RAILROAD DISPATCH USA

INTRODUCTION
Game for 2-4+ players.
Theme: Railroad Building on the Continental USA.

VICTORY
Have the most Income and Victory Counters at the end of the game.
The game ends at the end of the turn when all the rails have been built on, or the
last level on the Tech Track has been bought.

THE BOARD
The board is a map of the Continental US showing cities (green dots) and the
Rails (red lines) that connect them.
Rails are also called Lines, Rail Lines, Links, and Connections.

THE RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT CHART
This chart depicts a sequence of improvements in railroad technology and policy.
Advances are gained in strict order, and an advance only benefits the
player who paid for it.

RAIL MARKERS
Each player has a set of rail markers of a unique color.
These are placed on rail Lines to show ownership.
They are also used on the R&D Chart.
Sets have no size limit.

INCOME COUNTERS
Players share a common set of Income Counters.
Use denominations of $1, $5, and $10.

WEALTH TOKENS
Players share a common set of Wealth Tokens (WT).
Use denominations of $1, $5, and $10.

VICTORY COUNTERS
Players share a common set of Victory Counters.
These count towards winning.

LOAN RECEIPTS
Bank Loans are for 10 Wealth tokens each.
You may have a maximum of 2 Loans out at a time.
Interest must be paid on Loans.

STOCK SHARES
Each player can issue up to 10 Stock Shares.
Stocks are sold to the general public.
Other players may then buy your Stocks from the General Public.
Dividends must be paid out on Stocks.
If another player ever controls more than 50% of your stocks, he gains
control of your railroad, and you are out of the game, unless you
can immediately buy 1 or more of them back from him at their
regular value (Each share = your current Income Total)

THE DECK
Players share a common deck.
There is one copy of each card described in the card list.
There are 5 types of cards:
City Cards
Commodity Cards
Railroad Cards
Location Cards
Special Cards

SETUP
Each player chooses a set of Rail Markers.
Each player starts with 5 Income Counters.
Shuffle the Deck.
Players flip a coin to see who goes first. Play proceeds clockwise.
Each player is dealt a hand of 7 cards.

TURN SEQUENCE
Players take turns.
Each turn has 8 Phases:
1. Opportunity Phase
2. Income Phase
3. Finances Phase
4. Maintenance Phase
5. R & D Phase
6. Build Phase
7. Contract Phase
8. End Phase

OPPORTUNITY PHASE
Draw 2 cards and put them in your hand.
If the deck ever runs out, shuffle the discard and draw from it.
You may purchase additional draws for 5 WT each.

INCOME PHASE
Gain 1 Wealth Token (WT) for every Income Counter you own.

FINANCES PHASE
Loans may be paid off for 10 WT each.
You may sell up to 3 Income Counters (discard them) to get 5 Wealth for each.
You may sell Stocks Shares to the General Public: You may Issue 1 Stock Share
of your company to gain Wealth equal to your current Income Total.
You may sell a Stock Share you own from another company. It is sold to
the General Public. Gain WT equal to the current income of that company.
You may by Stock Shares from the General Public. These cost WT equal to
the current income of that company.

MAINTENANCE PHASE
You must pay 1 WT for every Rail Line you control
Interest on Loans must be paid: 1 WT per Loan Receipt.
Dividends on Shares must be paid: 1 WT per Share to the owner of the Stock.

R & D PHASE
You may pay WT to advance the Research Track to the next Level (Advance).
The cost (in WT) to get to the next Level (Working your way down) is listed on the Track.
You alone gain the benefit/Protection prescribed by that level.
Place a Rail Marker on that Level to show that you are the one who made it.
You may buy up to 1 extra level at the same time, but it costs triple.

BUILD PHASE
You may place 1 of your Rail Markers onto a Rail Line.
The new Rail Line must be connected to your Rail Network.
If it is your first Build of the game, place the Marker on any
line extending from any East Coast City.
The first Line you build each turn costs 5 Wealth.
The second Line you build each turn costs 10 Wealth.
The third Line you build each turn costs 20 Wealth.

