Crash Grid

Rules Overview

Game design: David McDougal

Use cards for initiative and movement to leave a trail across the arena; the last rider standing wins.

Players: 3-4 Mechanic: Pre-Programmed Actions

Components

• Deck A (Trick Deck): One standard 52-card deck shared by all players. Used only for initiative.
• Deck B (Rail/Move Deck): One standard 52-card deck, divided by suits. Each player claims one suit.
• Per Player:
• 13 cards of one suit from Deck B:
  • Rails: A-10 (10 trail cards).
  • Moves: J, Q, K (Left, Right, Forward).
• Player aid showing the three moves.
• Arena Board:
• 4 players: 12x12 grid.
• 3 players: 10x10 grid.

Setup

1. Each player chooses a suit from Deck B.
2. Place each rider's starting trail card (one from A-10) on the edge of the grid, equally spaced, facing inward. The short edge of the card points in the facing direction.
3. Shuffle Deck A. Deal 5 initiative cards to each player.
4. Each player places their J, Q, K move cards face up on their aid.

Objective

Stay alive the longest. If you move into a wall, another rider, or the arena boundary, you crash and are eliminated. Last rider standing wins the round.

Core Concepts and Terms

• Trail Card: A-10 of your suit. Marks where you vacated.
• Move Cards: J = Left, Q = Right, K = Forward. Each must be used once before all three refresh.
• Orientation: The short edge of each placed trail card must point in the direction of travel.
• Extended Mode (A2): When a player exhausts their 10 rails, they continue playing by "forward shifting." Each move:
• Leave a generic wall behind (place the initiative card played this trick face down).
• Advance your most recent suit trail card into your new square.

Turn Structure

Step 1: Initiative Reveal

• Each player simultaneously reveals one card from Deck A.
• Resolve order high to low (A high, 2 low). Ties break by suit order ♠ > ♥ > ♦ > ♣.

Step 2: Movement Resolution

In initiative order, each player:

1. Chooses one unused move (J, Q, or K) and rotates and/or advances: - J (Left): Rotate 90 degrees left, move forward 1. - Q (Right): Rotate 90 degrees right, move forward 1. - K (Forward): Move forward 1 without rotating.
2. Places a trail card in the square they left: - If they have rails left (A-10), play one. - If rails are exhausted, use Extended Mode (leave the initiative card face down, advance your suit marker).
3. Flips the used move card face down.

Step 3: Collisions

• If your move enters an occupied square or leaves the board, you crash immediately.
• Remove your rider from play. Your trails remain.

Step 4: End of Trick

• Surviving players refill hands to 5 from Deck A.
• After the third trick, all riders refresh J/Q/K simultaneously.

End of Round and Scoring

• Round ends when one rider remains; that player scores 1 point.
• If all riders crash in the same trick, no points are scored.
• Play best of 3-5 rounds for match play.

Examples

Turn Example: P1 faces east. They choose J (Left). They rotate north, move 1 space up, place a portrait trail card with its short edge pointing north.

Extended Mode Example: P2 has no rails left. They reveal a 9 of Hearts in initiative. After moving, they place the 9 face down in the space they vacated, then slide their own suit trail card forward into their new square.

Frequently Asked Questions