Horse Fever
2-5
10+
90
Horse Fever is a horse racing game all about bets and deceits, set in the United States in the 1930s, where only the smartest rich guy will manage to become the Best Wagerer of All Time.
Within a set number of turns, 2 to 6 players will try to make the best bets in order to win Victory Points (PV) and money. To reach their goal they’ll be willing to fix races, buy horses and stables, pay helpers, win auctions and borrow money from the mob, either squandering or multiplying their fortune.
images © Cranio Creations
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Horse Fever is a quick, fun game in which players try and influence the winner of a series of horse races to earn cash and victory points.
Players begin the game by randomly selecting from among 12 different characters which represent the horse stable they “own” as well as their starting cash. Before each race, players will have the option to purchase cards from different decks which can alter the outcome of the race.
The Assistant cards can grant financial bonuses. The Horse cards directly affect the movement of the horses along the track (good cards played on the horses you bet on, bad cards played on the others). Stable cards let you invest in other horses and the Goals deck give secret objectives which can result in additonal victory points at the end of the game. There are also cards that let you borrow from the bank of the mob!
After card purchases, each player places their bets. Each of six the horses has odds displayed on a blackboard which give a general idea of what place they are expected to finish. Players then choose a horse token to bet on – when the tokens for a particular horse are gone, no further bets can be placed on that horse. This is a neat mechanic of the game, designed so that not everybody can bet on the favorite.
Each player can bet on up to 2 horses to either win, or to show (finish in the top 3). Correctly selecting a winner nets 3 victory points and up to seven times the amount bet, while betting on a horse to show gets 1 victory point and twice the amount bet.
Once the race starts cards are turned over which move the horses along the track. After each turn of a card, two “sprint” dice are rolled which indicate which of the horses move an additonal space.
Part of the fun of the game comes from the sense of humor the cards have. The ball and chain card played on a horse stops it from moving on the first turn, while the card showing the red pepper being placed near the back end of the horse moves it even further than usual to start the race. Crude…but funny.
Horse Fever gives the player several strategic decisions to make before the beginning of each race, but no tactical decision to be made once the race starts. If you prefer a horse racing game where you directly influence the horse during the race, like you are the jockey riding it, there are other games that might suit you better.
Personally, I enjoy the method Horse Fever uses. Once the race starts, it feels like a horse race should. Fast and furious with everyone around the table yelling and cheering for their horse to GO GO GO! and groaning when the sprint dice moves another horse past the finish line ahead of your horse just at the last second.
Good fun and definitely worth buying if you are considering a race game for your collection. Components rated 3 stars for use of small size paper money, rather than full size or even coins or cardboard chips.