Game Objective

In Rallyman: DIRT, players take on the role of rally drivers competing in a race across various terrains. The goal is to navigate special stages and reach the finish line. The game involves managing speed and control while dealing with different surfaces and obstacles to achieve the best possible time.

Setup

Consult the manual for details about this section.

Game Flow

The game progresses through Special Stages. The flow includes the following elements:

• Surface Management: When a car enters the first space of a new surface, the red indicator on the Dashboard must be turned to the corresponding road icon.
• Time Trial Mode: In this mode, players plan their turn by placing dice on subsequent spaces to verify the correctness of the movement via the Dashboard. After rolling, the driver may change the order of the dice, provided it follows the Dashboard indications.
• Time Control Points (PKC): Between special stages, teams must report to Time Control Points. Drivers may strategically choose to be late to receive a time penalty to avoid being the Leader on gravel. This is handled by secretly selecting five-second markers from a common pile. These penalties are added to the stage time on the Rally Card to determine the starting order for the next special stage.

Actions and How to Play

Driving and Dice

• Gas Dice: The Leader uses orange GAS dice (which have two specific symbols), while other drivers use white GAS dice (which have only one). If a driver overtakes the leader by entering the first space in front of them, they take over the orange GAS dice.
• Gears: Drivers use dice corresponding to the gear they ended their previous turn in or change gears by rolling a lower or higher gear die.

Terrain and Surfaces

• Surfaces: There are four types of surfaces: gravel, snow, asphalt, and mixed surfaces.
• Tires: There are four types of tires: gravel tires, summer tires (asphalt), second-generation winter tires, and soft tires. Tire choice happens at the start of the rally or via mechanics' help.
• Soft Tires (SOFT): When using soft tires, the special stage is divided into three sectors: S1, S2, and S3. These sectors are marked on the Dashboard.
• Fords (Water Crossings): These can be crossed in two ways:
  1. Maintaining speed: Rolling a GAS die (white or orange) or the gear die from the previous turn.
  2. Reducing or accelerating: Rolling a lower or higher gear die. If a specific symbol appears, the driver ends their turn on the crossing and draws a card corresponding to their gear without losing control.

Special Maneuvers and Hazards

• Shortcuts: When taking a shortcut in gravel zones, three situations can occur:
  • Clean Shortcut: Marked with a black marker; subsequent drivers do not draw shortcut cards.
  • Dirty Shortcut: A mud marker is placed on the turn, and drivers draw a shortcut card.
  • Punctured Tire: The driver loses a GAS die (white or orange) and draws a shortcut card.
• Intersections: These can be treated as normal spaces or as jumps if crossed in a straight line. They can also be turns. Sliding is not allowed at intersections.
• Long Turns: Drivers can move between inner trajectory spaces and sliding (outer) spaces, as long as the car always moves forward.
• Jumps before Fords: If entered at the recommended speed, the car lands on the ford space. If entered at excessive speed, the car lands behind the ford.

Control and Damage

• Loss of Control: If control is lost at an intersection, the driver must reduce to 1st gear, turn at the space they reached, and head back in the correct direction.
• Recovery: After losing control on a long turn:
  • Inner trajectory: Standard rules apply.
  • First sliding space: Return from the first inner trajectory space.
  • Last sliding space: Return from the last inner trajectory space.
  • Middle sliding space: Return from the middle inner trajectory space (or the last if only two inner spaces exist).
• Damage Marking: Loss of dice is marked by covering symbols with a black marker from right to left. If no die symbol is available, the green light is covered.

End of Game and Scoring

Consult the manual for details about this section.

Tips for Winning

• Strategic Delay: Consider intentionally arriving late to Time Control Points (PKC) to receive a time penalty, which prevents you from starting as the Leader on gravel surfaces.
• Tire Selection: Use the Dashboard to align the red indicator with the road icon to ensure you are using the correct dice and reduction parameters for the current surface.
• Ford Management: When crossing a ford, be mindful that if you lose control, the terrain surrounding the space (rocks, forest, etc.) determines the penalty, not the water itself.