I hate reading rulebooks and compiled this How to Play Thunder Road Vendetta rules to help get your game started quickly with minimal hassle.
If you are looking for an overview, click here to get a quick summary of the gameplay, game mechanics, videos and find out what makes the game fun and suitable for you.

Objective

• Be the first to cross the finish line or be the last player with operable cars.

Components

• Damage tokens, Command boards, Dashboards, Cars, Choppers, Movement dice, Hazard tokens, Wreck figures, Road tiles, Finish line tile, FX dice (Shooting, Slam, Direction, Stunt, Road dice).

Setup

1. Choose a starting rear road tile: either “1a: The Parking Lot” or “1b: Runway to Ruin” and place it on the table. Shuffle the remaining road tiles to create a draw pile. Draw the top tile from the pile and place it in front of the rear road tile to be the middle road tile. Draw another tile to be the lead road tile. Leave the remaining tiles in the draw pile and place the finish line nearby.
2. Shuffle the hazard tokens without looking at them. Place one hazard token face down on each hazard space on all three tiles.Place the remaining tokens face down in a pile near the play area. On the starting tile, place hazard tokens only on the hazard spaces corresponding to the number of players.
3. Shuffle and place damage tokens.
4. Place FX dice near the play area.
5. Each player selects a color and takes the corresponding components.
6. Roll movement dice to determine the first player. Player with lowest total is the first player of the first round.
7. The first player takes the road die, rolls it, and places it near the board visible to all players

Game Board

• Consists of three tiles: rear, middle, and lead.
• Cars move from rear to middle to lead.
• Rear tile is removed when a car moves off the lead tile’s front edge.

Vehicles

• Cars: Three sizes (small, medium, large), each with unique capabilities.
• Choppers: Each crew has a chopper in their crew’s color. Choppers are vehicles but not cars: they can’t be shot, don’t take damage, and don’t slam into other vehicles. However, choppers can shoot and eliminate any car (including your own) that ends a turn in their space.

Car Damage

• Cars take damage from hazards or being shot.
• Two damage tokens render a car inoperable.
• Inoperable cars can be repaired.
• Cars are eliminated if they enter impassable spaces, end turn with a chopper, or leave the board edges.

Terrain

• Various space types: Road, Off-Road, Muddy, Impassable, Hazard.
• Cars move differently depending on terrain.

Obstacles

• Obstacles include road vehicles, choppers, hazard tokens (face-up or face-down), and impassable spaces.
• Spaces without obstacles are empty spaces.

Rules for Entering Spaces with Obstacles:

• Occupied Space:
  • A space with a road vehicle.
  • If a car enters a space with another road vehicle (even your own), it loses remaining moves.
  • Stack it on top of the vehicle and resolve the slam.
• Chopper:
  • May pass through a space with a chopper without effect.
  • If a vehicle ends a turn in a space with a chopper (normal movement, slam, or damage), the vehicle is eliminated.
• Face-Down Hazard:
  • If a vehicle moves into a space with a face-down hazard token, immediately flip the hazard face up and resolve it.
• Face-Up Hazard:
  • If a vehicle enters a space with a face-up hazard, immediately resolve the hazard.
• Impassable Space:
  • A vehicle that enters an impassable space is eliminated

Hazards

• Resolved when a car moves onto a hazard token.
• Types include Wreck, Mine, Road, Mud, Oil Slick.

Gameplay

Start of round

Al.l players roll their four movement dice. (On the first round, use the dice you rolled during setup when determining the first player.) Players will use these dice to move their operable cars and activate
one command per round. The first player also rolls the road die

On your turn

Perform steps in order:

1. Assign a die to a car.
2. Activate a command (once per round).
3. Move the car.
4. Shoot with the car (if able).

Assign

• Assign an unused movement die to an operable car that has not been moved this round.
• Place the die in the center of the car’s dashboard.
• The number on the die determines how many spaces the car will mov
• If no cars are available, assign an unused movement die to the coast space on a previously moved car.
• Do not assign a die to coast if an operable car has not been moved.
• A car can be assigned to coast a maximum of two times.
• Two pips next to the coast space serve as a reminder.
• Once per round, in addition to assigning a die to a car, you may assign an unused movement die to a command on your command board.
• Some commands require the movement die to have a specific number.
• You may not assign a die to a command on a turn you are coasting

Command

• Activate the command assigned a die.
• Resolve the command’s effect on your command board.
• The command activates before the assigned car moves.

