Magical Athlete
CMYK, Geekach LLC, Gémklub · Board game · 2025Game Objective
The objective of Magical Athlete is to be the player with the most points at the end of four races. Each race awards the top two finishers with point chips: first place receives a gold chip (1 point) and second place a silver chip (1 point). Additionally, there are bronze chips worth either 1 or 3 points, depending on the type. The game concludes when all four races have been completed, and the player with the highest score wins. In case of a tie, it's a shared victory!
Setup
To begin, follow these steps:
- Place the race board in the center of the table, with the "Mild Mile" side facing up.
- Pour out the point chips into a pile.
- Arrange the gold trophy and silver rosette, placing the largest ones at the bottom.
- Shuffle the runner deck and place it near everyone.
- Distribute one die to each player.
Next, everyone drafts 4 runners. The process involves a "snake" draft (alternating pick order) twice. If there are fewer than 4 players, you can simplify by dealing 4 random runners.
Game Flow
The game progresses through four races, each with specific rules:
- Runner Draft: Everyone chooses 4 runners in two snake draft rounds.
- Starting Race: The player with the highest die roll begins. Each player selects a runner and places them on the "Start" space.
- Movement Round: Players roll the die and move their runners. The race ends when two runners cross the finish line.
- Race Conclusion: The top two finishers receive point chips. Cards and tokens are removed from play. The next race begins with the player whose runner was furthest behind in the last race.
- Board Flip: After each race, the board is flipped to its other side (Mild, Wild, Mild, Wild).
The game ends after the fourth race. The player with the most points wins.
Actions and How to Play
Each runner has unique abilities. Below are the main actions, highlighted in :
- Banana: Trips any runner passing over it.
- Cheerleader: If rolls a 1 or 2, can move 4 spaces instead.
- Coach: Trips any runner that stops on its space.
- Dicemonger: Everyone on the same space gains +1 movement.
- Flop Flip: Swaps spaces with another runner without rolling the die.
- Gunk: Reduces other runners' movement by 1.
- Huge Baby: If another runner lands on its space, all are pushed back 1 space.
- Leaptoad: Can predict the die roll and gain an extra turn if correct.
- M.O.U.T.H.: All runners move 1 space towards it at the start of their turn.
- Party Animal: If another runner moves onto its space, it also moves to the new space.
- Scoocher: If another runner uses an ability, it moves 1 space.
- Skipper: Can choose a runner who won a previous race and use their abilities.
- Scoocher (version 2): Can warp to a space with exactly 2 runners.
- Suckerfish: If another runner moves off its space, it also moves to the new space.
- Twin: If two runners are on the same space, it moves 2 spaces.
- Warp (varieties): Moves to a specific space without counting as movement.
Abilities can be used when specified, such as "before main movement" or "when an event occurs." Some abilities are mandatory, others optional.
End of Game and Scoring
The game concludes after the fourth race. Points are tallied as follows:
- Gold Chip: 1 point (first place).
- Silver Chip: 1 point (second place).
- 3-Point Bronze Chip: 3 points (when landing on a star space).
- 1-Point Bronze Chip: 1 point (when landing on an arrow space).
The player with the most points wins. In case of a tie, all players are considered winners.
Tips for Winning
- Save strong runners for later races: Later races are worth more points, so prioritize using your best runners towards the end.
- Utilize abilities that trigger on movement: Abilities like Scoocher or Gunk can be powerful if used strategically.
- Understand runner interactions: Some abilities, like Flip Flop or Suckerfish, create chain reactions that can be exploited.
