Killer cornering speeds
After a cursory reading of the instructions, you can see that the Turbo is in fact a much more extensive Great Loop . We move along the track in the same way, i.e. by playing cards from our hand. Interestingly, however, they have values from one to four! And yet, in the previous board game by Asger Harding, the bikes moved faster (the highest value was a nine). Only there is a gearbox in the Turbo ! Here we play from one to four cards out of seven, depending on the gear (and we can even throw in another card if we use turbo!).
The second major change is replacing climbs and descents with curves, which are much more exciting. Each bow has its own value. Exceeding it results in falling out of the track. Given that we have to play as many cards as the gearbox value, we need to hurriedly throw in a one or two before the turn. It is human to err, which is why we have several turbo cards in our engine. Thanks to them, we can accelerate on the track (reveal an additional speed card) or change the gear by two fields instead of one. The most important thing is that if we throw as much turbo as we exceeded the value of the turn, we will safely pass the arc!
Adrenaline and aerodynamics are other interesting innovations. The first element is available only to the last player (or two in a 5-6 player game), allowing you to move for an additional space and giving you one cooling. On the other hand, aerodynamics is an additional shift of two squares if we land next to or behind another car.
And now a few words about our waist. In addition to the typical speed cards with a value from one to four, we also have loads that clog our hand (after drawing them, they cannot be rejected otherwise by using them), and playing them is risky (we draw a random speed card). Cooling, on the other hand, helps us get rid of turbo cards, because after using them, they go to the discard pile until they land on our hands (they cannot be played or discarded just like that). And it’s only thanks to cooling that we can dump them back into the engine. The winner is the first person to cross the finish line.
From bike to race car
Turbo is a phenomenal racing game. It is simple on the one hand, just like the Big Loop , but it adds many more interesting mechanics. We need to manage our hand more efficiently and also make more difficult decisions. There are three ways to tackle each turn. Stress-free by playing cards equal to the level of your bow or stepping in sharply, thereby losing your precious turbo cards! The most interesting part is passing a dangerous place using aerodynamics (by far the most satisfying action)!
However, so far I have only mentioned the basic mode, and Turbohas a lot to offer. First, we can personalize our vehicles by adding unique cards to the deck that offer new possibilities. Among other things, lowering the value of the bend, increasing the aerodynamic power or removing the load from the hand. Second, weather and road conditions can be entered. They modify the starting deck layout, and on the route, for example, they block the engine cooling option or give you a free acceleration. Most importantly, the game features two double-sided track maps. Each route offers slightly different opportunities and challenges. In Italy, we only face three corners, plus the longest straight line consisting of thirty-eight squares. On the other hand, when racing in the USA, two long sections separated by a very gentle curve are noticeable.
The championship is the icing on the cake. Then there are one-time sponsor cards and additional conditions, for example, going out of the track means the end of the game. Most importantly, however, the Grand Prix is won by the person who scores the most points for a place in three or four consecutive races!
Duel with the legends of the Gram Prix
In Turbocan play up to six people. If we do not play in full squad, the race can be entered into the car, the so-called legends. They are extremely easy to use. They have a move value assigned to them on a specific card, and their behavior depends on whether they are close to the turn or have a long way to the arch. And it cannot be denied that virtual players can give you a hard time. On the one hand, they do not benefit from aerodynamics, nor can they accelerate with turbo cards, but on the other hand, they are almost independent of fate. On the straight, they will always get at least a ten, while the player needs luck in drawing and must be in third gear at least. The upper limit, which is nineteen fields for legends, is worse. As you can see, it’s hard to keep up with the car on the straight. On the one hand, it is a challenge on the other hand, one mistake may exclude us from the fight for the first place. A living opponent may fall off the track or his deck may clog up, but these dilemmas do not apply to legends. That’s why I lost my first three solo races grossly. I only won when I was driving hard, chasing my opponents fiercely, and taking risks at almost every turn. It’s also frustrating to finish when the legend wins by drawing its strongest card.
To sum up, the module introducing the car works flawlessly, it is very accessible and pleasant to use, but at the same time this simplicity makes you feel you are losing not with a fast and talented player, but with fate. So I will be happy to play solo, but it will be more fun to fight against live opponents.
Box full of contents
After opening the box, the first thing that catches your eye is the well-designed molding. There are several compartments for different decks, making the game very easy to unfold with any module. Not only that, everything has its place here, including our little cars and gear shifters. Unfortunately, you can also see the space prepared for the future addition. Already on the tracks there are dedicated places for the seventh and eighth players. I do not like this type of solutions. I have a feeling that elements for two more people have been cut out. Besides, I have no major objections to be made. The player boards are very thin, but they are only used to organize the deck or operate the gearbox, so it doesn’t bother me in any way. Also, I caught one typo on the event card. In the instructions on page nine:
Is it worth taking part in the competition?
I really liked the Big Loop , so I was even more enthusiastic about the Turbo . It was an amazing adventure for me, I felt the killer speed at times, I got excited in the corners and also felt the excitement when I drew a random card after playing a load. The variety of upgrade cards that modify the playstyle is amazing! The championship module, on the other hand, is simply a masterpiece. How much fun is there, and how many possibilities. The Turbo has only one significant drawback to the Big Loop , namely the draw is more annoying. On the one hand, it makes the game more exciting, on the other hand, it can be frustrating at times. Nevertheless, I recommend Turboto all racing enthusiasts. In my opinion, it is a great, atmospheric racing game.
Probably someone will ask which Asger Harding’s board game is better. For me, both are great, because despite the similarities, they are different from each other, you just feel the differences in speeds here. I certainly won’t get rid of any of them. Nevertheless, the rich content speaks in favor of Asger’s newest entry. You need to buy add-ons for the Great Loop to diversify it, and the Turbo basically contains four modules. Even the baseplate is great to play, but all you have to do is add a twist and this board game is instantly showing off! Great fun, I recommend it to everyone!
