Chariots Season 4

I started up a new season of chariot racing a few weeks ago and have been running race sporadically since then. I still don't have the chariots painted so I did the games virtually.

This time, I decided to do a full-fledged campaign with one of the chariots representing my team. The other chariots would be run randomly. Because I like the color, and I want to improve their lifetime standings (they are currently last), I decided to run the Green team.

Rather than assign permanent bonuses or penalties, I assigned re-rolls (which I am calling "bennies" a la Savage Worlds) to represent the charioteer / horse team quality. Every race, each team gets D3 bennies. This represents the different charioteers / horses in the stable of each team. The winner of the previous race also gets a bonus bennie.

I wanted to give myself a little more decision points, so I rolled up a pool of 7 D3 bennies. I can assign a roll to each race. For example, I rolled two 1s, three 2s, and two 3s. I decided to spend one of the 3s in the first race.

Here are the results:

Race 1

I named the charioteers on my Green team. Maximus is in the first race. He took an early lead, with Yellow on his tail. Blue lagged the pack.

Here we are going into the home stretch. Maximus has a narrow lead. Blue has caught up and is trying to pass on the outside.

The teams make their Movement Tests. Red fails while the rest pass. This means that Red falls back to 4th place.

But the race is not over yet. Yellow, Blue, and Green each have 1 bennie left. While bennies can be used to reroll dice, they can also be used to test for extra movement. This represents a surge by the chariot. With this, Yellow and Blue could catch Green!

Yellow fails. He won't catch Green.

Blue passes. He pulls up alongside.

But Green also passes. Maximus sees Blue moving up and urges his team to a final effort. They surge ahead for the victory!

Final standings - Green, Blue, Yellow, Red. An auspicious start for my team!

Race 2

This time, Green is racing its weakest charioteer, Claudius (1 bennie). Fortunately, Green's win in the first race gives him a second bennie.

Surprisingly, he takes the early lead. Here we have a tight race as we go into the home stretch.

Yellow would pull ahead for 3rd. Blue would use a bennie to pull even with Claudius.

Neck and neck as they near the finish line. Who will win? (I rolled off to break the tie)

Blue!

Darn, this was a tough one. Blue nipped my team at the very end. Still, Green is tied for the season lead with 30 denarii earned.

Race 3

A new charioteer, Tiberius, is driving for Green. He is average (2 bennies) but none of the other teams have excellent charioteers.

Again, Green takes the early lead and holds it through the final turn. Blue manages to bash Red, forcing him to fall back.

Here are the teams in the final stretch.

As they near the finish line, Blue whips his horses for a final push. But Tiberius gets more from his steeds, and the Green chariot pulls away for the win.

Season standings are now Green, Blue, Yellow, and Red.

Race 4

Now that my Green team has the season lead, I decide to use up my lowest charioteer, Claudius. However, he gets an extra bennie because Green won the last race.

As expected, Claudius falls behind as Blue surges ahead. However, Claudius manages some adroit driving to gain the lead in the final turn. As they head into the home stretch, Claudius finds himself with a precarious lead.

In desperation, he whips his horses into a final, valiant effort. They pull ahead for the win! Yellow pulls away for second and Blue drops back into last. This is a very disappointing outing for Blue; they're first time out of the top 2 this season. But is a boon for my Green team. We now have a 30 denarii lead for first.

Race 5

My Green team is racing a new charioteer, Quintus. He is average (2 bennies).

Initially fell behind Blue. In the final turn, however, he whipped his horses into a powerful effort that saw him pull aside Blue.

Here we go into the home stretch.

Yellow momentarily pulls even with Red, but Red surges ahead and pulls even with Green and Blue.

Red used a bennie in the final stage to tie Green and Blue.

And as they approach the finish line, it's. . .  There was a tie so I did a roll-off. High roll wins.

Green, then Blue, and Red! Yellow is last.

Wow, what an exciting finish. With this race, Green is now comfortably in first with 90 denarii. We can clinch the season victory with a 3rd place finish or better in either of the final races.

Race 6

Once again, Green's best charioteer, Maximus, takes to the circus. This time, however, he falls behind the pack. He manages to make up ground and finds himself behind the leader, Yellow, going into the first turn. But Yellow wipes out! Maximus has to make a fancy move to avoid a crash, causing him to fall behind.

In the back straightaway, he manages to catch up with Red. But Red bashes him, and Maximus again falls behind.

In the final turn, Maximus surges into the lead.

But Blue and Red manage to pull even. At the finish it is . . .

Red, Blue, the Green.

Wow, what a crazy race, and a disappointing finish for Green. Yet the 3rd place finish seals the season victory for the Green Team.

Race 7

In the final race, Green puts forth Tiberius, winner of the third race. Red takes the early lead. Yellow manages to catch up. In the final turn, Blue crashes. Tiberius trails the leaders.

In the homestretch, Yellow pulls away. Green manages to catch up to Red, but the surge is temporary, and at the finish line, Red manages to nab second place. After four victories in the first five races, Green now has to settle for a second straight third place finish.

Season Recap

My team, Green, manages to secure its first season victory and tied a record with 100 denarii in prize money. Final standings (with prize money in parentheses) are:

1. Green (100)
2. Blue (60)
3. Red (45)
4. Yellow (40)

Green has now moved into third place in all-time earnings (240 denarii), 10 ahead of Yellow and trailing Blue (245) and Red (260).