BoardGamesBot

©Jérôme Louvel (Frenchwolfie in BGG) Version 4_05 – Monday, November 6, 2023
Darned Drivers!
Darned Drivers (DD) is based on HEAT Pedal To The Metal, and a subvariant of AndrePOR’s Solo Career Mode UnOfficial Variant (SCMUV) on BGG. It uses all of their rules, save for the parts modified by the present rules, which are:
1. the “Using Legends” chapter of the original HEAT Advanced Play and Championship System (HAPCS) rules
2. the Wipe-Out module rule 2, and Drivers module rule 4 of the SCMUV rules.
3. The number of Drivers, 8 in the present rules.
4. Some economic rules, in addition, and not instead of the SV’s.

The Darned Drivers subvariant reason of existence is to somewhat dampen the SV’s difficulty, very high as is, and offer a more rewarding overall experience, especially in the lowest categories, at the price of some added complexity. F1 drivers in this subvariant can eventually access to “Darned” status where they are at least as tough, definitely tougher at t2c2 (see significance below), as their +2 HAPCS or 4 star SVs counterparts, to beat on the asphalt.

The rules come with an Excel file (EF) that tremendously help with setting the game up and bookkeeping. In the present rules, when an exclamation mark is the last character of a word, it is the name of one of the EF’s thumbnails.

1 Who are the Darned Drivers?
Darned Drivers are as intent as Legends (or AndrePOR’s drivers) to defeating you on the asphalt, but they are flesh and bones fellows only, fallible and as eager to imbibe and have a good laugh as you – even if ONLY YOU can enjoy a glass of whisky while driving.
“Yet, through bitter grinding of rubber, they can rise to play a better part!
Then they become… Darned Drivers!” (Leo Cahen, Villanelle for our rides)

2 The Drivers
The DD EF proposes Drivers inside categories: 1 star for NC Championships, 2 stars for F3, 3 stars for F2, 4 stars for F1. Their names are based on historical Legends, and their categories upon a rough categorization of everyone’s overall historical performance. Note that this is a subjective categorization. One is enticed to change them according to one's best judgement.

2.1 Driver characteristics

Picture 1: A Driver card
ML Morale Level, here ML = 5 (may vary from round to round)
p Points, here p = 15 (may go up from round to round)
t Top Speed talent: +0, +1, +2 (varies when a Point threshold is reached)
c Corner Speed talent: +0, +1, +2 (varies when a Point threshold is reached)
other aspects

---

©Jérôme Louvel (Frenchwolfie in BGG) Version 4_05 – Monday, November 6, 2023
Morale Level is explained in 9. It reflects the DD's confidence in their skills. For a given DD, it
may vary from round to round according to their performance, as explained in Chart 2: did they
move more spaces than their Legend Card allowance (3) and by how much? If yes, their ML increases,
otherwise it stays the same, or even decreases if they moved less.
Talents are given at the beginning of a Championship. They grow with time according to
“points” granted, or not, each round: a talent expressed by an increase of their LC allowance
grants them a point. Once a threshold of points is reached, a new talent is obtained. Chart 1:
talents and points presents all there is to know about talents and thresholds, while Chart 2: S,
ML and P determination presents the conditions to be granted a point.
Do as you please to keep track of ML, points, and the growing talents of your opponents. I’m
using the EF v4_00 and above, which offers everything practical to this end.
When I did it manually, with v3_30 and below, I used to use dice for MLs, and Hama beads for
points and talents:

Picture 2: my DD setup
On the picture above, this round Lorenzo Bandini is characterized by no talents (yet), ML4 and
4 points; Guy Ligier no talents, ML5 and 3 points, etc.
A pilot can be thus summarized at any time by his talents, points, and ML morale level.
Next page: 2.2
2.2 Talents by categories and Talent acquisition
Drivers begin the Championship with ML1, 0 points, regardless of their stars level, and with
the following talents, which can be improved through points:
Next page: Chart 1: talents and points.
Dark red threshold values are suggestions you are encouraged to experiment with,
depending on how soon you want your opponents to grow a fresh talent. When you rise in
category, “how soon” feels much too soon anyway.

