Race Across The World Review

Based on the TV show of the same name, Race Across the World pits up to 6 players against each other as you make your way across entire continents faster than your opponents… the twist? You have to do it all for less than the cost of a plane ticket.

Ready, Set, Go…

Race Across the World is easy to learn, you simply give each player £900 and a random travel companion card (hope you don’t get paired with the Mother – she’s lovely I’m sure – but you’ll find replenishing your funds very difficult!). Choose whether you want a long game – London to Singapore, or a short one – Mexico to Argentina; and you’re ready to start.

No Flights Allowed

With just the cost of a one-way flight in your pocket, you use Planes, Trains and Automobiles (or your own feet) to get to your destination. The game is well-balanced and realistic when it comes to travelling – walking is free, but take a look at your dice and you’ll see this is not your regular D6. Different modes of transport have higher dice values depending on their speed – and faster transport comes at a price.

£150 for that boat that will cut out a long bus journey might seem worthwhile, but with the cost of Accommodation to think about at every stop, budgeting is essential.

Checkpoints

On your turn there are four things that might happen depending on your route and dice roll – You may land on a chance card and see how lucky you are whilst travelling unfamiliar lands; Accommodation stops will test your meeple’s ability to find cheap and clean lodgings; finding a job will let you earn a little extra cash (actually, a lot extra – I don’t know who’s paying you £240 to hand out leaflets, but their business model isn’t going to last long!); or reach a Checkpoint.

Just like in the show, reaching a checkpoint first gives you an advantage, whilst coming last means you trail even further behind.

Winner Takes All!

In Race Across the World, there’s no prize for second place, and no bonus points for money left over at the end. Spare no expense as you get closer to the finish-line and hope that you don’t have to fork out for a 5-star hotel!

Is It Worth My Time?

Race Across the World has a classic board-game feel to it. It’s quick to learn, accessible for all ages and has plenty of amusing scenarios on the chance cards to keep the family entertained. It’s the kind of game that’s great for a chilled board game evening with those friends that aren’t into Catan but who also don’t have the patience for Monopoly.

It’s not a heavily complex game, and there is a fair amount of chance – you can’t select the jobs you get or the accommodation you stay in, and therefore the budgeting part of the game is partially down to luck of the draw.

Like anything in life, Race Across the World has positives and negatives, but as long as you understand where this game is being pitched, it’s a great investment for casual game nights.

That being said, there are quite a few ‘House Rules’ that can elevate Race Across the World from a light-hearted game into a more challenging endeavour (more on this below).

What’s In The Box?

As you’d expect from a board game with TV show backing, the physical game is well-made. The board, the cards and the cash are all vibrant and clear. The rulebook is concise and well-structured and the meeples are… well they’re pretty standard to be fair. The game fits back into the box easily after play and the cards and cash are held securely so you don’t have to worry about sorting it out again when it falls off the shelf.

House Rules

House Rules are just that – it’s your house, play however you want to. The below are a few suggestions that you can try out to make Race Across the World suit your preference. I recommend playing the Rules As Written at least once to get a feel for the game the way the makers intended it, but after that, change it up however you see fit. Many of the House Rule suggestions are done with the intention of making the game closer resemble the TV show, but some just expand on where the classic rules are unclear.

Head Start – In Race Across the World, the teams wait at each checkpoint until every team has arrived. This isn’t the case in the board game version – you could be halfway across Paraguay before the Pink Meeple and their Uncle have left Mexico. The Head Start variant changes it so that all players wait until all the others are at a checkpoint, depending on the order which you arrived, you get certain bonuses. The first team to arrive leave a full turn ahead of all the others and get a larger cash prize (£50). This ensures there is plenty of incentive to get to checkpoints faster, but also ensures the game stays exciting all the way to the end – after all, there’s nothing more frustrating than knowing who’s going to win the game halfway through and having to play it out to be polite!

Knockout – In the TV show, the last contestants to reach a certain checkpoint are eliminated from the game. Assign a checkpoint at the start of the game to be the Knockout Point (Number 3 works well) – the last team to reach it are out of the game and have to watch from the sidelines. This works especially well in tandem with the Head Start rule and keeps the momentum up in the middle of the game.

Working 9 to 5 – The rules don’t specify whether you can stay at a job tile for more than one turn, but with the 9 to 5 rule, you definitely can! Sometimes funds are very low and it doesn’t make sense to leave a job after a single payment. Stay there an extra turn, make additional money and set out again with your funds replenished. I’d recommend using this house rule on its own as it can be easily exploited when used with the Head Start rule.

Taxi – Sometimes you need to make up time and can afford to spare no expense. Spend £250 taking a taxi directly from 1 mini-checkpoint to the next – no rolls necessary. Each team can only use this once per game and you can’t use it on the final stretch of the journey.

Wrap Up

Overall, Race Across the World is accessible, light-hearted fun with just enough strategy to make it interesting. If you’re looking for deep mechanics and complex tactics, this isn’t the game for that; but as an easy-thinker on a Sunday afternoon, or a chill game with a range of ages, this is ideal. Have a look at some possible House Rules to change it up and enjoy Racing Across the World.