= Speedy Red's Racing Game
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*A card game for 2-4 players, ages 8+*

image::../assets/red-banner.svg[Speedy Red]

== Overview

Race to build the fastest valid path from START to FINISH! But watch out - some paths are blocked, and invalid paths don't count!

*Players:* 2-4
*Time:* 15-20 minutes
*Ages:* 8+ (Cuttle stage)

== What's In The Box

* 40 Path Cards (→ ← ↑ ↓)
* 10 Obstacle Cards (🪨)
* 5 Boost Cards (⚡)
* 4 START cards
* 4 FINISH cards
* 1 Track Board (4x6 grid)
* 1 Speedy Red standee
* Rules card

== Setup

1. Each player takes a START card
2. Shuffle Path, Obstacle, and Boost cards together
3. Deal 5 cards to each player
4. Place remaining cards as draw pile
5. Youngest player goes first

== How To Play

=== On Your Turn

1. **Draw** 1 card from the pile
2. **Play** 1-3 cards to build your path
3. **Discard** down to 7 cards if needed

=== Building Your Path

Place Path cards in a line starting from your START card:

----
START → → ↓ → → FINISH
----

*Rules:*

* Cards must connect! (→ followed by ← is invalid)
* You cannot go backwards through the same space
* Obstacles (🪨) BLOCK your path - you must go around
* Boosts (⚡) count as TWO moves in one card!

=== Valid vs Invalid Paths

[cols="1,1"]
|===
|✅ VALID |❌ INVALID

|START → → ↓ FINISH |START → ← FINISH (backtrack!)
|START ↓ → ⚡ FINISH |START 🪨 FINISH (blocked!)
|START → ↓ ↓ → FINISH |START → → → → (no finish!)
|===

=== Stealing & Blocking

* Play an Obstacle (🪨) on another player's path to block them!
* They must discard cards to go around
* You can only block once per turn

== Winning

First player to build a **valid path** from START to FINISH wins!

*Tiebreaker:* Fewest cards used (faster path!)

== Scoring Variant (For Longer Games)

Play 3 rounds. Score each round:

* **Finish first:** 5 points
* **Valid path:** 3 points
* **Each Boost used:** +1 point
* **Each Obstacle avoided:** +1 point

Highest score after 3 rounds wins!

== The Secret (Don't Tell the Kids!)

[NOTE]
====
*What they're learning:*

* **Valid sequences:** Some card orders work, some don't = syntax rules
* **Obstacles as errors:** Blocked paths = syntax errors
* **Finding shortest path:** Efficiency = algorithm optimization
* **Rules checking:** Valid vs invalid = parsing!

This is how computers read code - checking if the sequence of symbols follows the rules!
====

== Quick Reference Card

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VALID MOVES:
  → then → ✓
  → then ↓ ✓
  → then ↑ ✓

INVALID MOVES:
  → then ← ✗ (backtrack)
  through 🪨 ✗ (blocked)

SPECIAL:
  ⚡ = 2 moves!
  🪨 on opponent = block them!
----

== Variants

=== Tiny Track (Younger Kids)
Use a 3x3 grid. Remove obstacles. First to finish wins.

=== Maze Mode (Older Kids)
Pre-place obstacles on the board. All players navigate the same maze.

=== Speed Mode
Use a timer! 30 seconds per turn. Invalid paths on time-out.

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*Part of the Seven Tentacles Educational Framework*
*Teaching compiler architecture through play*
