Spring Rally

About this board game

Spring Rally is a 3–5-player toy car racing game that takes about 30 minutes to play. Using trick-taking mechanisms, players guide squeaking spring-powered cars around a racing track while competing to complete two laps first.

The game lasts three rounds. In each round, every player plays a rally card from their hand, and the cards determine how the cars progress. Winning a trick lets you move your car by the lowest number shown on a card played during that round.

Players who do not win the trick get a different advantage: they wind up their spring. A well-wound spring can provide a powerful boost when its owner eventually wins a trick. This creates an appealing balance between advancing now and saving energy for a bigger move later.

• Play rally cards through a trick-taking system.
• Move your car when you win a trick.
• Wind your spring when another player wins.
• Manage your spring carefully, since winding more than needed can make it stop working.

Timing is the heart of Spring Rally. Avoiding a trick may leave you behind temporarily, but it also gives you the chance to build momentum. On the other hand, winning at the wrong moment—or winding too much—can cause your plans to go wrong.

Keep your spring under control, choose when to push forward, and race around the track twice before your opponents. Spring Rally was released in 2018 and offers a playful take on card-driven racing.