Overview

Cthulhu 500 is a card-driven racing game blending HP Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos with motorsport insanity. Each player controls a vehicle, maneuvering through a pack of racers. Players pass opponents to advance through the pack, and when the pack leader passes the rear vehicle, they earn a lap counter. The player with the most lap counters when the Checkered Flag card is drawn wins.

Components

• 16 Vehicle cards (8 matched pairs: pack marker + schematic)
• 26 Action cards
• 17 Crew cards
• 18 Mod cards
• 8 Tires cards
• 24 Reaction cards
• 1 Checkered Flag card
• Lap counters (beads, coins, or chips – not included)
• At least 1 six-sided die (one per player recommended)

Setup

1. Separate Vehicle cards and sort into 8 pairs by vehicle name. Distribute or let players choose matched pairs.
2. Place pack marker Vehicle cards (undamaged side up) in any order in the center of the table to form the pack. Place schematic Vehicle cards in front of each player, undamaged side up.
3. Find the Checkered Flag card and place it face up as the first card in the discard pile.
4. Shuffle the remaining deck and deal 5 cards to each player.
5. Place the rest of the deck face down as the draw pile.
6. Determine Pack Order: Each player secretly selects cards from their hand to discard. All reveal simultaneously. Player who discarded the most becomes pack leader; fewest goes to the back. Ties are broken by die rolls. Discarded cards go to the discard pile.
7. The player at the back of the pack goes first; turns proceed clockwise.

Turn Structure

On a player’s turn, in order:

1. Take 2 Actions (from: play an Action card, add pit crew, make a passing attempt, make a pit stop)
2. Discard any number of cards from hand
3. Draw up to 2 cards (hand maximum normally 5)

Reaction cards may be played at any time their trigger occurs, regardless of whose turn it is.

Actions

Play an Action Card: Take an Action card from hand, follow its directions, then discard it. Spell cards are Action cards with “Spell” in the title bar.

Add Pit Crew: Play a Crew card from hand face up next to your schematic Vehicle card as a pit crew member. Pit crew size is unlimited. You may also play a Crew card into another player’s pit crew.

Make a Passing Attempt: Roll a passing test against the vehicle immediately ahead. The pack leader tests against the rear vehicle, earning a lap counter on success.

• Passing Test: Both players roll 1d6, adding their vehicle’s Speed, driver’s Drive score, and bonuses from Mods, Tires, Actions, and Reaction cards. Higher total passes; if the defender is higher, no change. A tie means no change but both vehicles become damaged (flip to damaged side).
• Automatic Pass: No roll needed, no action spent; the pass succeeds automatically.
• Free Pass: No action spent, but the passing test roll is still made.

Make a Pit Stop: Announce a pit stop (costs 1 action). The vehicle immediately behind you gets a free passing test against you. Then choose one:

• Add a Mod: Attach a Mod card from hand (max 2 Mods per vehicle; discard one to make room). Sponsor cards are Mods with “Sponsor” in the title.
• Add Tires: Attach a Tires card from hand (max 1 per vehicle; replaces existing).
• Add a Driver: Attach a Crew card from hand or pit crew as your driver (max 1; existing driver returns to pit crew). Driver’s Drive score aids passing tests.
• Repair Damage: Roll 1d6 + total Fixit scores of all pit crew. If result >= vehicle’s Complexity, flip Vehicle cards back to undamaged side.

Reaction Cards: Played from hand in response to a triggering event (stated in red text on the card). No action required. Resolved in order played. If contradictory Reactions respond to the same event, only the first takes effect. The Ia! Ia! card cancels on a “last in, first out” basis.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

• The Checkered Flag starts in the discard pile. When the draw pile is exhausted, shuffle the discard pile (including the Checkered Flag) to form a new draw pile.
• When the Checkered Flag is drawn from the new draw pile, the race ends immediately.
• The vehicle with the most lap counters wins. Ties are broken by pack position (closest to front wins).
• Players may not count cards remaining in the draw pile, but eyeballing is allowed.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• The pack is circular: the pack leader and the rear vehicle are adjacent to each other.
• Damage: Vehicles have undamaged and damaged sides with different stats. Damaged vehicles can still race and pass.
• Additional Damage (already damaged): The damaged vehicle is automatically passed by the vehicle behind it; it does not become “more damaged.”
• Two Damaged Vehicles: If adjacent damaged vehicles are simultaneously damaged again, they swap places.
• Damaged Passing Vehicle: If a damaged vehicle attempts to pass and both take new damage, the attempt fails and the vehicle behind both moves ahead of both.
• Damaged Vehicle Being Passed: If an undamaged vehicle passes a damaged vehicle and both take new damage, the pass succeeds and the vehicle behind the passer follows through.
• Fungi/Zombie Crew: Crew cards with “Fungi” or “Zombie” in their name have special synergies with other cards.
• Contagion Mechanic (Black Plague, Gremlins): When a contagion’s victim is discarded and a new target is chosen, the new target is not discarded right away – it is discarded at the end of its owner’s next turn.

Player Reference

Action	Description
Play Action Card	Follow card directions, discard
Add Pit Crew	Play Crew card to pit crew area
Passing Attempt	Roll d6 + Speed + Drive + bonuses vs opponent
Pit Stop	Free pass for vehicle behind, then: add Mod/Tires/Driver or Repair

Formula	Calculation
Passing Test Total	Die + Speed + Driver’s Drive + Mods + Tires + Actions + Reactions
Repair Test	Die + Pit Crew Fixit totals vs Complexity

• Hand limit: 5 cards
• 2 actions per turn, then discard, then draw up to 2
• Lap counters = victory; pack position breaks ties