CONTRACT PHASE
You may play a Contract.
A Contract consists of 2 cards from your hand.
One card is the Origin Location. The other is the Destination Location.
City and Location cards can be used as either Origins or Destinations.
Commodity cards are used as Origins only.
Railroad cards are used as Destinations only.
Trace a route on the map from the origin to the destination.
This must be the shortest route possible.
If 2 or more shortest routes are available, pick which one you want to use.
Each Rail Line on the Route earns its owner 1 IC and 1 VC.
The route may use Lines owned by different players.
Discard the Origin and Destination cards used.
Note that in order for a route to be valid, all lines on it must be built.
When playing a Commodity card, the Destination card cannot be one of
the Cities listed on the Commodity card.

END PHASE
Obsolescence Rule: On a roll of 5+ on 1D6 Lose 1 Income Counter in End Phase.
Max hand size is 7 cards.
If you did not complete a Contract this turn, you may discard your
hand and draw 5 new cards.
You may spend a minute to Trade cards with other players.
You may take out 1 Loan in this Phase if you wish.

BLOCKED OFF
If you get blocked off (you have no where else you can build rail to), you may build
on any unclaimed line adjacent to an opponents network or you may discard a city
card from your hand and build on a line connecting to it.

RAILROAD MAGNATES
Name: Notes:
Jay Gould Draw 1 Extra card each of your turns in Opportunity Phase
Cyrus W. Field Gain 4 VC
Edward H. Harriman Immediately take 1 Stock from the General Public
Cornelius Vanderbilt Max Hand Size +2
Daniel Drew Gain 1 extra Stock (Above your starting 10)
Leland Stanford Gain 1 VC and Immediately Build 1 Rail Line for Free
Collis P. Huntington Gain 2 IC
Mark Hopkins Gain 1 IC and Hand Size +1
Andrew Carnegie Gain 1 IM and 2 VC

CARD LIST NOTATION
X = City Card
M = Commodity Card
R = Railroad Card
L = Location Card
S = Special Card
AACC = And all Connected Cities
CID = Copies in Deck

