Ascot: A Day at the Races

This is a complex horseracing game that includes the purchase, sale and training of individual horses, choosing the best horses and jockeys for each race, establishing betting odds for each horse and trying to win money both by having a horse finish well and by winning bets.

Players each start with GBP250,000 and one horse, all with the same form rating. While at the Auction Ring each turn, a player rolls a D6 three times, to determine the mix of actions he may take: 1=Sell a horse for Form rating times current Auction Price; 2/3=Buy top horse on the deck on the same basis; 4=Read the Ascot Bulletin (draw event card); 5=Change the horse up for auction; 6=Change the Auction Price by drawing a new Auction card.

Then the players take the next card in the Race deck to see the distance, entry fee and prize money. Some races are restricted to horses of a certain Form Rating, or apply handicaps that help low-rated horses. Each player chooses a horse for the race and hires a jockey (better ones cost more). The combination of horse Form and jockey results in a number of tokens for each player. These tokens allow a horse to be moved extra spaces during the race.

The Form ratings of the horses are totaled and each horse uses it rating against the pack to establish betting odds. Players then place their bets and the race begins. Each move is based on an 8-sided die. Horses can move forward or diagonally, but not into a space with another horse. Tokens add one space, but only one can be used per die roll.

After the race, the prize money is paid out, bets are settled, and the game moves to the next Auction phase. The game may be ended after any number of races, with the player holding the most money combined with horse value (10,000xForm) being declared the winning trainer.