TOUR DE FRANCE
(Das spannende Radrenn-Spiel)
Harry Riester, Germany, 1994

Independant German game with very nice well-painted metal riders, but quite disappointing rules. There are, of course, lots of cycling games that are just a game of goose, but this is the firs one (as far as I know) to have Pacheesi (aka Ludo) rules. (I said this one did not count as a cycling game).

"Tour de France" is an ambitius game, though. It includes a long of time-keeping boards, riders lists to personalize your game experience... You are supposed to play a full cycling season, including 8 one-day classics, 2 short tours, 3 long tours and the world championship.(!)

Unfortunately, the game mechanics do not stand the challenge. The rules are absolutely un-cyclist (maybe there is something I missed? My German is quite poor: they even looked incomplete to me).

 

The player can choose which rider advances with the throw of the die. The dice are marked 1-2-3-4-5-POWER. The riders start in the coloured boxes. They can only enter the road when the players throw "POWER".  It is mandatory to do so until at least three riders of the team are in the race. After that, when a player throws "POWER", he may enter another rider in the race or advance 12 one of the already running riders.

Although there are specific rules for mountain sections (if a rider is on a narrow mountain section, the player must advance only this rider until he leaves the section -otherwise he would block the road!)

What is worse: To reach the finish line you need an exact throw! (And if a player throws a number that brings a rider exactly to the finishing line, he must muve that rider).

I am not saying this is a bad game (in fact, I love Pachisi!), but the rules are definetely non-cycling. Which is really a pity.

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