---

3
©Jérôme Louvel (Frenchwolfie in BGG) Version 4_05 – Monday, November 6, 2023

Championship category | Talents at start | Legend Cards | 1st threshold in points | 2nd threshold in points
-------------------- | --------------- | ------------ | ----------------------- | -----------------------
NC | t0c0 | LC tx–1c (top speed is reduced by 1 each round) | +10 for new talent roll 1d10: on 1-8 t1 on 9-0 c1 reset points to 0 | +40 for new talent roll 1d10: on 1-8 c1 if already t1 t1 if already c1 on 9-0 c2 if already c1 t2 if already t1 stop tracking points
F3 | t0c0 | normal LC | +20 for new talent roll 1d10: on 1-8 t1 on 9-0 c1 reset points to 0 | +50 for new talent roll 1d10 on 1-8 c1 if already t1 t1 if already c1 on 9-0 c2 if already c1 t2 if already t1 stop tracking points
F2 | roll 1d10: on 1-8 t1c0 on 9-0 t0c1 | normal LC | +70 for new talent roll 1d10 on 1-8 c1 if already t1 t1 if already c1 on 9-0 c2 if already c1 t2 if already t1 reset points to 0 | +90 for new talent: c1 if already at t2 t1 if already at c2 if t1c1 roll 1d10: on 1-8 t2 on 9-0 c2 stop tracking points
F1 | t1c1 | normal LC | +90 for new talent roll 1d10: on 1-8 t2 on 9-0 c2 reset points to 0 | +60 for new talent t2c2 Darned Driver stop tracking points

Chart 1: talents and points

3 Legend Cards (LC)
The legend cards (LC) in the original HEAT box and all other LC proposed by the community can be used in the SV & DD because they use the following basic concepts:

3.1 Top Speed (TS): the number in the colored helmet
3.2 Corner Speed (CS): the number in the Diamond above the helmet; this number is used in the two situations (Si).
3.3 Coding: in DD, red’s data are coded t10c0 as for “top speed 10 corner speed 0,

---

4
©Jérôme Louvel (Frenchwolfie in BGG) Version 4_05 – Monday, November 6, 2023
yellow’s t19c3
3.4 LC presentation in EF DD
EF DD LC presentation includes supplemental data for die rolls:
txcy/d1/d2/d3/d4
e.g., t16c3/2/8/16/3
x is the LC TS
y is the LC CS
d1 is the 1st Check 1d10 result, 0 stands for 10 (8.1)
d2 is the 2nd Check 1d10 result, 0 stands for 10 (8.1)
d3 is the Wipe-Out Check (WOC) 1d20 result, 0 stands for 20 (11.1)
d4 is the Wipe-Out (WO) Morale Check (MC) result (11.1)
All pieces of data in the DD LC information are not necessarily relevant for the current
round: there may be no WOC made.
The EF LC helps reduce the playing area clutter: cards, dice; obviously, those who like the
feeling given by the actual thing can use traditional LC, or EF LC data, AND dice.
Note: In a National Championship, LC x values are diminished by 1: (x – 1) (see Chart 1:
talents and points).
4 Set the Championship up
Set the Championship up according to SV rules. Observe them strictly for all the following steps.
4.1 Level of the first season and length of the Championship
4.2 Select the Circuits of the first season and the length of the Championship
You can use the EF to select the circuits in circuits!: copy the selected ones in the red sector
in generator! as explained in the EF howto! and comments.
4.3 Select the Drivers
Who will you compete against?
drivers! proposes nine preselected Drivers. Of course, you may change their names and star
levels as desired. The EF allows a full randomization of their starting positions, which are
then automatically linked to the career! race charts. Give them their initial talents according
to Chart 1.
4.4 If using the EF, generate the LC and various checks data
See the howto! thumbnail explanations.
4.5 Set the first race up
Decide upon the way you will keep track of ML, Talents, and Points (see my setup in
Picture 2: my DD setup). You can use the EF, or actual physical means. The EF takes care of
all aspects of the game for you. I recommend using it, but it's not mandatory.
Refer to the HAPCS and SV rules for setting the first race up. See 9.2 for Morale Levels at
the beginning of the race: all are set at 1 anyway.
4.6 The following races
For the following races, the EF takes care of the Morale Levels and points of the Drivers,
which depend on the final positions in the preceding race Hall Of Fame (HoF) standings.

---

5
©Jérôme Louvel (Frenchwolfie in BGG) Version 4_05 – Monday, November 6, 2023
5 Race the race: a round
Perform the following steps in order, without skipping any. Refer to the corresponding chapters
for the full details. The procedure below is with the EF carrer! race tables. If manual, transpose
accordingly.
5.1 First round of the race, before moving anybody and anything
5.1.1 EF v4_00+: copy the initial Morale Level and Points (copy special [ctrl+alt+V]-
>Values) into the current (yellow) zone
5.1.2 Input the next Corner Speed Limit (in the example below, 3) for all DD
Select round 1 in the current round# yellow cell (drop down list)

Picture 3: before having selected round 1 in the selector
The DD data are then displayed for round 1:

