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Gamehelpfilltherows

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Goal

Score the most points by checking off stops along four iconic American road trip routes. Fill as many stops as you can — every stop counts, and completing a route earns a bonus!


The Routes

Route Color Direction From → To
🌊 Pacific Coast Blue Ascending 2 → 12 San Diego → Olympic NP
🛣️ Route 66 Rust Ascending 2 → 12 Chicago → Santa Monica
🏔️ Blue Ridge Pkwy Green Descending 12 → 2 Front Royal → Cherokee
🌅 Gulf Coast Teal Descending 12 → 2 South Padre → Key West

Ascending routes fill left-to-right (low to high). Descending routes fill right-to-left (high to low). All stops must be checked off in order.

Tip: Hover over any stop to read a fun fact about that location!


The Dice

Each turn uses six dice:

  • ⛽ 2 Gas Money dice (brown) — neutral dice available to all players.
  • 🎲 4 Route dice (one per route color) — extra dice available only to the Driver.

When a route is completed, its Route die is retired and no longer rolled.


On Your Turn

Each turn has a Driver (the active player) who rolls all eligible dice. The turn has two phases:

Phase 1 — Gas Money (all players)

Every player (including the Driver) may check off one stop on any open route whose stop number matches the sum of the two Gas Money dice. Or skip.

Phase 2 — Bonus Miles (Driver only)

The Driver may check off one additional stop using the sum of one Route die + one Gas Money die (their choice of which dice to combine). The stop number must match the chosen sum and must be a valid next stop on that route's die color. Or skip.

After both phases resolve, the Driver role passes to the left.


Stop Rules

  • Stops must be checked off in order — you cannot skip ahead.
  • The final stop on any route (stop 12 on ascending routes, stop 2 on descending routes) requires at least 4 stops already checked on that route before it can be claimed.
  • Once a route is completed, it is closed — no one can use it and its Route die is retired.
  • A stop that can no longer be reached (because a later stop was already checked by someone else) is shown as ~~crossed out~~.

Detours (Penalties)

If the Driver has no valid move in either phase — meaning the dice produce no playable stop in Phase 1 and no playable combo in Phase 2 — they are at a Detour.

The Driver must choose one:

Take a Detour penalty
The Driver marks a Detour (–5 points at scoring). If a player reaches 3 Detour penalties, the game ends immediately.
🧭 Ask for Directions *(once per game)*
Instead of taking a penalty, the Driver may re-roll all dice and replay the full turn from Phase 1. Each player may only use this option once per game. The Ask for Directions option can also be disabled as a table option before the game starts.

Note: A Detour is only triggered when the Driver has no valid move in both phases. Skipping Phase 1 voluntarily (when valid moves exist) simply advances to Phase 2 — no penalty.


End of Game

The game ends immediately when either of these conditions is met:

  • 2 routes are completed (closed), or
  • Any player reaches 3 Detour penalties

All players finish scoring at that point.


Scoring

Each route is scored independently using a triangular number formula:

Score = n × (n + 1) ÷ 2 where n = number of stops you checked on that route.
Stops checked (n) Score
1 1
2 3
3 6
4 10
5 15
6 21
7 28
8 36
9 45
10 55
11 66

Completion bonus: If you were the player who checked off the final stop to complete a route, add +1 to your score for that route.

Detour penalty: Subtract 5 points for each Detour penalty you have taken.

Example: You checked off 7 stops on the Pacific Coast route and completed it. Score = 7×8÷2 + 1 = 29 points.


Iconography

Symbol Meaning
🌊 Pacific Coast route / Route die
🛣️ Route 66 route / Route die
🏔️ Blue Ridge Pkwy route / Route die
🌅 Gulf Coast route / Route die
⛽ Gas Money dice (brown, neutral)
✓ Stop checked off
~~n~~ Stop no longer reachable (crossed out)
🧭 Ask for Directions (once-per-game re-roll)