Nuclear Ducks 2024

It’s the future, but don’t think about it too hard. It’s just ducks strapped to engines... or maybe the ducks are piloting them from a cockpit... or maybe visualization is the enemy of suspended disbelief.

This game is meant to contemplate the difficulties that arise within a tight pack of racers who are propelled at breakneck speeds by engines that contain radioactive fuel and that heat up uncomfortably quickly to meltdown temperatures in environments that hate you.

Being in the lead is bad: you must smash through an everlasting air barrier that builds resistance heat. Being in the middle of the pack is bad: you will absorb extra exhaust radiation from ducks ahead of you. Being in the rear is bad: if you don’t floor it to the brink of explosion, you’ll never catch the leaders. Hitting obstacles at these speeds is very bad.

Which equipment should you bring? Will it be stuff that staves off dangerous meltdown and blackout conditions? ..or perhaps performance-pushing engine boosts and aerodynamic modifications? ..or tasty duck snacks that have an assortment of effects?

Each race is abstracted via relative movement on a series of 3-laned boards that cycle in the style of Thunder Road. Turns are simulated by moving forward or backward in the inside or outside lanes, respectively. Hazards, turns, and environmental effects are dictated by a 6-stage course card.

Aggression and thrillseekery are provided by you.

—description from the designer