Indy 500 board game

[IndyJim]

Did anyone ever play an old Avalon Hill Indy 500 game years ago?

Came out about 1978, wondered how it compared to some of their other games, I always thought the SI basketball game was done really well.

This was a board game, strategy cards, etc.

[StatMan]

Yes, we still have it actually. It was a nice, amusing game but there wasn't much strategy involved and it took a lot of time to finish.

[theunions]

Still would like my numerous remaining questions answered...

[Media Boy]

I was wondering if others here have also played either title, and does anyone know if AH produced update cards for the 1988 Indy lineup and beyond?

No. I have not and I have no idea.

Did anyone create aftermarket tracks for short ovals or road courses?

I have no idea.

And when did AH (which was sold to Hasbro in '98) stop producing the game?

I have no idea.

Questions answered. Hope this helps.

Media Boy.

[IndyJim]

Still would like my numerous remaining questions answered...

Thanks, as always a few hours later and you guy's have given me lots of info.

[DaveL]

I played the original version and have the 1978 and 1980 sets.

Using data from Hungness books and other sources I created my own driver sets using index cards. I used poster board divided into 1" squares and drew cars in more or less the same color as the original plus some I simply made up. I have hundreds of the cut out cars along with the hundreds of driver cards I made. I made sets for the years 1972-1989 and added car/drivers to the 1978-1980 sets. I also drew my own race tracks (both ovals and road courses-I taped together large pieces of drawing paper) and gave drivers individual modifiers to their base card ratings for each track. Some were better on one track, neither nor on another, and worse on a third. And because tracks varied in length from the original "Indy" and because the size of starting grids varied I drew my own score sheets.

A 500 mile race with 40 starters was an all day affair (8-9 hours) but I didn't mind.

I also found a way to calculate the average speed of a race and I could calculate the actual number of laps completed by a driver. All of this was recorded.

I have everything I ever created including the orignal box which is barely held together with masking tape. I also have records books and driver stats which were very hard to keep in the pre-computer days.

That's my story.

[lotuspoweredbyford]

Of course there was a great computer game loosely based on this game. That game lives on with a friend of mine updating it every year.

[lotuspoweredbyford]

By the way, I also used to create my own cards, I also made some NQ cards.

[DaveL]

By the way, I also used to create my own cards, I also made some NQ cards.

I made cards for every driver I could find that competed in a given season so I had around 45-50 cards for a given set. It took a good deal of research but it was worth it. One of the challenges was getting a really long driver name with a really long sponsor name to fit on one line of the card. But I found a way somehow.

[theunions]

Of course there was a great computer game loosely based on this game.

Which one was that?

[gofastturnleft]

Dave you are a card carrying loon, but I wish you were my neighbor when we were kids. I can certainly respect the passion. I remember countless hours riding in the camper (back when kids were allowed to ride in campers) on the way to whatever destination reading my Indy programs and memorizing the chassis/engine/qualifying position/hometown/etc of every driver.

It's good to get those obsesive, compulsive disorders to the surface early.

[sc-indy]

In my teenage years, I used to make my own cards with the picture of the car from the starting lineup insert that you received in the race day program. I also redesigned the game by making my own IMS that was about 30% larger than the AH game with a realistic pit lane. I also create seevral short tracks, no road courses though. I also had the basketball and baseball game from AH. I often wish I had kept them as they are very hard to find now and probably worth something.

BTW: Avalon Hill stopped making board games all together when Habsbro bought them out about ten years ago and Hasbro discontued making Board games as everything became video games. It is really amazing how few board games are now in production (except for the all time classics like Monopoly, Clue, etc). I think the lack of board games in general is not a good thing. Board games require imagination and also allow children & parents to play together. Of course, would any of video game generation play board games if they were still abudant produced.

Sorry to get off the subject. The AH 500 board game was an variation of the USAC board game that I received in 1970 from the old USAC office near IMS. The offices were located on 16th street(?).

[lotuspoweredbyford]

Which one was that?

Tom Mink's game, you should try it, it's very much a computer version of the AH game.

I'll get you the info if you want Earl.

My friend Dan updates the game each year with Tom's permission.

[DaveL]

Dave you are a card carrying loon, but I wish you were my neighbor when we were kids.

And I have hundreds of hand-made cards to prove it. If Indy 500 wasn't the most time consuming thing I have ever done, nothing is.

I also had the AH basketball game. I kept stats with a pencil and recorded them in a spiral notebook. Excel or Quattro Pro hadn't been invented yet so I wasn't missing anything.

[Indycarjunkie]

I suspect Avalon Hill's Indy 500 board game wold be a nifty collector's item and might be worth some nice coin if its in good condition since it is no longer being made.

If its an Indianapolis 500 racing game you're after may I suggest Formula De? game info

The Indianapolis USGP board also includes the oval for players that want to play that instead of the F1 track. Its a simple game that can be easilly played in 1 to 3 hours depending on number of players and laps.