Outta my way! 

You know Through the Ages? There’s another game, lesser known called ROLL through the ages that I’m a big fan. It shares the name of the mighty Through the Ages and is a Civ game without a map but the similarities stop there. It’s a sort of Yahtzee style game but a very good one with a race element and a reasonable amount of cock blockery to make it more than a solo experience. I have a copy of it. I recommend you try it. There’s a few versions of it now, Bronze Age, Iron Age. It a Goody. Which brings me on to Chariot Race. 

Chariot race is SIMILAR to Roll Through the Ages insofar as it’s a Yahtzee style game. The only reason I mention it really is RTTA is a cracker of a game and very overlooked. Anyhoe. Chariot Race does exactly what it says on the tin. Up to six players duke it out in a race to the finish (if you even get that far) of two laps around a Ben Hur style track. Along the way you can knock the shite out of your opponents whilst doing a fair impression of knocking the shite out of yourself by running over caltrops, driving the horses too hard and Corning like a Rally driver. 

The map board is made up of a circular track three spaces wide and around twenty long all you need to do is make if around twice to the finish line to win. First obviously. To facilitate this (great word) you roll a fist of five dice with various symbols for changing speed, gaining favor, changing lanes, flogging the horses and “offensively inconveniencing” your fellow players.  
Each player starts with either a generic chariot or one a bit skewed in one direction. The chariots come with three different stats which are recorded on the side with little plastic paper clips things. They are favor (used to repair the chariot and adjust dice rolls), hit points and current speed which dictates how many dice you can roll. The faster your chariot is thundering along the less dice and therefore less control you have of it. It’s a simple and neat mechanic. The question is how much will you push your luck or more importantly how much will your opponent. In the games I played way too much is the answer. 
The game is an all cardboard affair. It screams out for a deluxe or pimped out copy but for the cost it’s worth the entry fee. 
Games are fast and brutal (or just brutal depending on your viewpoint). It’s pure filler and ten or fifteen mins will see you home and hosed possibly wanting more. The game is cheap and cheerful but it more than fit for purpose. I like it. I’m not aware of a whole lot of filler race games and I like a race game. 

Some of you will love it some not. It’s a real marmite affair. Doesn’t matter it’s short and it’s sweet. Try it out at Knavecon and see what you think
Huzzah!
Vic.