Horse Fever

During setup in Horse Fever, players receive a starting sum of denarios and a player role card. The main board features the racetrack with six colored horses and their corresponding stables. Action cards, loans, objectives, and betting tiles are sorted and placed in their respective designated areas. Each player draws a random starting role and prepares to manage their investments, loans, and wagers.

The main objective of Horse Fever is to score the highest number of victory points by the end of the four rounds. Players act as high-stakes gamblers and mafia bosses, trying to make the most profit and successfully predicting race outcomes while managing debts and fulfilling secret objective cards.

A round of Horse Fever consists of four distinct phases. Phase 1 involves buying action cards, stable cards, objectives, or taking loans. Phase 2 is the betting phase where players place wagers on horse placement or victories. Phase 3 is the race itself, where action cards modify horse movement before dice rolls determine final positions. Phase 4 involves auctions for victory points.

Scoring happens primarily at the end of the race phase. Players who correctly predicted the winning horses receive large payouts in denarios and victory points based on odds. Additional points are awarded for meeting secret objectives and managing stable ownerships efficiently.

The game concludes automatically after four full rounds of play. Final scores are tallied by combining victory points from race bets, objectives, and auctions. Players must repay all outstanding loans; failure to do so results in immediate elimination.