G@mebox author Marco Klasmeyer writes about the game:

Introduction:

Welcome at the "Stunt Academy". Here wimps will become those highly professional, iron and "hard-nosed" stunt men of the future. Hence you should only apply if you are willing to give all the best. Only the very best of one year manage to play a small part in the real great films. Therefore the result of the final examination becomes more important than ever. So ration your skills in the right way in order to get your big chance.

Description:

Stunt Academy is another well designed card game of KRIMSU'S KRIMSKRAMS-KISTE. As usual for Krimsu, this card game goes along with a story, and this time it is the story of making men out of wimps. The players (3 or 4 in total) take on the role of stunt students. They have to take courses during the 4 semesters and learn stunt techniques such as falling and fighting, and also more dangerous abilities like car and motorcycle driving and pyro stunts. Additionally, they can take training for fitness and strength. Each course is completed at the end of a semester with an exam evaluating the students' results. But the requirements will steadily grow from the first to the fourth semester and only the best of all will be selected for the real great action films. The students can choose examiners which might help them in the one or the other stunt subject. Without good advice and help the exams will be very hard. In the course of the studies the players are also able to get small stunt roles in more or less successful films and remakes.

The game consists of 42 course cards (2 x 6 neutral trainings, 5 x 6 stunt disciplines), 10 examiners, 4 students, 5 film agents and 4 marker cards (with an arrow). At the beginning of a semester, 3 or 4 examiners (depending on the number of players) are placed face up on the table. Also 4 course cards are placed face up in a row. Next to one end of the row the supply stack for the course cards and next to the other end the discard stack is located. The manual contains a table for the victory points and score cards for the semesters. This has to be copied before playing the game!

Every player's student card has up to 9 action points (AP). The current amount is indicated by the arrow marker card. At his turn the player increases his action points by 3. Then he can perform one or more of the following actions:

• Take a stunt course card and pay the corresponding action points. There are courses for beginners (1 AP), advanced (2 AP) and professionals (3 AP) available in each subject. The card is taken to the hand cards, no more than 7 cards are allowed to be held. It is not allowed to simply discard any card.
• Place a collection of stunt course cards of the same colour (=discipline) from your hand below your student card. This means you have completed your training in this course. No more cards can be added or removed once a collection is placed. General fitness or strength cards may be included as jokers in every collection to increase its value. Each player can only have one collection of each stunt discipline. Placing a collection costs 2 AP per card. Since the requirements steadily increase during the game, a collection must have at least a value of 4 in the first semester, 5 in the second 6 and 7 in the third and fourth.
• Choose an examiner from the visible examiner cards. A player is only allowed to have one examiner per semester. Examiners give additional points in some stunt disciplines shown on the card during examination. The more players participate and the earlier the choice is made the more action points are needed. For instance the first of 4 players who chooses an examiner needs 6 AP, the last only 1 AP. All examiners have a bonus in three different stunt disciplines. The bonus (zero, two or even four points) is added to the final exam score.
• Take a film agent card for 2 AP and lay it next to your student card. For each 2 of collected film agent cards there will be extra victory points at the end of the game.

When a player has finished his turn (he does not need to use all action points) the cards closest to the discard stack is discarded. All others are shifted to the discard stack. Open gaps are filled with new cards from the supply stack. If the supply stack is used up for the first time, the discard stack is shuffled and placed as new supply stack. If the supply stack is used up the second time, then the player on turn may make his actions and afterwards the semester ends. Examination time!

During an exam the course collections of all players are evaluated. The card values of each coloured collection are added, without counting the jokers. Then the bonus of the examiner of a player is added if existing. If the examiner does not support one discipline then 2 points are subtracted. The same applies for all disciplines if there is no examiner at all. For each successful exam the player makes a cross in the appropriate discipline in the evaluation sheet. The points of the examination are also noted here. For each 2 film agents the player can make a cross at the two appropriate stunt disciplines. All scores from examination of a player are added. The player with the most examination scores gets the 5(6) victory points second and third place get 3(4) and 1(2). The values are for a 3 player game and in braces for a 4 player game. The player with the best examination score in a discipline gets 3 additional victory points.

After the exam all cards are distributed like at the beginning of the game. Each player can keep one hand card and for each three remaining action points keep one action point for the next semester.

At the end of the game after the forth semester the victory points are added. The player with the most crosses in a discipline gets 4 additional victory points. The best score wins. This player character is the best stunt man of this year and has the best chances for the best stunt films.

Evaluation:

Stunt Academy is not a simple collect and lay out card game due to the quite complex evaluation mechanism at the end of each semester. The bonus system of the examiners and the additional victory points for the best performance in each stunt discipline can decide on true success and failure. It is not just collecting stunt course cards, you have to be aware of the other students as well and take care of not neglecting one subject/discipline. The rule set allows quite a lot of possibilities in the course of the game. Hence Stunt Academy reflects quite well the mechanism of studying and exams including the competition between the students.

For the first few games the final evaluation system is not as clear and transparent, so that one will know how all is going to end at the beginning of the game. But after several sessions this will not be a problem any more.

What I personally expect from a card game is easy transportability and usage combined with relatively simple rules so that you can easily introduce it to new players. Stunt Academy has the slight disadvantage that you will definitely need the evaluation sheet (as a copy or with a quickly drawn sheet) and it takes some time to explain the rules. As mentioned before, the rules will be fully understood with all side effects at the end of the first game, thus you will also need a second session. But nevertheless Stunt Academy is quite a nice card game which keeps its promise of telling the story of drilling hard-nosed stunt men.