Picture 4: after having selected round 1 in the selector: DD data for the round displayed
5.1.1 Select your cards for the first HD move
5.2 Activate the next Driver
In position order, from pole to tail.
5.3 HD Driver
5.3.1 Make your move
Don’t forget Adrenaline, Boosts, Carage and Sponsor cards: they are the only tools of
your trade you have…
5.4 DD Driver
5.4.1 Refer to the DD’s Probability Level (PL) (6)
Compute it if manual.
5.4.2 Consult the DD EF data to determine S, the number of spaces the DD will
attempt to move forward, using the Talent Check results d1 and d2 and Chart 2

---

6
©Jérôme Louvel (Frenchwolfie in BGG) Version 4_05 – Monday, November 6, 2023
page 9 below.
It’s not automatic yet. One thing at a time!
5.4.3 Move the DD as far as possible using S (Chart 2); they may be blocked by other
drivers, or a CL, according to the normal rules.
5.4.4 If a point is granted, give it to the DD (10.1 according to Chart 2)

Picture 5: point attribution if successful talent check and expression
5.4.5 If a Chart 1 threshold is reached, Talent acquisition occurs (8.2; follow Chart 1
instructions), most of the time according to a die roll result. There is a cell in the
EF to record its attribution.

Picture 6: t1 talent attribution for Pedro Rodriguez
5.4.6 Consult the Wipe-Out Checks (WOC) if necessary (11.1)
d3 and d4 in the WOC columns.
5.4.7 Check if the HD has crossed the FL
If yes, record their Lap Time: round# and #spaces after the FL:

Picture 7: Lap Time
5.4.8 Leave arrived and WO DD where they are on the track until the end of the
round (0)
5.4.9 If there is one, go to next driver, if last driver go to 0
5.4.10 Consult the Wipe-Out Checks (WOC) if necessary (11.1)
d3 and d4 in the WOC columns.
5.4.11 Check if the HD has crossed the Finish Line after the assigned number of laps
If yes, record their Lap Time: round# and #spaces after the FL
Go to next driver
5.5 End of the round
5.5.1 Bring the appropriate (WO and arrived) drivers to their HoF Space
5.5.2 Select your HD gear level and cards for the next round
5.5.3 Make the necessary end of the round ML adjustments in the corresponding drop
down list cells.
5.5.4 Increment by 1 the current round# yellow cell (drop down list) (see Picture 3)

---

11
©Jérôme Louvel (Frenchwolfie in BGG) Version 4_05 – Monday, November 6, 2023
9.3.3.5 DD have just overtaken a Wiped-Out DD, is overtaken by one, or end their
movement adjacent to one.
9.3.3.6 DD can lose several ML in one round
9.3.3.7 ML1 is the lowest possible ML, ML5 the highest.
Morale Level changes in each round are cumulative if more than one condition apply at the
same time.
Optional: If you want a challenge, give a DD one ML change up per overtaken driver. Consider you
warned.
10 Points
Points represent the building DD’s experience round after round.
They provide a new talent when a threshold is reached (see Chart 1 page 3).
10.1 Points change
A +1 point is granted when a talent or skill is expressed by an increase of the number of
spaces the DD moves forward compared to his LC.
11 Wipe-Outs
Wipe-Outs (WO) happen in DD according to the SV Driver card aspect, and with an aspect of 1
for the HD), with the following changes:
11.1 A WO Check (WOC) must ONLY be made, by DD or the HD, when they clear a
SL5+ (Speed Limit 5 or above) corner at a speed strictly exceeding its SL: see
/d3/d4
This lowers the frequency of WO, which can be quite high with the original SV rules on fan-
made circuits. It also gives the HD the ability to weigh his risk against his current
results/position.
11.1.1 d3 > WO aspect (d3 > 1 for the HD): WOC success means there is no WO.
11.1.2 d3 ≤ WO aspect (d3 = 1 for the HD):
11.1.2.1 the HD now checks d4 against 6: if d4 > 6, he wipes out; if not, there is no WO
(phew! That was close!).
Yes, he sports yet in any circumstance better morale than any of his competitors.
11.1.2.2 a DD now checks d4 against his ML; if d4 > ML, he wipes out; if not, there is no WO.
Yes, low morale DD had it coming!
11.1.3 If a DD or the HD is blocked before a corner where they'd WO if they had cleared
it otherwise, they DO NOT WO: the corner was not cleared after all. Close call!
11.2 A WO car (HD or DD) stays on the track were their movement ended until the
end of the round, when their car is next moved to the lowest available
position in the HoF and race standings in the EF, beginning with the WO DD
farthest down the circuit if several WO during the same round.
11.2.1 The HP can slipstream a WO DD
11.2.2 A WO driver demoralizes other DD who overtake them/are overtook by them or
who end up in a space adjacent to their final one: –1 ML
11.2.3 In the standings and HoF for the race, assign them their position, 8 through 1,

