‘Robo Rally’ Quick Start

Object:
Players secretly choose 5 Program cards, each featuring an instruction for the movement of his
robot, to race the robot across a dangerous factory floor in an attempt to be the first to touch all
the flags in order. Getting to the flags isn’t easy though as all players program their moves
simultaneously. Robot will get in each other’s way, push each other off course, and damage
each other by shooting lasers at each other (or pushing each other off the board or into pits).

Setup:

1) Choose a Course Board, based on the experience of the players and how long you want the
game to be. Set up the Docking Bay board, Factory Floor boards, and Flags as shown in
the course description manual.
2) Each player chooses a Robot figure, matching Archive marker, and Program sheet for
that robot.
3) Each player gets 3 life tokens and places them on your Program sheet. (Optional: When
playing with 5 or more players, each player gets 4 life tokens instead).
4) Put the Damage tokens, Power Down tokens, and Factory Floor Guides next to the
board.
5) Shuffle the Program and Option decks and put them next to the board, face down.
6) Determine start player, who places their Archive marker and robot onto Dock #1 of the
Docking Bay, with the robot facing the main board. The player on the left does the same,
placing on Dock #2, and so on, until all the robots are on a Dock.

How to Play: The game ‘may’ end as soon as a player’s robot touches all of the flags in order:
1) Deal the Program cards: Don’t look at your program cards until all players have been dealt
their hands. Shuffle and deal Program cards, face down, to each player. Normally each player
receives 9 cards, however for each damage token received, deal that player 1 fewer Program
cards. (exception: see ‘locked registers’ below).
2) Program Registers: After all players have been dealt new Program cards, you may look at
your hand and choose 5 cards to use this turn. Place those cards in the registers on your
Program sheet, face down, from left (#1) to right (#5) in the order you want them executed.
Discard any cards you have left over. When finished, announce you are done programming –
you may then not look at your cards or rearrange them. When only 1 player remains who hasn’t
finished programming, start the 30 second timer. If the timer runs out before the last player
finishes, put that player’s unused cards face down on the table, and the player to his right
randomly fills any remaining empty registers (without looking at them), then discards leftovers.
3) Announce Power Down (optional): In starting Dock Bay # order, a player with a damaged
robot may choose to ‘power down’. A power down announced this turn takes effect on the next
turn. Indicate you are powering down with a “Power Down” token on your Program Sheet.
At the beginning of your turn when your robot powers down, discard all Damage tokens.
However, this robot doesn’t execute Program cards and doesn’t move this turn, but board
elements still affect it (ex: a conveyor belt will still move it).
4) Complete Register Actions: Complete actions for the 5 registers in order, from left to right.
a) Reveal Program Cards: Each player reveals his Program card for that register at
the same time.
b) Robots move: In priority number (top right corner of each card), each player moves
their robot as its Program card indicates. When robots collide, one will push the other. Robots
can be pushed anywhere on the board (or off the side), even into a pit or onto a conveyor belt.
A robot cannot be pushed through a wall – it doesn’t move.
c) Board elements move: (see Factory Floor Guide) in the following order:
i. Express conveyor belts move 1 space
ii. Express and normal conveyor belts move 1 space
iii. Pushers push if active
iv. Gears rotate 90 degrees, in the direction of the arrows.
 Notes to Board movement:
1. If a conveyor belt moves a robot onto a Turning Belt, the Robot turns, otherwise ‘no’
2. Movement off a conveyor belt does not Push other robots
3. If healing a robot, you may heal any register
4. Robots start with 3 lives / can take 10 damage
5. Virtual robots are immune to Robots, but not Board elements
6. If destroyed, discard Option Card, plus 1 Life Token
7. May discard Option card(s) to prevent damage
5) Lasers Fire:
a) Board lasers fire dealing 1 Damage token to the 1st line of sight robot (not
subsequent robots – it doesn’t shoot through the 1st).
b) Robot lasers In addition, every robot has a main forward-firing laser. Any robot in
another’s line of site, is automatically damaged and receives 1 Damage token.
6) Touch Flags & Repair Sites: Any robot on a Flag, touches that Flag, places their Archive
marker there, and returns to this site now, if the robot is subsequently destroyed on a later
round.
7) Cleanup: In Docking Bay # order, players may decide to play Option cards now…
a) Robots on a single-wrench space = discard 1 Damage token
b) Robots on a crossed wrench/hammer space = discard 1 Damage token + draw an
Option card, reading it aloud and placing it face up in front of you.
c) Discard all Program cards from un-locked registers.
d) Powered down robots announce whether they will remain powered down or not. If re-
entering the game, they enter with 2 Damage tokens. Destroyed robots re-enter in the space
containing their Archive marker. The player chooses the robot orientation.
e) Locked registers – if a robot has 5 or more Damage tokens, its registers begin to
lock up, from Register #5 down to #1 (in reverse order). Mark a locked register by placing a
Damage token above the register on the Program sheet. Once a register is locked, the
Program card in that register stays there (active) until the damage locking the register is
repaired. When that happens, discard both the damage token and the Program card in the
register. You must un-lock registers in reverse order, from lowest #1 to highest #5. A robot with
all of the registers locked still moves, using the Program cards in place.
f) Using Options to prevent damage: You may discard an Option card to avoid
receiving a Damage token (more than 1 may be played) at the time it is received.
g) A robot is destroyed when it receives 10 Damage points or it moves into a Pit or it
moves off the edge of the board. A destroyed robot immediately loses an Option card of the
player’s choice and discard 1 Life token.

End of Game:
• The winner is the 1st player to touch all the Flags in order. The game can end as soon as
the winner touches the last Flag, or play can continue to determine runners-up.