Race for the Chinese Zodiac

About this board game

Race for the Chinese Zodiac is a board game for 3–5 players that recreates the legendary Great Race in about 70 minutes. Each player guides an animal across the racetrack, hoping to be the first to complete the race and earn the honor of having the first year of the Chinese Zodiac named after it.

Players begin by selecting an animal token and taking its corresponding animal card, which grants an advantage during the race. Every player also receives eight action cards numbered 1–8, energy cards with different values, and karma tokens. At the center of the table, a dual-layered, double-sided action wheel determines how effective each selected action will be.

• Choose an action card and an energy card each turn.
• Reveal selections simultaneously with the other players.
• Resolve actions according to the wheel’s current orientation.
• Gain movement, energy cards, and karma when your actions allow.
• Rotate the wheel clockwise by one space before the next turn.

Your played action card also affects future choices. If your new action is one value lower than your previously played card, you must spend one karma token; dropping by two or more values costs two karma tokens. This makes the timing of your selections important as the rotating wheel changes the effectiveness of each action.

With simultaneous card selection, shifting action values, energy management, animal advantages, and a race toward the finish, Race for the Chinese Zodiac presents the Great Race as a contest of carefully chosen actions. The first animal to complete the racetrack claims the coveted place at the beginning of the zodiac cycle.