Folks say it started in the 1880s, when miners drinking moonshine in a Kentucky holler swore they saw something racing alongside the rail cars. Word spread up the ridge. Soon, every full moon, the locals would gather in the hollow with handmade tickets and bottles of corn liquor, betting on whatever showed up out of the trees.
The track has moved a few times since — chased off by preachers, sheriffs, and one particularly bad tornado — but it always returns. The cryptids always come. Nobody knows why they race. Nobody asks. The bookies pay out in cash and the rest is none of your business.
Welcome to Holler Derby. Don't tell nobody where you heard about it.
Six cryptids race per round at the Holler Derby — a backwoods betting track tucked between the hills. You bet on the outcome. Win and you keep your stake plus the payout. Lose and the ticket gets torn up.
WIN — Pick the cryptid you think will finish 1st. Highest payout, hardest to hit.
PLACE — Your pick must finish 1st OR 2nd. Pays roughly half of WIN odds.
SHOW — Your pick must finish 1st, 2nd, OR 3rd. Pays about a third of WIN odds. Safest single bet.
EXACTA — Pick BOTH 1st and 2nd in exact order. Hardest bet, biggest payout — multiplies both runners' odds together.
"3-1" means a $10 winning WIN bet pays $30 (you keep your $10 stake and gain $30). Lower odds = favored to win. "★LONGSHOT★" tags mark cryptids with rare but huge payouts.
SPD — base movement speed.
STA — late-race endurance. Low STA fades after the halfway mark.
CHA — chaos factor. High CHA means wild swings, both ways.
Every cryptid has a unique ability that fires randomly during the race. Tap CRYPTID CODEX to see the bestiary. Random track events also strike: UFO abductions, portals, fog, meteor strikes, second-wind boons.
Stake more = bigger swing. Longshots almost always lose, but pay enormous when they hit. Your bankroll, race count, and W-L record save automatically. Bust below $5? The track stakes you $100 and you keep going.
This will erase your bankroll, race count, and W-L record. Are you sure?