Powerboats

About this board game

Powerboats is a powerboat racing game for 2–6 players, with races lasting about 60 minutes. First released in 2008, it uses three-sided dice and an innovative rolling mechanic to simulate movement across the water.

Players compete over a series of three races, aiming to score the most points while avoiding too much damage to their boats. The double-sided modular board offers easier or more difficult challenges, and buoys are placed on the course to mark the points boats must pass during each race.

Movement in Powerboats is built around decisions that carry from one turn to the next. A player keeps the dice from their previous turn and may add or subtract a die to accelerate or slow down. Any or all of the dice can then remain at their current values or be rerolled, creating a balance between maintaining momentum and taking a new chance.

• Choose a travel direction: straight ahead or one hex side—60 degrees—to the left or right.
• Use the rolling mechanic to control speed and movement on the water.
• Deal with damage when the complete distance of a move cannot be travelled.
• Score points across three races as the buoy positions change.

Careful handling matters because too much damage will sink a powerboat and penalise its player in the next race. After each race, the buoys change positions, presenting a new course to navigate before the final scores are calculated.

With its changing layouts, persistent dice choices, and risk of damage, Powerboats makes every move a contest between speed and control. A scoring variant for two players is included in the rules.