RAILROAD RUN
INTRODUCTION
Card game for 2-5+ players.
Railroad Building Theme.
VICTORY
The first player to 50+ Income Points is the winner.
INCOME TOKENS
Use coins, poker chips, or tokens to keep track of Income Points.
As you make Melds, your total, cumulative Income Score increases.
Lowest possible income is zero (no negatives).
SHARE MARKERS
Each player has a set of 5 markers of a unique color.
These represent shares owned in other players Railroads.
The Most total Share Tokens that you can have at a time given to
you by other players is 5.
UPGRADE COUNTERS
Players share a common set of Upgrade Markers.
These represent improvements to your Engine Technology.
Each counter you gain increases your max hand size by 1.
THE DECK
Players share a common deck.
There are 7 types of cards:
Train cards
Rail cards
City cards
Town cards
Industry cards
Bonus cards
Event cards
SETUP
Give each player 1 Train card.
Shuffle the deck.
Each player is dealt 4 more random cards.
Each player starts with 5 Income Tokens.
A randomly determined player goes first.
Play proceeds clockwise.
TURN SEQUENCE
Players take turns.
Each turn has 4 Phases:
1. Income Phase
2. Event Phase
3. Operations Phase
4. Accounting Phase
INCOME PHASE
Draw cards from the deck according to the Income Chart.
If the deck runs out, shuffle the discard.
INCOME CHART
Income Points: Draw:
10 or less 2
11-20 3
21-35 4
36+ 5
EVENT PHASE
You may play (discard) 1 or 2 Event cards from your Hand.
Options (such as upgrading) count as Events.
You may trade cards with other players in this phase.
OPERATIONS PHASE
You may play a Meld from your hand.
It is revealed to all players, scored, and then discarded.
A Meld must contain:
1. Exactly 1 Train card
2. At least 1 Rail card
3. At least 2 City and/or Town cards (But not more than number of Rail cards played +1)
4. Zero or more Industry cards (Not more than number of City/Town cards played)
5. Zero to 2 Bonus cards
Each card has an Income Point (IP) value.
Add up the total IP for the Meld. Add this to your Income Score.
(To make this easy place IP Tokens directly onto the scoring cards and
then just keep those Tokens)
For every Share Token you have that an opponent has given to you, you must give that
player 1 of your Income Tokens every time you make a Meld.
ACCOUNTING PHASE
Max hand is 7 cards.
Each Upgrade counter you have increases your hand size limit by 1.
Discard excess cards.
UPGRADE OPTION
To upgrade discard a Train card from your hand in Event Phase.
Discard an additional 5 cards from your hand.
Gain 1 Upgrade Counter.
CONTRACTS OPTION
To take this option, discard a Train card from your hand in Event Phase.
Gain 2 IP.
BUY SHARES OPTION
To take this option, discard a City card from your hand in Event Phase.
Give an opponent 1 card from your hand (your choice).
Give that opponent 1 of your Share Tokens.
DIVIDENDS OPTION
To take this option, discard a City card from your hand in Event Phase.
One Random opponent that has one of your Share Tokens must give you 1 IP.
TOWN OPTIONS
To take a town option, discard a Town card from your hand in Event Phase.
There are several options available with Towns. Pick one:
1. Water Tower Option: Draw 2 cards and put them in your hand.
2. Coal Chute Option: Draw 3 cards, keep 1, discard the others.
3. Switch: Steal 1 random card from opponent. Give him 1 card from your hand.
4. Depot Option: Take the top card of the Discard and put it in your hand.
5. Train Yard Option: Search deck for 1 Rail card and put it in your hand.
RAILS TO RICHES OPTION
To take this option, discard a Rail card from your hand in Event Phase.
Search the deck for 1 Train card and put it in your hand.
(If none left, shuffle the discard into the deck)
Discard 1 IP.
GO WEST YOUNG MAN OPTION
To take this option, discard an Industry card from your hand in Event Phase.
Draw 3 cards. Keep any City or Town cards you draw and discard the others.
CARD LIST NOTATION
T = Train cards
R = Rail cards
C = City cards
X = Town cards
I = Industry cards
B = Bonus cards
E = Event cards
# = Copies of this card in the Deck
IP = Income Point Value
COMMON DECK CARD LIST
Name: Type # IP Notes:
Train T 15 1 Upgrade or Contracts Option
Rail R 5 1 Mountains
Rail R 5 1 Plains
Rail R 5 1 Coastal
Rail R 5 1 Forest
Rail R 5 1 Desert
Rail R 5 1 Hills
City C 15 2 Buy Shares or Dividends Option
Town C 15 1 Town Option
Passengers B 2 - 1 IP per City in Meld
Mail B 2 - 1 IP per Town in Meld
Long Haul B 2 - 1 IP per Rail in Meld
Express B 2 1 -
Freight B 2 - 1 IP per Industry in Meld
Station I 5 1 -
Copper Mine I 1 1 +1 IP if Mountains present
Gold Mine I 1 2 +1 IP if Mountains present
Quarry I 1 1 +1 IP if Mountains present
Fishing I 1 1 +1 IP if Coastal present
Port I 1 2 +1 IP if Coastal present
Coal Mine I 1 1 +2 IP if Hills present
Dairy Farms I 1 1 +1 IP if Hills present
Cattle Ranch I 1 2 +1 IP if Plains present
Cotton I 1 1 +1 IP if Plains present
Corn Fields I 1 1 +1 IP if Plains present
Oil Drilling I 1 1 +2 IP if Desert present
Longhorns I 1 1 +1 IP if Desert present
Saw Mill I 1 2 +1 IP if Forest present
Paper Mill I 1 1 +2 IP if Forest present
Factory I 1 2 -
Wreck E 1 - Look at opponents Hand. Discard Train card
Sell Stocks E 1 - Lose X IP. Draw X cards (X Max = 5)
Buy Out E 1 - Return Share Token. Give Opponent 1 IP
Survey E 1 - Look at next 7 cards in Deck. Keep 2 cards
Investors E 1 - Draw 3 cards
Obsolescence E 1 - Target Opponent loses 5 IP
Finance Crisis E 1 - All other players lose 3 IP each
Patent E 1 - All players pay you 2 IP
Politics E 1 - Steal 2 Random cards from opponents hand
Land Grants E 1 - Draw 4 cards. Other players draw 2 cards
OPTIONAL RULE: TRANS-CONTINENTAL RULE
The first player to make a Meld with 4+ Rail cards in it gets a bonus 5 IP.
OPTIONAL RULE: CIVIL WAR RULE
The first time the deck is used up, all players must discard their hands.
OPTIONAL RULE: STARTING COMPANIES
Each player starts with 1 of the following companies:
Co. Name: Special Ability:
Moneybags Rails Start with +7 IP
Excelsior Rails Start with 1 Upgrade Token
Investment Rails Has 6 Share Tokens
Risky Rails May play 3 Event cards in Event Phase
Surveyor Rails Starts game with 3 extra cards
LINKS
Train Art
Playtesting: My younger son above with a 39 point Meld:
1 Train = 1
1 City = 2
1 Town = 1
Transcontinental Bonus = 5
2 Maxed out Industries = 6
8 Rails = 8
2 Long Haul bonus cards = 16