Stats:
No. of players: 2 – 10
Amount of time to play: 60 min
Age requirements: 8+
Set-up time: 5 minutes

Formula D is a racing game. You must push your car to its limits without totaling it and get lucky to win this race.

Formula D Rules Description:

Formula D comes with a two-sided board with a racetrack on each side. Your goal is obviously to finish the race first.

The game comes with one 20-sided die and six custom dice. The 20-sided die is used to determine starting order, if you collide with opponents or if you damage your car. The six others include a 4, 6, 8, 12, 20 and 30-sided die. These are used to determine how far your car moves and represent 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th gears, respectively.

One your turn roll the die that matches the gear you are in. Then you can shift up or down one gear. The gear dice are not typical for their side. For instance the 4-sided die only has ones and twos on it and the 12-sided die goes from 7 to 12.

The trick about driving is that turns have a number of stops you must spend in them. At the end of your turn you are considered stopped. So you must negotiate the turns so that you stay in them long enough. If you go too fast through them it will take a toll on your car.Your car has a certain number of wear points and using the advanced rules then each specific area of your car has some wear points. If you overshoot a turn by not stopping long enough in it, you must use your brake or tire wear points to stay in the race. If you overshoot and have no more brake or tire wear points, bad things happens. You can use gear box wear points to downshift more than one gear at a time.

If the field is crowded you may have to use brake wear points to avoid colliding with other racers. Even just ending your turn next to another racer gives you a chance to collide with them. Each time you collide with another racer you lose a body wear point. If you lose all your body wear points you are eliminated from the race.

If you are playing a multi-lap race you can make a pit stop. The pit stop refills your tire wear points and you roll to see if the stop was slow or fast.

The advanced rules include the ability to customize your car. You can spend 20 wear points in the six areas any way you like. There is even a road race mode with specific drivers and their personal cars with special features. There are more obstacles on this track including a tunnel, police station and a danger zone littered with debris.

No matter the mode and variations you play with, the finish line is the goal. Get there first and you win.

Quick Review of Formula D:

Formula D is a flexible game in every sense of the word. You can play up to 10 racers, play using different variations, and get as deep into the system as you like. This game is great for families as both young and old can play and enjoy it.

The components are top-notch and everything looks great and is well made. The rules include both basic and advanced rules all of which are easy to follow and understand.

I really like just how many different ways you can play this game. You can simply use the basic rules and play one lap or use the advanced driving rules and still just go one lap. If you want you can play a series of road races with customized cars and drivers. The game’s flexibility and variation just make it hit the table a lot.

I also like the press your luck aspect of trying to go as fast aas possible but not overshoot the turns. There is definitely luck involved in this, but some shrewd decisions can help you stay safe.

The ending can be anti-climatic as the winner is usually determined before you get to the last turn of the game. But there is still tension and excitement getting to that point.

If you like race car games and are looking for one that can be played in many circumstances with a variety of people you should pick up Formula D. If you are looking for racing game that you can play on a more serious level this one fits that bill too. Just be aware there is more luck here than strategy. You just need to hit the pedal, enjoy the ride and hope for the best.

Score and synopsis: (Click here for an explanation of these review categories.)
Strategy 3 out of 6
Luck 4 out of 6
Player Interaction 3 out of 6
Replay Value 4 out of 6
Complexity 4 out of 6
Fun 5 out of 6
Overall 5 out of 6