Introduction

Hello and welcome to Big Mike’s Garage! This is a fantasy racing league of a bit of a different sort, for a couple of reasons. Firstly, instead of using real data and real drivers to draft for a season, we’re generating that race data ourselves. Not by risking our lives on the track though, but from the safety of our armchairs using Rallyman GT and Rallyman Dirt to simulate races. This allows us freedom to develop tournaments and races that would be dangerous or implausible in real life.

That doesn’t mean this is going to be a spreadsheet (though we do have one for tracking!), but a series of “session reports” to update on how a race event went, complete with pictures and details broken down by turn.

Hazel

Hey, we’re here too!

Fisher

I’m Fisher, and this is my sister Hazel. We’ll be announcing the races.

Hazel

And providing color commentary. I mean, isn’t the fanfare part of the thrilling experience?

Fisher

And hopefully it’s easier to follow in the turn-by-turns. Round-by-round? It depends on if you mean game turn or a TURN in the track.

Hazel

For this first series — The Golden Honor Inaugural Cup — we’re going to be running a couple of events to test out formatting, and then do a Final Race for the Golden Honor Inaugural Cup itself.

Fisher

For the Mini Car Expo itself we’re using the standard Rallyman GT rules for the gameplay with the following considerations only:

Event Rules

• AS ALL THINGS SHOULD BE: This is a mixed spec race. Racers use the stats for GT4, GT5 BOP, and GT6 BOP.
• HEATED WHEELS: All racers go FLAT OUT each turn but gain no Focus. Course trajectory is laid out after the roll is made, and caution results are still observed.
• NON-ALCOHOLIC: This race is for fun and not meant to be too serious. Rules judgement and enforcement is relaxed accordingly. 

Hazel

Despite the number of people in the announcers booth, this is a solo play league so these guidelines are an attempt to keep things even and interesting and not show favoritism to a singular racer or anything weird like that. There are teams that we’ll introduce later (you can see some of their logos around the track if you look) so that we can watch season standings as well. This race is all Free Agents who will be tracking stats as individuals only.

Fisher

While we don’t need more hands on the dice — or on our cars — we do absolutely love feedback! If there are more considerations we should be looking at, from better ways to understand the rules or how to tweak the next event, PLEASE speak up so we can make changes!

Hazel

That’s right! Even if it’s just on how to get the race updates better distributed, we wanna hear it! Speaking of opening up, why don’t we share what these races will look like?

Fisher

We did some preliminary testing in a virtual environment, and haven’t given up on that yet, but today’s event is a tabletop event. On an actual tabletop!

Hazel

This is a great shot of Candlekeep Cove Raceway, our motor arena in the Microcity area, just south of Metro City! As we get more time logged on the track we’re going to be making improvements to the raceway. These won’t all be called out as they happen, but again we’re just settling in so if you see a better way to show something we’re all ears.

Fisher

That joke is only funny if anyone knows your nickname is Rabbit, but you aren’t the only one around here with clever nicknames! All our racers have names and callsigns so that you can easily remember your favorites. In this particular race we have a “colorful” trio who have been lined up in a starting lineup that was drawn randomly:

STARTING POSITIONS

1. Jamie ‘Doc’ Lowery In the brown Rat Rod (GT4)
2. Theodore ‘Prancer’ Griffith In the gray Recluse (GT5 BOP)
3. Myra ‘Coyote’ Flowers In the silver Paso Fino (GT6 BOP)

Fisher

We gotta be careful about saying the word “car” because I can already see other vehicles being brought into this as the stats are pretty flexible. As the briefest of overviews, the black squares – Gear Dice – are the numbered dice that determine how FAST a vehicle can go.

Hazel

The not-filled-in white die are Coast Dice which can help a vehicle go FURTHER. Red Brake Dice and green Boost Dice allow you to move up and down gears quicker than normal, as it’s usually a one-step-at-a-time thing.

Fisher

This should be interesting as the fastest vehicle, that GT-6 is in the back and the slower and perhaps steadier GT-4 is out in the first position.”

Hazel

Enough stalling! Let’s get our first race underway!

CANDLEKEEP COVE RACEWAY – CUSTOM TRACK (DRY)

Round 1

Fisher

Peeling off the starting line first is Doc Lowry in the Rat Rod.

Hazel

Marking the first time a doctor has ever been early, I’m sure.

Fisher

This course opens up to a pretty soft turn but it’s kind of a trap as the follow up is brutal. We are making sure when trajectories are laid out they take corners into account.

Hazel

So are the caution results from dice. Because all the dice are rolled before being laid out there are going to be times where a roll has more than that the limit of caution results, but in dice that can’t be put into the planning anyways so we aren’t counting those.

Fisher

The dice pictured SHOULD represent what dice and results that are applicable to the roll, so we’ll try to show when caution results are gained and used to see how close someone got to crashing.

Hazel

Not that we have to worry about that with Theodore Griffith in the gray Recluse crawling right up to the GT-4 and overtaking it only to brake into the turn.

Fisher

The GT-5 has an early lead, but the faster GT-6 will get a chance to speak their piece first… or try before being blocked and stopping short. You can see the caution in Gear 2 though.

Round 2

Hazel

Myra Flowers in the GT-6 despite being in the back is in the highest gear thus going fastest and is able to serpentine through!

Fisher

Cheering is short lived as we see our first wipe out of the race as Doc Lowry catches up to Coyote’s Paso Fino but facing the wrong way!

