Parker Bothers used to do a game called Grand Prix back in the 60s: Scott Enderle tells me it was so similar to Waddington's Formula 1 that it's likely they bought the rights and just changed a few details.
Avalon Hill's Speed Circuit
Review: Dave Budd
2-6 players
Speed Circuit is, so far, the only game I have which compares well with
Waddington's Formula 1. Guess what? It's also the only other one I have
that leaves the car speed entirely under player control. In fact this
game is very like Formula 1, but with no pit stops or tactic cards, and
more dangerous bends: the penalty distribution is flat and includes an
'out of race'. The major difference is that you get to set up your car,
spreading setup points across top speed, acceleration and braking
capability, and wear points. The other significant difference is that the
cars move in track order not in strict player rotation, and here's the
cruncher: each player writes down his chosen speed before anybody moves,
and if it turns out you don't have room to go the speed you chose.....
I think of this as a more austere version of Formula 1 for people who want
a skill-only game. It comes with 3 circuits (overprinted on the one board)
and further circuits were (are?) available. You could fairly easily use
these circuits to play Formula 1, or use Formula 1's circuit to play this
game. The cars aren't very pretty but you can always use some from some
other game!
I'd recommend buying this.
Scott Enderle tells me that this was originally by 3M, which was bought by Avalon Hill.
Waddington's Grand Prix
Review: Dave Budd
2-6 players, age 8+ 1983
Waddington's replaced Formula 1 with this. Why? It's a move-by-dice game!
OK you get 'fuel points' you can use to adjust the dice throw, but....
The track is entirely made up of straights connected by 90 degree bends,
the whole thing being marked out in squares: it's all 3 or 4 squares wide,
you can turn by 45 degrees per square after the first of any move, and
this determines the lines you take round the bends. Most of the track
edges cause the tyres on that side to wear, and pit stops allow refueling
and new tyres. The only other excitement is that if the race leader lands
on certain squares he/she can position a couple of oil spots to upset
opponents: slightly silly?
The game is just about playable but isn't really going to appeal to anyone
who's experienced the strategic and tactical considerations necessary in
Formula 1 or Speed Circuit. Not only that, but: the cars supplied have
their wings exagerated to make them easy to handle but it completely ruins
their appearance; and the pop-o-matic dice is hideous.
Verdict: Ok for kids.
CPag's Grand Prix Championship
Review: Dave Budd
2-6 players 1992
I haven't played this yet, so this is a description rather than a review.
Each player gets 2 cars, and they're pretty good: 5.5x3 cm, wheels that
turn, not all cloned from one mould. It's a move-by-dice game with the die
modified by cards you must pick up whenever you overtake an opponent on a
bend. Mods include extra/lost spaces/turns, enforced/cancelled pitstops,
retirement, or (many) no changes. Some of those mods are whole positions
rather than spaces - it must start getting a bit random and skill-less.
The lap is 39 spaces long and the track is only 1 space wide with only 2
cars allowed per space so there's going to be lots of blocking: however it
is obviously a 'ladder' game and not one where skill predominates over
other factors to any great extent. One of the cards takes out the car
you're overtaking as well as yours! A couple force a race restart....
You can forego part of your move by declining to overtake in some
situations, to avoid picking up a card. A few spaces on the straights
have optional card pickup as well.
Shame there's not a big skill factor, because those cars are really nice.
Piatnik's Pole Position
Review: Dave Budd
3-5 players, age8+ 1990
Another I bought just because of the motor racing theme and haven't yet
played....it's a 'ladder' game, but not a move-by-dice game, which could
well be an interesting combination. The track comprises a series of spaces
which are filled randomly with a set of inserts before the game: these
give the usual ladder game adjustments like 'move back one space' etc.
Each player gets 3 cars and identical sets of 'fuel cards' which state how
many spaces your car moves - but everybody plays their card face down so
that you don't get to see what happens to everybody else before playing.
I have a feeling this one could be a good laugh, but I wouldn't like to
judge how much skill matters to success.
MB's Turbo
Review: Dave Budd
2-4 players, age 7-14 1983
MB tried to overcome the lack of skill in a move-by-dice game by having 2
dice, with the player choosing which to use for his/her car. They put in
some very good looking cars. Then they got silly and decided the other
dice must be used to move an opponent's car or.....an ambulance. WHAT???
