How To Play DEMO DERBY SMASH-DOWN Demolition Derby Board Game!

Sample Game Play Sequence for PLAAY.com Sports Simulation Board Game

Let's play a few minutes of DEMO DERBY SMASH-DOWN! Everything you need to know to get started is explained fully in the game rules, but for our demonstration, we'll do a simple four-car showdown using drivers from the fictional American Demo Derby League driver card set. We've chosen Eric Lake, Andy Covington, Ed Smart, and Kenny Meeks, to take part in this sample sequence, so we spread their driver cards along the top of the play area(see illustration, below). Each driver is assigned his own car card; we just write the driver's last name in the box on the car card, and we're ready to go!

Sample driver cards for DEMO DERBY SMASH-DOWN Demolition Derby Simulation Board Game!

Shuffle the four car cards, and arrange them top-to-bottom in a column(as shown below), with the driver at the top of the column going first. first. As it turns out, our driver order will be Meeks, Lake, Smart and Covington. (In a typical, larger derby, there would be multiple columns, and the car cards would be shuffled after every turn, so that different match-ups and orders would occur as the event continues. But since we're only using four drivers, no additional shuffling will be needed here.)

Kenny Meeks, Eric Lake, Ed Smart and Andy Covington (above) are four of the drivers included in the American Demo Derby League card set for DEMO DERBY SMASH-DOWN Demolition Derby Simulation Board Game.

We roll the two dice--one colored and one white, read as a two-digit number with the colored die read first. In this case, it's a "21." Checking Kenny Meeks' driver card, we see that he's chosen his "Trunk Twister" maneuver, giving us a reading of three "X" symbols, followed by a "burst" symbol. In DEMO DERBY SMASH-DOWN's "crash-code," "X" symbolizes external damage to an opponent's car, while the "burst" symbol indicates that a driver has targeted the car in his group with the most amount of existing external damage. Since we just started the event, of course, no car has ANY damage. So, Meeks is free to hit any of the four other vehicles. We decide to send him into the rear of Covington's car, and pencil three "X" symbols on Covington's '72 Henry car card. Ouch! A big hit, right out of the gate!

Next, it's Eric Lake's turn to make a move. We roll a "43," which means Lake has chosen his "Door Buster" attack, resulting in an "X," an exclamation point, and another "burst." In "crash code," the exclamation point indicates internal damage done to an opponent's car. We already know what the "X" and "burst mean"--bad news for Covington, who is suddenly the "weakest car," thanks to Meeks' previous hit! We write another "X" on Covington's car card. He's already picked up four of the seven units of external damage he's allowed before his car is rendered immobile. In addition to that, though, we have to take away one of Covington's driver moves, to represent the effect of the internal damage called for by the exclamation point. We roll one die--it's a "3." That means for the rest of this event, Covington will be unable to execute his "Crank Shafter" attack because the internal damage to his car won't allow him do it! YIKES! We place a damage counter over the "Crank Shafter" area of Covington's card so we don't forget on future turns.

Sample car cards for DEMO DERBY Smash-Down Demolition Derby Simulation Board Game!

Now it's Ed Smart's turn. We roll a "44." Checking Smart's driver card, we read the word "CAR." That means we need to go to the CAR CHART for a result, which will be based on the car's current damage. The less damage, the more likely the driver can maneuver his car to get a lick in on his choice of drivers! In this case, Smart's car has NO damage, so the odds are pretty good. We roll a "1," resulting in an "X." But, WHO to hit? Well, since we're in "spectator mode," we could roll a die and leave it up to chance. But consider--Meeks and Lake have already HAD their turn, so it makes sense for Smart to smash into one of THEM, since they won't be able to retaliate this turn! Another point to consider is that another unit of damage on Covington would only make it easier for someone ELSE to get the "kill," later, and might prompt Covington to make a "payback" move on Smart on HIS turn! So--all things considered--we decide Smart should tag Meeks, and we pencil an "X" on Meeks' car card.

As we've seen, Covington's car has taken a couple of early shots and is already reeling. If we were playing in "participant mode," it might be a good time to play a strategy card to reduce the chances of further damage. But since we're in "spectator mode," we'll just roll the dice and hold our breath! A dice roll of "22" means Covington has gone with his "Frame Jammer," with a printed result of two "X's," an exclamation point, and a star symbol. The star symbol indicates that a driver has gone after the car in the column with the LEAST amount of damage. In this case, that means either Eric Lake's Luxus or Ed Smart's Normandy Wagon, neither of which has any damage--yet! THIS time we DO decide to roll a die--odd for Lake, even for Smart. We roll a "6," meaning Covington just smashed into Smart. We pencil in two "X's" on Smart's car card, and roll another die to see which move he'll lose due to the internal damage indicated by the exclamation point. It's a "1," so we place a plastic damage counter over the "Dink N Dunk" results on Smart's driver card.

That's the end of the first sequence--representing about a minute's worth of actual derby action. In later turns, as cars collect more damage and begin to move around the field slowly, a sequence can represent up to two minutes of real-time action. We'll leave our sample event at this point, with Covington's and Smart's cars already limping along, a good size dent in Meeks' car, and Lake holding an early advantage with a vehicle that is--for now--unscathed.

As the action unfolds, the drama builds! One by one, cars get eliminated from your event, as you watch every smash, bash and bell-ringer. A front-running car can suddenly stall out, leaving it open for repeated bashings from everyone else, and a quick and surprising "kill." A clever driver can coax extra life out of a barely-running vehicle, sometimes resulting in a shocking win as the "last car standing!" It's just like watching a REAL demolition derby!


Questions? Comments? We're always happy to help!
How long does it take to play a game? That depends on the size of the derby you're running; the fewer cars involved, the less time it will take. A typical twelve-car derby will take about twenty minutes to complete. Can this game be played solitaire? Yes, it's a great solitaire game! Can I create my own drivers? Yes and no. The instructions for creating your own drivers from scratch have not been published, but there is an available set of un-named, generic driver cards, which you can use to create your own driver universe. How long has this game been around? DEMO DERBY SMASH-DOWN was introduced in 2009.