Dick Dastardly: A Fiendish Foe

All of the Racers out on the track want to get across the finish line first. Their vehicles have been tuned to perfection, each with their own special gadgets and gizmos to help them win. But one Racer wants to win via any means necessary, even if it means breaking the rules and sabotaging their fellow Racers. That person is Dick Dastardly (and his ever-present canine sidekick, Muttley). Dick and his Mean Machine will stop at nothing to one day grab that checkered flag.

There’s only one Racer in Wacky Races: The Board Game Deluxe Edition that players can’t choose to use at the start of a race. That’s Dick Dastardly. Instead, he is controlled by the game itself, which firmly fits with his “marches to the beat of a different drummer” attitude. Dick’s Mean Machine miniature isn’t placed on the side of the Terrain tiles like the other Racers. Instead, it sits right on top of them. He doesn’t move like the other Racers, either. After a player is done playing their Movement cards for the turn, Dick shoots ahead, moving to the next tile that matches the Terrain card last played. So, for example, if a Forest is the last card played, the Mean Machine will jump to the next Forest tile ahead of it.

With all this extra movement, going each time a player finishes their turn, Dick will often find himself leading the pack. However, just being in the lead isn’t good enough for him. Whenever he is alone in first place, he’ll pull over to the side of the road and set up a diabolical trap for the other Racers. In the game, this is represented by the Trap cards. One is placed on the tile that the Mean Machine is on. However, setting up traps takes time, so Dick inevitably finds himself back at the end of the line of Racers again.