Move

• First Round:
  • Each car’s initial move is onto a space on the back edge of the rear tile.
  • Car gains moves equal to the assigned movement die.
  • Car must move into one of the three spaces in its front arc unless an effect changes its direction.
• General Movement Rules:
  • Car must move the full amount unless it loses moves due to an effect.
  • Car can move through spaces with a chopper.
  • If car enters a space with a face-down hazard, flip it face up and resolve it.
  • Car loses remaining moves when it takes damage.
  • If car moves onto a space with another road vehicle, it slams into it, loses remaining moves, and the slam is resolved.

Road Die

• Rolled by the first player at the start of the round.
• Gives a bonus to cars staying on the road during movement.
• After moving, if car stayed on road spaces, it may gain moves equal to the road die.
• Bonus movement is optional and must use the full amount if used.

Example:

Tony’s car moves 6 spaces on the road, then gains 3 extra moves from the road die.

Moves 2 more spaces, reveals a wreck hazard, removes the token, places a wreck figure, loses remaining moves, and resolves the slam.

Coast

• Car moves exactly 1 space regardless of the movement die.
• Cannot use the road die.
• Can shoot if there is a target after moving.

Slam

• Occurs when two road vehicles are stacked in the same space due to movement, hazards, or damage effects.
• The moving vehicle loses any remaining moves.
• Resolve the slam immediately.

• Slam Resolution Steps:
  1. Roll the slam die and direction die to determine which vehicle moves and in what direction.
  2. If one vehicle is larger, its owner may reroll both dice once, even if inoperable or owned by the same player.
  3. Move the affected vehicle 1 space in the indicated direction.
  4. If this movement causes another slam, resolve it until each space has only one vehicle.
• Example:
  • Tony’s medium car is on top of a wreck.
  • Dice roll results: BOTTOM + FRONT LEFT.
  • Tony is satisfied and chooses not to reroll.

Moving off the front of the board

• Final tile:
  • If it was the final tile and the car moved onto the finish line, the game ends and that player wins.
  • 2 players:
    • The fifth tile is the final tile if one player isn’t eliminated beforehand.
    • Add the finish line.
  • 3 or more players:
    • When one player is out of the game, the lead road tile becomes the final tile.
    • Add the finish line.
    • If this occurs while moving off the front of the board, place the new lead tile, which is now the final one.

• Not the final tile:
  • Update the board:
    1. Eliminate all cars on the rear tile.
    2. Discard all hazard tokens on the rear tile.
    3. Return all choppers on the rear tile to their respective players.
    4. Remove the rear tile, flip it, and place it at the bottom of the road tile draw pile.
    5. Slide the middle and lead tiles backward (they become the rear and middle tiles, respectively).
    6. Place the top tile from the draw pile in front of the middle tile (it becomes the lead tile).
       • Place random hazard tokens face down on double triangle spaces.
       • Shuffle and make a new pile if needed.
    7. Check if the new tile is the final tile.
    8. If the car has remaining moves, it continues moving.

Shoot

• First Round:
  • Skip this step (guns not online until the second round).
• Shooting Rules:
  • The moved car or placed chopper may shoot.
  • Shoot a road vehicle in the front arc of your car or chopper.
  • If multiple targets are available, choose one.
  • Cannot shoot choppers.
  • May shoot wrecks (treated as inoperable small cars; eliminated if damaged).
  • May shoot after resolving a slam.
  • May shoot your own cars.
• Shooting Process:
  • Choose a target and roll the shooting die.
  • If the roll matches the target’s vehicle size, the vehicle is hit and takes damage.
  • The owner of the damaged car draws and resolves a damage token.

End of Turn

• Slide the movement die on the dashboard of the moved car into the “end turn” space.
• The car cannot be assigned another die for regular movement this round (may coast later).
• Any cars in a space with a chopper are eliminated.
• The player on your left (who is still in the game) takes the next turn.

End of Round

After each player has taken three turns, pass the road die to the player on your left. They will be the first player in the next round.
Start a new round.

Player Elimination

• A player is out of the game if all their cars are eliminated or inoperable.
• Remove that player’s chopper from play.
• Inoperable cars stay on the board.
• The player takes no more turns for the rest of the game.

Winning the Game

• Move a car onto the finish line or be the last player with operable cars.