---

12
©Jérôme Louvel (Frenchwolfie in BGG) Version 4_05 – Monday, November 6, 2023
depending on the time and space at which they WO; this position may later be
used to break any tie in the race and season end results (“dep” column in the EF)
The first and rearmost DD to WO ends up in position X8, the next one X7, etc. (see
example below).
11.2.4 Example with 8 drivers: Dan Gurney and Jim Clark
… all end the Season with 21 championship points behind Olivier Gendebien, the
winner of the Season. However, according to the “dep” column, Clark ends up the real
2nd: dep 11 vs. dep 12 for Gurney – manually change the appropriate rk (drop down
list).

Picture 8 : Season standings example; the need to manually change a rank
12 Lap times
Version 4_00 and above EF include calculations of Lap Times (LT), with a methodology I present
and discuss in depth in Lawrence Whalen's publication Racing Line, issue #6. This naturally leads
to include a few new optional rules.
12.1 Best LT (BLT) rewards
12.1.1 1 point for the BLT Driver
12.1.2 1 Sponsor Card for the HD if they score the BLT
12.2 BLT as second tie breaker
While the sum of a Driver's HoF ending positions over a season remain the first tie breaker,
average lap times constitute a logical second one, if ending positions fail to break it.
13 Economics
Here are the principles upon which the economy of Darned Drivers with 8 Drivers is built; it
slightly differs from those with 6 Drivers, in that the geometrical progression of the prizes is
clearer:
– The nature of the costs and revenues are those identified in the SCMUV ECONOMICS
MODULE.

---

13
©Jérôme Louvel (Frenchwolfie in BGG) Version 4_05 – Monday, November 6, 2023
13.1 Costs
– Only update upgrade prices remain the same across categories.
13.2 Revenues
– In the illustrations above, Série4 is F1, Série3 F2 etc.
– While the funding of the races is proportional to the Drivers count, prizes are in a geometrical
progression. It pays proportionally more to score 1st in DD than in the SV.
13.3 Economic balance
The economic balance of costs vs. revenues is set at the 3rd step of the podium: there you
maintain, barely from NC to F2 where it is easier to do better, up you thrive, down you
dwindle. The HD will probably zoom to F1 fast, gaining thus 300+ Career Points and a
comfortable financial mat in the 5000-10000€ range, only to struggle then intensely not to
dwindle into bankruptcy. They may have to emergency-sell much needed Advanced
Upgrades to do so at the end of a poor season, even their car in the direst case, making
their task even more daunting afterwards. It takes amazing skills AND reasonably lucky
streaks to succeed in the F1 category.
13.4 Economics: need to know and easy to forget rules
13.4.1 SV rules
All SV rules BUT ONE (sell car) apply in DD: what it is mandatory, possible and
impossible to buy and sell. Chart 3 gives a reminder of all there is to know.

0
5000
10000
15000
20000
25000
prizechampionship1 prizechampionship2 prizechampionship3 prizechampionship4 prizechampionship5 prizechampionship6 prizechampionship7 prizechampionship8
Season Prizes
Série1 Série2
Série3 Série4
€-
€2000
€4000
€6000
€8000
€10000
€12000
prizerace1 prizerace2 prizerace3 prizerace4 prizerace5 prizerace6 prizerace7 prizerace8
Race Prizes
Série1 Série2
Série3 Série4

---

14
©Jérôme Louvel (Frenchwolfie in BGG) Version 4_05 – Monday, November 6, 2023

Picture 9: economic section of the 1st race chart in career!
13.4.1.1 EF syntax
The economic decisions you make translate in the EF into an “action” on a “what”,
their combination calling an amount in the hidden economy! which is subtracted
from the initial allocation, whose amount is automatically put at the top of
carrier! Once both “action” and “what” are specified, the correct amount is shown
and computed in the net balance in the “assets” column. The possible actions, and
their corresponding objects are:
Action What When Remark
Buy Car Before race when
the HD has no car
Mandatory
Buy Basic
Advanced
Before race On condition: see SV rules
Maintenance Race Before race Mandatory
By default in the chart
Maintenance Car After race Mandatory at the end of a
race during which the HD
WO
Prize Race After race Function of HoF position
Automatic
By default in the chart
Restitute Allocation After last race of
the Championship
DD rule specific
Sell Car After last race of a
Season
IMPORTANT this
point differs from
the SV
Mandatory if category
change, optional otherwise
(selling a car can save you
from bankruptcy [SV 3.])
Sell Basic
Advanced
Before/After race When Basic sold replace
with Initial
Staff Race After race Mandatory
By default in the chart
Update Car Before 1st race of
a Season in the
same category
Mandatory
Update Initial
Basic
Advanced
Before 1st race of
a Season
Mandatory
Chart 3: economics

