Automobiles
Drivers Start Your Engines!
Will you cross the finish line first? Now is your chance to find out! Automobiles is a deck‑building game where the fun is cubed. Instead of cards, you’ll be building your collection with cubes. Your cubes not only allow you to race your car around the track, but they will also allow you to improve your handling, optimize your pit crew, and boost your speed, which are your keys to victory!
The goal of the game is to cross the finish line first! You accomplish this by customizing your race car and surrounding yourself with the best crew. Your race car and crew are represented by a collection of cubes garnered from various options that will be available to you. Starting with the same small set of cubes, each player will build their collection as you play the game. Use these cubes to enhance your performance, train your pit crew, and ensure your race car runs as effectively as possible. Be the first to cross the finish line and watch that checkered flag wave!
Designed by David Short, Automobiles is the exciting new game in AEG’s Destination Fun series! Continue your travels in the acclaimed Trains and Planes boardgames.
images © Alderac Entertainment Group
User Reviews (2)
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At first I wasn’t really sure about the game, based on it’s theme and genre, racing and racing.
Yes, it’s a game about racing cars with a racing mechanism. The first one cross the finish line, won the game. I don’t really like that kind of game (pointing out on Euphoria and Istanbul).
But a friend popped his copy onto the table and I must join in the game (I gave the game the benefit of the doubt). So I played, it’s simple, easy to play and surprisingly fast.
There are many cards for variable setup and that’s a good thing. Each play will be different. Also double-sided game board for two different race tracks. Allocating and drawing cubes are much more fun than in Hyperborea (thank God). The game has quite a balance in it, no big problem for runaway leader, since every player can make a comeback with the right move. From my plays (which not many) I felt the game is very competitive. The last standings were quite close and few have tie breakers to do the job.
So basically over the course of the game you will either purchase cubes (colorful cubes with certain effects or gear cubes to sprint your car in the track) or use the cubes to move your car forward.
There are different color of gear cubes (white, light grey, dark grey and black) which can be used to move your car along the race track. The track consists of different lanes and colors and spaces. Basically in logic sense to explain, white cube is first gear, you start the race in this transmission and then you can go to 2nd (light grey), 3rd (dark grey) and last gear (black). The higher your gear is, the longer the space is. So with high gear your car moves faster. But watch out, high gear has a downside in turns, you need to slow down the speed, which you will then need lower gears.
The game also comes with wear cubes (brown) which is a waste for your car, this happens naturally in the track, but with higher gear you use, more wear cubes you will get. But there are ways to avoid this, by drafting (getting into a position where you directly behind someone else) in which you do not get wear cubes.
There are other color cubes (yellow, blue, green, red and purple) which have certain effects on the game. This depends on the variable setup from the cards at the beginning. The color cubes can be used to help you do many things, such as avoiding wears, getting more cubes from the draw bag, or discarding unused cubes.
Although it sounds very complex with the cubes effect and how to use them in technical way, I think this is a very casual and new entry to the deck building genre and it’s fun and no heavy texts. A small start at the beginning is what it takes for any new players to play it.
Would love to play it again.
Replay Value: With the Dominion like randomization of cards available along with two different tracks there is a lot of different combinations possible.
Components: Great components, people with issues deciphering shades may have some issues since the shades of grey are really close to each other
Learning Curve: After the first initial steps of buying cubes and arranging them on the player boards in front of you, you’ll be racing at full speed in no time.
Overall: A great game whether or not your a racing fan (Which I am). If racing isn’t your cup of tea there is a lot of strategy and depth to the game.