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| Designers | John Howarth & Trevor Jones[1] |
|---|---|
| Publishers |
|
| Players | 2 to 6[1] |
| Setup time | 5 minutes |
| Playing time | 30 minutes[1] |
| Chance | Low (dice rolling) |
| Age range | 10 and up[1] |
Formula 1 is a motor racing themed board game designed by John Howarth and Trevor Jones and originally published by Waddingtons of Leeds, United Kingdom in 1962.[1]
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The following were included in the game box:[2]
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The game is unusual in that the dice are used only for deciding penalties; each player decides what speed (how many spaces on the track) their car travels each turn, the current speed being recorded on the speedometer.[2][3]
Each space represents 20 mph. Cars can accelerate by up to 60 mph (three spaces) per turn in increments of 20 mph. Corners have speed limits beyond which a car will spin off; excessive braking to avoid this will incur tyre wear and/or brake wear determined by rolling the dice and reading the result against a "Speed Reduction chart" printed on the board.[2][3]
When either tyre or brake wear becomes excessive acceleration and deceleration are limited until the car visits the pits to reset the gauges. On doing so a Pit card must be drawn to obtain either a small advantage or a small disadvantage.[2][3]
Playing a Tactic card at the start of ones turn will provide a small advantage e.g. a speed boost. Five are dealt to each player at the start of the game.[2][3]
When a car crosses the chequered line having completed the agreed number of laps it is finished. Play continues until the last player in the round has had their turn. The winner is the car furthest beyond the finish line.[2][1]
With few players or more than one game set it is possible to play using teams of cars.[3]
Strategy primarily involves:[2]
An original copy of the game is held by the Victoria and Albert Museum, a prominent art and design museum in London. The museum describes the game by saying "It was a success when released in 1962, and was released in various international editions throughout the next two decades."[4]
The British broadsheet newspaper the Daily Telegraph carried an online motoring-section article in 2004 noting that "In the 1970s, many a wet Saturday afternoon could happily be spent in your living room, ... Waddington's Formula 1 – the prince of all board games – on the floor."[5] and the following year the same column mentioned it as a recommended retro purchase.[6]
Reviews by board-game enthusiasts and special-interest sites include:
Formula 1 is, arguably, the benchmark against which all other motor racing board games must be measured. The reason is simple: skill is the predominant factor... The central idea that makes the game worthwhile is that movement is fully under player control... I never understood why they stopped making this game: if you ever see it anywhere, buy it.
— Dave Budd, [3]
The game's simplicity makes it accessible to younger players, whilst it remains enjoyable by adults. I just like the dashboards ;-)
— BoardGameGeek, [1]
The game continued to be bought and sold online in 2015.