author: Michael Zegar
Did You Know Need for Speed Had a Card Game?
The Need for Speed series has a long and colorful history. Various installments of the series have taken us from participation in illegal races to race track driving simulation. But did you know that the former king of racing also visited our tables as a card game?
A few days ago, an unusual find was shared on Reddit by user Lilmanike, on the occasion of finishing his three-year-long search for instructions to a certain long-forgotten card game based on the Need for Speed series.. His story reveals that he himself previously owned a copy of such a set of cards, but unfortunately with rules written in German - because the product was sold exclusively in Germany and the UK.. After a long hunt, he finally managed to find (probably on eBay) the desired manual in English. It cost him almost 40 dollars, but as he admitted - it was worth it.
A certain Imagination Games is said to be responsible for creating the card game, and its appearance on the market dates back to 2007.. The cards are heavily based on graphics from the original NFS: Most Wanted and NFS: Carbon. So why haven't we heard about this project before? The reason is the same as usual - small interest combined with very limited sales translated into a commercial failure of the product.
So how do you play this Need for Speed? According to BoardGameGeek the game can be played by two to five players, and the suggested time per match is 20 minutes. The available themed decks are: Beach Blitz, Canyon Rush, and Downtown Dash, which (sold separately) expand the game with additional cards. Each car has its own combination of attributes in terms of acceleration, handling and top speed.
There is still some time left before the next-gen instalment of the Need for Speed series is released. That's why the biggest fans still have plenty of time to add this rarity to their collection. Be warned, however, that the German version is the easiest to find...
