How to Play

Kanban: Driver's Edition

2-4 players 90-120 min 7.8 Board Game Geek Rating

Players compete as managers in an automotive factory, striving to impress the board of directors for promotions. Through worker placement and resource management, you coordinate suppliers, improve car parts, and optimize assembly line production. Success requires balancing multiple game timers and factory efficiency. The player who best manages the complex production system while innovating strategically earns the highest position and wins.

Published 2014

Kanban: Driver's Edition

Get Ready

Setup the game with these step-by-step instructions before diving into your turn.

1
Place the gameboard
Put the double-sided gameboard in the middle of the table
2
Choose player color
Each player selects a color and takes matching components:
3
Set up Factory Goals
Shuffle Factory Goal tiles, place one face-up in each proper space with lower-numbered tile on left; place 2 Red Seats on each tile (4 players), 2 on easier/1 on harder goal (3 players), or 1 on each tile (2 players)
4
Stock Recycling
Place 3 random Car Parts of 3 different types in Recycling pool spaces
5
Place roof supplies
Put Parts Voucher and Book tiles on roof spaces
6
Prepare Award Plaques
Shuffle all plaques, place 3 face-down above top space of each training track (2 for 2-3 players), place 1 Red Seat over each pile
7
Set up Test Track
Place Test Track Overlay for 2-3 player games; place 1 Car Part of each 6 types to left of first Design track space; place Pace Car on either checkered space, Meeting token in middle of track, Production Cycle marker on '0' space
8
Set up Assembly Line
Place 1 Car of each color in matching conveyor on top row, fill second row same way; shuffle 5 Demand tiles, place one face-up in each of 2 places at end of line with indicated Red Seats; make face-down deck with remaining 3 Demand tiles
9
Stock Logistics
Turn top Kanban Order card face-up, place all 6 indicated Car Parts in their warehouses, return card to bottom of deck
10
Set up Design Department
Place 1 face-up Design tile in each of 8 rightmost spaces; shuffle remaining 27 tiles, make 3 face-up decks of 9 tiles each in 3 leftmost spaces (leftmost is 'Central' deck)
11
Set up Administration
Shuffle remaining Performance Goal cards, place 4 face-up on conference table with deck nearby; place random Final Goals tile in proper space; place all player-colored Seats face-down then flip one per player face-up; place Lock tile over each of 4 certificate seats; place pink Week marker on 0 space and pink meeple in circle at bottom right
12
Determine first player
Choose randomly, then in clockwise order place Certification Meeple on one of 4 spots in 0 space of Certification Track and receive printed benefit
13
Take starting items
In Certification Track order (right to left), each player takes one available Car Part from Logistics and one Design tile from Design Department, placing on Player Board

On Your Turn

What you can do during your turn.