Then they got completely out of control and added not only oil patches
which cause your car to turn by 90 degrees, but also an ICE FIELD!!! in
which your opponents can use that second dice to move you backwards. Mad.
Oh, and in case somebody took out a patent on dice, they use spinners.
Apart from a bit of chicane, the track is never less than 3 spaces wide,
and with only 4 players, there isn't going to be any blocking, although
just to complete the madness they include a bunch of grey cars which are
left stationary at specific points on the track. They were right to
specify an upper age limit, but they may have set it too high.....
Very nice cars though, and they're just the right size for Formula 1 or
Speed Circuit....
Crestline's Super Speedway
Review: Dave Budd
2 players
This is actually a pocket game in a plastic box. It's a very simple Indy
style track on which you move a peg from hole to hole:- 7 per lap. Each
player sticks to their own lane and has their own die which gives one of
+1,+2,+3,-1,PIT,MISS. If in the pit, you use a pit die to decide whether
or not you come out or stay there awhile.
It was just about worth the 10p it cost me in a jumble sale.
Philmar's Grand Prix
Review: Dave Budd
2-4 players
A small boxed game which cost me 50p in a sale somewhere, and is worth
about a fifth of that. It's just snakes'n'ladders with a car motif.
4 coloured counters, not even pictures of cars or anything, and a die.
The box is handy for keeping things in, I suppose.
Domark's Williams Renault Grand Prix Championship Game
1-6 players, age 7+ 1994
Review by Nigel Buckle
Lionel Games' Grand Prix Manager
Carl Schnurr tells me he's heard good things about this, but that's the
sum of the info available to me.
Ludoliere's Formula De
Review: Carl Schnurr
A French game available in other countries. Large beautiful maps: comes
with Monaco, others available (Spa, Magny-Cours, Monza, Hockenheim, and
Portugal at time of writing). Maps are about 1m by 75cm. Car has stats
for brakes, tyres, gear wear, engine, handling. Cars have 6 gears. Car
moves spaces determined by 20 sided die and gear, read from a table. Eg
in 1st gear, 1 or 2 spaces; in 2nd, 2-4 spaces; in 6th, 21-30 spaces. You
are forced to slow down for bends by having to end your turn a certain
number of times in the bend, more in tighter bends, and taking wear if
you overshoot. Gear wear and engine points allow downshifting more than
1 gear per move.
Recommended.
MB's Daytona 500
Review: Carl Schnurr
Evidently it was originally a German game called Formel Eins. Everyone's
dealt a hand of cards. Each card says something like "Move Red 6, blue 4,
and Yellow 2", or "Move Green 5". You look at your hand and bid on
"owning" certain colored cars for the race using money. Then you race,
each person laying down a card each turn and moving the cars indicated.
One lap to the finish, collect your money for your rank, and repeat twice
more for a game. Plays in about 1.5 hours and is quite fun, even though
it's simple. Quite popular here with my gaming group.
Amigo Spiele's Ausgebremst
Review: Steve Thomas (Steve.Thomas@insignia.co.uk)
It's a reworking of Ave Caesar. Players get a set of cards adding up to
enough movement to get round the track with one or two points to spare;
the exact mix of cards is choosable by the player. Players divide their
cards into 4 piles, then pick two cards from any piles. Each turn you
play one card, moving that many spaces forward, and pick up a replacement.
The track (there are 8 supplied with the game) is mostly 2 spaces wide.
Most of the bends are a bit longer on the outside than the inside. There
are some chicanes one space wide. You're not allowed to play a "6" (the
biggest card) if you're in the lead. You can stop in the pits to get an
extra card or two, but getting baulked in the pit lane is very easy. You
must play a card if you can, but may not play a card which will cause you
to hit another car (and so if all your cards would do so, you lose a go).
Quite fun, though a complete set of races takes over 3 hours, which is a
bit long for what it is.
Avalon Hill's Le Mans
Review: Scott Enderle (SEnderle@icgconsulting.com)
This game came out about 1968 and had poor graphics with almost no colour.
You chose a car from a set of cards that had predefined characteristics, and the game had 2 tracks.
A generally good game with the feature that makes Speed Circuit and Formula 1
so playable: you control the speed yourself and only use the die in emergencies.