).
  2. (Optional) If you elected to Full Pit, move your car forward any number of spaces up to the number you have remaining from your pit. You may not overtake another car in this way. This option is not available to those that Quick Stop.
  3. Select a gear to start in. You may not start in any gear above  4th .
    • Important!! Be sure to think about things like other drivers, the distance to the pit exit, and the distance to the next corner.
  4. Roll a die and move that number of spaces.
    • Reminder: You may not overtake another car in this way.
You are now likely in the Pit Lane (Unless you were lucky enough to roll out of pit lane in 1 turn, in which case lucky you), and on the next turn you will go according to the order in the Pit Lane/Pit Grid Turn section.