---

15
©Jérôme Louvel (Frenchwolfie in BGG) Version 4_05 – Monday, November 6, 2023
The number of empty cells in the race charts should be enough for all the
transactions.
13.4.1.2 A positive net balance is mandatory at the end of a season
Important: It is NOT mandatory at the end of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd races. This means
you can buy for those races whatever is needed and allowed: car, upgrades,
maintenance and staff fees, car maintenance if you Wiped Out, all that on the
FIA’s bill if needed – who’ll then expects you to refund them at the end of a
Season.
At the end of the 4th race of a Season, if even after the sale of your car and the
granting of the Championship prize you're still with a negative balance, you can
sell upgrades, to try to make it positive again. If you fail, game over: you're
bankrupt, and history. Better luck with the next Championship!
13.4.2 DD rule: conversion of € into Career Points at the end of the Championship
At the end of the Championship, the HD:
13.4.2.1 Sell their car
13.4.2.2 Sell all their updates back to Initial
13.4.2.3 Restitute their initial allocation (action = restitute, what = allocation)
13.4.2.4 Transfer the remaining amount to Career Points at the rate of 1 CP/1 000€

Picture 10: end of Championship transactions

---

16
©Jérôme Louvel (Frenchwolfie in BGG) Version 4_05 – Monday, November 6, 2023
14 Version changes
The last version changes are roughly stated below, as they are not shown in the body of the text.
In reality, there are so many changes in this version that I lost count of them. Here is a summary:
4_07
EF ONLY
Bilko’s circuit, Las Vegas, Monza, Trois Rivières (Craig Low), Zeltweg airfield (Marc Tooten)
circuits added
…
4_00
8 Divers
2. The Drivers chapter detailed
11. Lap Times and 12. Economics added
15 BGG Header
15.1 EF
Excel file designed to help the AndrePOR's amazing Solo Career Mode - UnOfficial Variant
rules player, and Darned Drivers subvariant player (see above), set the game up and
manage all aspects of their pilot's career, provided they play with 8 Drivers instead of 6. For
6 drivers, please use v3_30 below, with fewer functionalities.
PLEASE GIVE A THUMB UP (JUST ONE CLICK ABOVE) IF YOU DOWNLOAD, AND GEEKGOLD IF
YOU USE AND LIKE! And above all, give feedback and suggestions for improvement. Thank
you in advance!
- manage your circuits collection. COMPREHENSIVE DATABASE of all fan made circuits.
- choose the circuits to run on during the championship
- generate any series of seasons on the chosen circuits, weather AND ROAD CONDITIONS
included
- select the drivers to compete against
- generate the moves of the drivers - automated Legend cards; DD checks included
- keep track of the race points, career points and economics
NEW in latest version: latest circuits added [Bilko’s circuit, Las Vegas, Monza, Trois Rivières
(Craig Low), Zeltweg airfield (Marc Tooten)].
15.2 DD rules
The Excel file above is designed to help the AndrePOR's amazing Solo Career Mode -
UnOfficial Variant rules player - and Darned Drivers subvariant player, set the game up and
manage all aspects of their pilot's career, provided they play with 8 Drivers instead of 6.
For 6 drivers, please use v3_30 below, with fewer functionalities.
Darned Drivers (DD) rules are a subvariant of this Solo Variant (SV). Their reason of
existence is to dampen the SV’s difficulty, extremely high as is, and offer a more rewarding
overall experience, especially in the lowest categories, at the price of some added
complexity. Only F1 drivers can access here to “Darned” status and be at least as tough,
even tougher, as their +2 HAPCS or 4-star SVs counterparts to beat on the asphalt.

---

17
©Jérôme Louvel (Frenchwolfie in BGG) Version 4_05 – Monday, November 6, 2023
PLEASE GIVE A THUMB UP (JUST ONE CLICK ABOVE) IF YOU DOWNLOAD, AND GEEKGOLD IF
YOU USE AND LIKE! And above all, give feedback and suggestions for improvement. Thank
you in advance!
The associated EF tremendously helps with setting the game up and bookkeeping.
NOTHING NEW IN THE RULES in this version compared to 4_06. EF changes only. Version
number changed to match the EF’s.

---