Each player takes the part of one or more jockeys who will attempt to safely negotiate the various fences and finish first. Each Jockey starts with 500 Jumping Points (JPs) which they use up in attempting to clear each fence. Each Jockey chooses a number of JPs for each fence in a turn. If a player has more than one horse, a different number must be chosen for each, and if they fail to do this one will have its number of JPs increased by one.
Each turn a player will submit orders for the next two fences. In the event of an NMR, each horse will use the same number of JPs as one the previous turn. In the event of a player only submitting orders for one fence in a turn, the same numbers will be used for the second fence in the turn.
At each fence there are trouble numbers (TN). These will usually be determined by the number of JPs played by the jockeys. All jockeys playing the same number of JPs as the trouble number will either Fall or Stumble at that fence. To decide if a horse falls or stumbles a die is rolled for each horse, using a D6 for a plain fence, and a D8 for all other fences. If the rolled number is more than the number of horses in trouble, then the horse falls. If it is equal or less, then the horse stumbles and loses 20 JP.
The trouble numbers are as follows:
| Fence | Trouble number(s) |
|---|---|
| Plain | Equal to the lowest JP played |
| Open Ditch | Generated by rolling a D8 and a D12 giving one or two TNs |
| Becher's Brook | Highest and Lowest JP, Lowest JP+1, Highest JP -1 |
| Valentine's | Highest and Lowest JP |
| Canal Turn | Lowest JP and Lowest JP+1. The Jockey playing the highest JP gets a bonus of +30 JP |
| The Chair | Generated by rolling a D8, a D12 and a D20 generating 1, 2, or 3 TNs |
| Water Jump | Those within 1 of the average number of JP played. If no one played a TN, then the TN is the lowest number of JPs. Also the jockey playing the highest number of JPs gets a Bonus of +30 JP |
Fallers at fences cause problems for other riders: Anyone playing 1JP more or less than the trouble number where a horse falls will stumble and lose 10 JP. A horse with insufficient JPs for a stumble falls instead. A horse can only stumble once at each fence.
Once the final fence has been jumped, the finishers are ranked according to the number of JPs left. If a horse has no JPs the horse is pulled up.
| Fence 1/17 Plain | Fence 6/22 Beechers Brook | Fence 11/27 Open Ditch |
| Fence 2/18 Plain | Fence 7/23 Plain | Fence 12/28 Plain |
| Fence 3/19 Open Ditch | Fence 8/24 Canal Turn | Fence 13/29 Plain |
| Fence 4/20 Plain | Fence 9/25 Valentines Brook | Fence 14/30 Plain |
| Fence 5/21 Plain | Fence 10/26 Plain | Fence 15 The Chair |
| Fence 16 The Water Jump |
The following horses, played by the GM, will also start the race and move as described below.
MISTER CONSISTENT (16 at each fence)
MEDIATOR (3D8)
LOUNGE LIZARD (21 at the Chair, 12 + D6 at each other fence)
FADE AWAY (23 at the start then reducing by 1 at each odd numbered fence thereafter)
SLOW RISER (9 at the start then increasing by 1 at each odd numbered fence thereafter)
METRO GNOME (19 at odd numbered fences and 14 at even numbered fences)
AQUARIUS (36 at Water Jump, 2D6 + 9 at all other fences)
CHAOS THEORY (5D6 - 1)
MIDDLE MAN (20 at first fence, then median of JPs used by other horses at previous fence)
No horses or riders are harmed by playing postal Grand National.
v2.0 Rules by Mick Haytack, modified by Howard Bishop
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