1
Select workstation
In order (left-to-right in Workstation Alley, or right-to-left on Certification Track for first round), place your Worker meeple on an empty workstation
2
Follow cross-training policy
You cannot work in the same department two days in a row
3
Sandra moves
Factory manager moves to first available workstation of next department to the right
4
Spend Shifts
Work 2 or 3 Shifts based on workstation chosen (1 or 2 in Administration)
5
Use banked Shifts
Spend Shifts from Shift Bank to work more, but never exceed 4 total Shifts per day
6
Use Recycling freely
Trade any Car Part from your board for one in Recycling pool at any time during your turn (not during Meetings)
7
Spend Parts Vouchers
Use to acquire any one Part needed from supply
8
Spend Books
Use any number of Books to train without spending Shifts
9
End your turn
Lay Worker meeple down at workstation; receive any Books, Banked Shifts, or Parts Vouchers earned (cannot use until next day)
10
Select a Design
Spend 1 Shift per Design taken from display; place on desk on Player Board; slide remaining tiles right and refill from decks
11
Access Cutting-Edge Designs
If Certified, take tiles from top of leftmost decks
12
Collect Well-Researched Design benefits
Taking from rightmost four spaces grants either 1 banked Shift or 1 Book
13
Collect Car Parts
Spend 1 Shift per warehouse type; take any number of Parts from those warehouses to Player Board
14
Issue Kanban Order
Spend 1 Shift but bank 1 Shift; position card to split 4/2 symbols across line; add matching Parts to warehouses; return card to bottom of deck and draw new one
15
Request Parts Voucher
If Certified, request 1 Parts Voucher per day as logistics action
16
Clean out Assembly Spaces
At turn start, empty all Assembly Spaces for Models where all spaces are filled
17
Provide Needed Parts
Spend 1 Shift to move Car Part from Player Board to Assembly Space; Part must differ from others in that Model's spaces; provide upgraded Parts first if any exist
18
Move cars along conveyor
After placing Part, move top car one position, displacing others along arrows; place new car from supply at line beginning
19
Score completed cars
When car reaches line end, receive 1-2 pp based on conveyor; move car to first empty space behind Pace Car
20
Claim Demand Seats
When completing assembly of Model currently in demand, take Red Seat from Demand tile if available
21
Check Demand Met
At turn end, if Demand tile has no Red Seats, discard and replace with new tile plus appropriate Seats
22
Upgrade a Design
Spend 1 Shift to move matching Car Part to empty Upgrade Space for Model; receive space benefit if any; increase Car Part's value one step; flip Design to Upgraded side and place right of Player Board; earn 2 pp
23
Double-upgrade (if Certified)
Increase Car Part value 2 steps instead of 1; immediately score new value as bonus; place on Special Upgrade space; each Part type can only be double-upgraded once in game
24
Claim Cars
Return Design tile depicting wanted Model to Central deck bottom; spend Shifts based on car position (1st behind Pace Car = 1 Shift, 2nd-3rd = 2 Shifts, 4th = 3 Shifts); advance Pace Car spaces equal to cars taken; place cars in any empty garages and receive garage benefits
25
Micro-Manage
Work and/or train in another department (only one department per day)
26
Train in Administration
Can still train here even when micro-managing elsewhere
27
Complete training stages
Spend 1 Shift per stage to advance marker up training track
28
Stack on co-workers
If reaching same stage, stack your marker on top (considered ahead)
29
Earn Certification
Pass 3rd stage of training to become Certified; discard Lock tile from matching board portion; choose benefit at next Certification Track space
30
Reach Expert level
First to reach final space gets a Seat; choose Award Plaque from remaining
31
Trigger Meeting
When Pace Car reaches or crosses checkered space, move Meeting token to Administration
32
Hold Meeting
At end of day after all turns complete
33
Determine Meeting order
Most Certified to least Certified (right-to-left on Certification Track)
34
Speak option
Place pet project from hand face-up (mandatory once per Meeting); take 1 face-up Seat from conference table and put on Performance Goal to score pp
35
Pass option
Only allowed after placing pet project face-up; can re-enter Meeting later
36
Score Performance Goals
First player scores full multiplier times pp value; each subsequent player scores one fewer multiplier; only allowed Seats shown can score each Goal
37
Return used Seats
Place face-down at conference table; keep unused Seats face-up
38
Convert Red Seats
Discard Red Seats from Player Board to flip conference table Seats face-up
39
Discard Performance Goals
Remove all face-up cards from table
40
Establish next Meeting Goals
Each player places 1 of 2 cards face-down on empty table space, then reveal; fill remaining spaces from deck
41
Draw new cards
Each player draws 2 new Performance Goal cards
42
Reset Meeting token
Move back to Test Track infield; advance Production Cycle marker 1 space
43
Nice mode rewards
If you're farthest along training track and meet department requirement, earn 1 pp per Shift banked over 5
44
Harsh mode penalties
If you're least progressed on training track and don't meet requirement, lose 1 pp per Shift under 5 banked
45
Sandra performs departmental task
After evaluation, Sandra completes specific department cleanup action
46
Score Tested Designs
When Sandra is at her desk in Administration: for each car in garage, earn 2 pp per upgrade you made to that Model, earn 1 pp per upgrade others made

Winning

How to claim victory.

1
Trigger game end
When Production Cycle marker is on 3rd space and Week marker is on 2nd (or vice versa), finish the day including any Meeting or End-of-Week Scoring
2
Move Seats
Transfer all face-up Seats from Administration to Seat space on Player Board
3
Score Final Goals
Spend 1 Seat per achievement to score on Final Goals tile (non-exclusive; each player may score each goal)
4
Score Shift Bank
Earn 1 pp per Shift banked
5
Score Player Board items
Earn 1 pp per Seat, Book, or Parts Voucher on Player Board
6
Score Garage cars
For each car in garage, earn pp equal to value on wall between Test Track and Innovation
7
Score Tested Designs
For each Tested Design (Upgraded Design for car in your garage), earn pp equal to Car Part's value
8
Score Training positions
For each department: 1st place = 5 pp, 2nd = 3 pp, 3rd = 1 pp; ties broken by disc on top of stack; no progress = 0 pp
9
Determine winner
Highest total Productivity Points wins
10
Break ties
Most Cars, then most Tested Designs, then most Shifts in Shift Bank, then most Certifications; if still tied, all tied players win

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FULL rules

Looking for the full details? Grab the complete rulebook as a downloadable PDF.

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