Hazel

Hopefully Doc is okay! OH MY GOODNESS NO! Prancer in the GT-5 tried to assert themselves and they’ve swept into the siderails as well!

Hazel

The showroom is off to the right, which may be where we need to look for new racers if no one can finish the race!

Round 3

Fisher

Kind of an easy turn for Myra Flowers, able to blast right up to the front in a great position, despite what could have been a third catastrophic maneuver in as many moves.

Hazel

We’re going to have a safety meeting about this, aren’t we?

Fisher

More of a rules-conference to make sure we are being both safe and as accurate as we can be.

Round 4

Hazel

We have a great overhead shot showing a bit more about what’s going on. Myra Flowers in the silver Paso Fino will go first in Round 4 with that 6th gear with Theodore Griffith in the gray Recluse is back on the track and moving second with Doc Jamie Lowry limping along in the Rat Rod.

Fisher

Myra better be careful though; just because she’s on the track doesn’t mean she’ll escape the eyes of the law. It looks like Officer Burnhame from Metro City Police Department is waiting at a speed trap to enforce the corner speeds. Exceeding the circle-marked speeds will result in an automatic loss of control.

Hazel

Those Brake Dice weren’t caution results, but Gear 3 and 4 were! Coyote is out in an absolutely commanding lead right now!

Fisher

Something that’s likely to get even better as the gray Recluse puts the pedal down, all the way into a full loss of control!

Hazel

Not only did Prancer fail ungracfully, he also lost control in 5th gear on a track section marked orange, meaning two damage tokens have to be pulled.

Fisher

The first one looks a lot like a green flag indicating the driver and vehicle are OK! And the second is a yellow flag, meaning no one can pass the GT-5 until they get back on the road.

Hazel

Prancer doesn’t seem to be in much danger of that though. Turtle to the hare, Lowry looks pretty relaxed. Does he know there’s a race on?

Round 5

Fisher

Being in top gear means Coyote goes first, but that sharp turn says ‘not for long’ as Myra brakes hard and picks a careful path.

Hazel

Here we start to see maybe the GT-4 has more under the hood as that seemingly slow pace was finding that middle cruising speed to success.

Fisher

If you need to be in the middle between “a car going fast” and “a car not moving at all” then sure but this does put Doc in the highest gear with great placement.

Round 6

Hazel

Doc only needed to tap the breaks but was a bit overzealous, getting a caution on the Brake Die but the rest of the trip is a smooth one leading right through to the next obstacle.

Fisher

Coyote shows she can do anything Doc can do but better, pulling up even but on the inside of the turn and in a faster gear.

Hazel

Prancer cutting a line straight and true with a little Boost to make up for all the horseplay so far. Reindeerplay?

Fisher

Tis the season, I guess. But maybe there is some holiday magic to Prancer, as it could still be anybody’s race!

Round 7

Hazel

Coyote makes a break for it, screaming by the garage. If she’s not careful, she’ll end up there for repairs!

Fisher

Doc can make up the distance, but not the speed. I don’t think it’ll be enough and that dotted line in front of him is gonna make the next round very interesting for him as well!

Hazel

Prancer coming up as well, but blocked.

Round 8

Fisher

Coyote showing off at the hairpin braking all the way from 6 to 2 and getting two warnings when all said and done!

Hazel

This gave the Recluse an opening to catch up though!

Fisher

Doc has nowhere to go and gets there safely. That takes us right into the crossroads of the 9th Turn of the track and the 9th Tu-ROUND of the race!

Round 9

Hazel

Ever the daredevil, the GT-6 gets two cautions on the way past Officer King to the final Turn of the track. It’s worth noting that while the Paso Fino is actually specced as GT-6 BOP to be balanced alongside the GT-5 and GT-4, where the law enforcement cruiser is not tuned down and remains a full-power GT-6.

Fisher

Prancer is ready for the final showdown as well, making pace!

Hazel

These tight corners choking these racers to a halt, with the GT-4 keeping up but not being able to do anything about it. Sad trombone!

Round 10

Fisher

This is it, last bloody turn and then just a skip to the line. Coyote out of the turn first, but not quite to the end!

Hazel

Like Kirk whipping the Enterprise around the sun, Theodore ‘Prancer’ Griffith is first over the checkered line in the gray Recluse GT-5! Adding insult to injury, not even using the green Boost Die to do it.

Fisher

The GT-4 is able to pass the GT-6, but not cross over the line thus securing Prancer’s victory.

Hazel

Correct. While yes obviously the first racer over the checkered line is the winner, if another racer crosses the line in the same turn but in a faster gear that does pull a faster time. Not an issue here though.

Round 11

Fisher

The Rat Rod claims 2nd place, being further along than the same-gear Coyote.

Hazel

Coyote, like her namesake, is beaten by the road runners she hoped to have for dinner.

WINNERS CIRCLE

Fisher

Here we have our winners!

WINNERS CIRCLE

1. Theodore ‘Prancer’ Griffith In the gray Recluse (GT5 BOP)
2. Jamie ‘Doc’ Lowery In the brown Rat Rod (GT4)
3. Myra ‘Coyote’ Flowers In the silver Paso Fino (GT6 BOP)

Hazel

Until next race, drive safe!

Fisher

And make good choices!

And that’s it for our first race! Please add comments on what we can do better! We’re already working on Bridge Mark III (because of course we are) and if all goes well, you’ll see it in action in our next event!