RR DECK CARD LIST
Type Card Name: Notes:
X Portland Maine -
X New York NY
X Philadelphia -
X Washington DC -
X Richmond -
X Wilmington -
X Charleston -
X Savannah -
X Jacksonville -
X Buffalo -
X Pittsburgh -
X Cleveland -
X Columbus -
X Cincinnati -
X Detroit -
X Chicago -
X Milwaukee -
X Indianapolis -
X Nashville -
X Chattanooga -
X Charlotte -
X Columbia -
X Atlanta -
X Montgomery -
X Mobile -
X New Orleans NO
X Corinth -
X Memphis -
X Little Rock LR
X Vicksburg -
X St Louis -
X Davenport -
X St Joseph -
X Kansas City KC
X Duluth -
X Dallas -
X Houston -
X Bismark -
X Denver -
X Santa Fe -
X El Paso EP
X Helena -
X Salt Lake City SLC
X Spokane -
X Seattle -
X Pocatello -
X Portland Oregon -
X San Francisco SF
X Los Angeles LA
X Dodge City DC
X St Paul -
X Phoenix -
X Watertown WT
X Gasper -
X Omaha -
M Petroleum Columbus, Buffalo, Dallas, Houston, KC, LA, Gasper, Minco
M Meat Packing Chicago, NY, Indianap, Milwaukee, Columbus, Dallas, Omaha
M Textiles PL Maine, Boston, NY, Charleston, Atlanta, Philly, Montg
M Steel Works Chicago, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Davenport, Cleveland
M Timber & Lumber PL Oregon, Corinth, Charlotte, Montg, Jax, Houston, LR
M Gold & Silver Denver, Spokane, San Francisco, Helena, Seattle, Pocatello
M Coal Dallas, KC, Pitts, St Joe, St Louis, Cleveland, Cincinnati
M Manufacturing NY, Cleveland, Detroit AACC SF, LA, NO, KC, Milw, Omah
M Sugar Beets Jax, NO, Mobile, SF, Denver, SLC, Detroit
M Hogs Davenport, Columbus, Cincinnati, Indianapolis
M Cattle Davenport, Houston, Dallas, Bismark, SF, Denver, DC
M Wheat Helena, Bismark, Denver, Spokane, DC
M Tobacco Wilmington AACC and Nashville
M Corn St Joe, KC, St Luis, Davenport, Indianapolis, Cleveland
M Cotton Vicksburg AACC and Dallas, Atlanta, Montg, Columbia
M Dairy Milwaukee, Portland Both, Seattle, Duluth, Detroit, Pitts
M Apples New York, Spokane
M Grapes San Francisco, Buffalo
M Oranges Jax, LA, Pheonix
M Rice SF, NO, Houston, Savannah, LR, Corinth
R Pennsylvania RR Philadelphia, Pittsburgh Columbus, Indianapolis AACC
R Norfolk & Western Richmond, Columbus, Cincinnati
R Baltimore & Ohio Washington DC, Columbus, Indianapolis AACC
R Three Boston Lines Boston AACC
R South Carolina Canal & RR Columbia AACC
R Chicago, Burlington, & Quincy St Joseph AACC and Chicago, Omaha, St Paul, St Luis
R Illinois Central Chicago, St Louis, Memphis, Vicksburg, New Orleans
R Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific St Joseph AACC Chicago, Dallas, Houst, LR, DC, Minco, WT
R New York Central Cleveland, Columbus, Indianapolis AACC and NY, Cincinnati
R Missouri Pacific Kansas City, Little Rock AACC and New Orleans, El Paso
R Louisville & Nashville RR Nashville AACC and Mobile, New Orleans
R Erie Lackawanna RR NY, Buffalo, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago, Indianapolis
R Union Pacific Seattle AACC and St Joseph, Denver, SL-City, Los Angeles
R Central Pacific San Francisco, Salt Lake City
R Chesapeake & Ohio RR Richmond, Cincinnati, Columbus, Chicago, Detroit
R Chicago & Northwestern Milwaukee, Gasper, Chicago, Duluth, WT, Omaha, St Paul
R Chicago, Milwaukee, & St Paul Chicago, Milwaukee, St Paul, Kansas City, St Joseph, Omaha
R Atchison, Topeka, & Santa Fe Los Angeles, El Paso AACC and Denver, St Jo, KC, Chicago
R Denver & Rio Grand Western Salt Lake City, Denver
R NY, New Haven, & Hartford New York, Boston
R Northern Pacific Spokane AACC and Duluth
L East Coast Any East Coast City
L Big City New York, Chicago
S Stock Market Corner 5 CID. You may buy 1-2 Stocks directly from an opponent
S Watered Stock 2 CID. Gain 1 extra Stock (Above your starting 10)
S Rail Road Strike Target Opponent loses 10 WT and discards 2 random cards
S Financial Scandal Target Opponent loses 2 IC and discards 2 random cards

CHICAGO RULE
All players may build on any rail line that connects directly to Chicago even if other players
have built there already. When figuring a Route to, from, or through Chicago, you must pick only
1 persons rails to use, preferably your own.

LINKS
Boar, Card Files & Updated/Revised Rules
Click Here BGG

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS SECTION

QUESTION > Players take turns. Each turn has 8 Phases:
> Is this: All players do phase 1, all players do phase 2, etc. or
> first player does all 8 phases, second player does all 8 phases?
ANSWER> first player does all 8 phases, second player does all 8 phases...
sorry about the down time.

QUESTION > R & D PHASE
> Place a Rail Marker on that Level to show that you are the one who made it.
> You may buy extra levels at the same time, but they will cost double.
> When buying extra levels, are you leaving gaps that can be filled in by players after you?
ANSWER> Do not leave gaps, you must buy the levels in order.

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