Overview

Gravwell is a gravity-based racing game where players pilot spaceships trying to escape from a black hole. Ships move toward the nearest object (usually another ship), creating unpredictable movement as other players’ actions change the gravitational landscape. Players draft fuel cards and play them simultaneously, with card initiative determined alphabetically (A-Z). The first player to reach the Warp Gate at space #54 wins.

Components

• 1 game board (spiral track with 54 spaces)
• 26 Fuel Cards (lettered A through Z)
• 4 Emergency Stop! cards (one per player color)
• 6 spaceship miniatures with bases (4 player ships + 2 derelicts)
• 1 round-tracking pawn
• 1 rulebook

Setup

1. Place the game board in the center of the table.
2. Place 2 derelict ships on yellow spaces (#26 and #36). In a 2-player game, use only 1 derelict on space #36.
3. Place round-tracking pawn on “Start” bubble.
4. Each player chooses a color, places their ship in the Singularity (center), and takes their matching Emergency Stop! card (face up).
5. Shuffle 26 Fuel Cards. Deal stacks of 2 cards (1 face-down, 1 face-up on top) equal to the number of players x 3.
6. Place unused cards face down away from play.

Turn Structure

The game is played over up to 6 Rounds. Each Round:

1. Draft Phase

• Round 1: Youngest player drafts first, then youngest to oldest.
• Rounds 2-6: Player farthest from Warp Gate drafts first (last place to first place). Ties in Singularity: youngest drafts first.
• Each draft pick = 1 stack of 2 cards. Draft continues until all stacks taken (each player gets 6 cards).

2. Six Movement Phases

Each Movement Phase:

1. All players simultaneously choose 1 Fuel Card from hand and place it face down.
2. Reveal all cards simultaneously.
3. Resolve cards in alphabetical order (A first, Z last).
4. Discard resolved cards.

3. End of Round

• Flip Emergency Stop! cards face up (ready for next round).
• Shuffle all 26 Fuel Cards and re-deal for the next round.
• Advance round-tracking pawn.

Actions

Standard Movement

• Move your ship the number of spaces shown on your card toward the nearest spaceship (including derelicts).
• You may move past other ships, counting their space normally.

Repulsor Movement (purple cards)

• Move away from the nearest spaceship by the card’s number.

Tractor Beam (teal cards)

• Your ship does NOT move. Instead, move each other spaceship (including derelicts) toward you by the card’s number.
• Move nearest ship first, then work outward.
• Players cannot use Emergency Stop! against Tractor Beam movement.

Emergency Stop!

• Once per round, when your Fuel Card’s initiative comes up, you may flip your Emergency Stop! card face down instead of resolving your Fuel Card.
• Your Fuel Card is discarded without effect. Other players resolve normally.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

• Win: First player to enter (land on or pass) the Warp Gate at space #54.
• Tiebreaker: If no player reaches the Warp Gate after 6 rounds, the player nearest to it wins.
• Only one player can escape.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Equidistant tie (nearest ship): Count total ships (including derelicts) on each side. Majority side determines direction. If that count is also tied, you do not move at all.
• Do not count ships in the Singularity for equidistant ties or tiebreaking.
• Landing on another ship: If you end your movement on another spaceship’s space, move 1 additional space past them to the next empty space.
• Landing on a derelict: Same rule – move additional spaces to next empty space.
• Singularity rules: Ships in the Singularity do not cause gravity. Standard movement from Singularity moves you forward. Repulsor in Singularity = no movement. Tractor Beam in Singularity still pulls other ships toward you.
• Tractor Beam order: Move nearest ship first, then next nearest. If distance tied, move the one nearest to Singularity first. Turn ships 90 degrees to track which have been moved.
• Moving past ships mid-move: Count their space but do not get the “free extra space” – that only applies when ending movement on an occupied space.
• Draft order in Rounds 2-6: Based on board position (last place drafts first). If multiple players in Singularity, use age order.

Player Reference

Card Type	Color	Effect
Standard	Normal	Move toward nearest ship
Repulsor	Purple	Move away from nearest ship
Tractor Beam	Teal	Pull all other ships toward you
Emergency Stop!	Player color	Cancel your Fuel Card this phase (once/round)

Key numbers:

• Board: 54 spaces to Warp Gate
• Hand size: 6 cards per round
• Movement Phases per round: 6
• Max rounds: 6
• Derelict positions: spaces #26 and #36 (1 derelict at #36 in 2-player)

Draft: Players x 3 stacks, 2 cards each (1 face-down, 1 face-up)