Rail Baron:
A Euro-Style Game Variant
This is an experimental Rail Baron variant.
It grew out of a discussion on the Consim web
site and has evolved to its current state. The idea was to shorten the game and
give all players a more equal chance during the initial stages of the game
while acquiring Railroads. Players can still follow traditional Rail Baron strategies of coast to coast links and regional or coastal
link domination. But in this variant, rail networks are built quickly and all
players need to be able to play defensively as well as offensively during the
deed selection rounds. This variant probably works best for 3 or 4 player games (we've played it 3-player and solitaire only) but wouldn't work for a 6 player game. It follows most of the game’s standard rules but with these differences:
- The 28
Railroad deeds are selected or auctioned and not purchased.
- All
players start with an Express Train.
- A
Super Chief upgrade costs $20,000.
- The
PA has a new value of $38,000.
- The
“Home-Swapping” variant is used (Basics: a player may opt to make his
first destination his home city, and his previously determined home city
his first destination. He freely teleports his engine to his new home
city, then proceeds normally). Record the name of
your home city as it is used at the end of the game.
- Deed Selection Rounds. A deed
selection is required at the start of each player's turn (before
a player's train movement or trip determination) and continues several game rounds until the following
distribution is met:
- In
3 player games, each player selects 8 deeds and four are owned by the
bank
- In
4 player games, each player selects 6 deeds and four are owned by the
bank
- In
5 player games, each player selects 5 deeds and three are owned by the
bank
- Choose
a starting player (each player rolls two dice and the high number wins the
starting position). During the initial RR deed selecting rounds, the starting position rotates clockwise to
the next player from the last starting player after each round. Once the selecting rounds are complete, the player order changes to a normal clockwise rotation beginning with the player to the left of the last deed selecting player.
- Once
the deed selection portion of the game is complete, each player should
secretly count up his Railroad Network Cost (RRNC equals the total of the
printed value on a player's RR deeds).
- Players
cannot auction or sell back to the bank any Railroad. If a player
has insufficient money to pay usage fees, he is allowed to receive business
loans in increments of $5,000 from the bank. Each $5,000 loan (plus a
$2000 interest fee or a total of $7,000) is added to the player’s RRNC
total. Loans cannot be asked for in order to pay auction bids or upgrade
engines.
- After
all players have reached their free required number of deeds, the
remaining deeds that are owned by the bank are available for auction. When
a player reaches a city and after they have chosen to upgrade their train
(or not), that player can call for an auction. The player calling the
auction selects a bank owned Railroad and begins the auction with a $500
bid. Once a high bidder has won and paid the bank, the winner takes the
deed and adjusts his RRNC total accordingly. RR deeds that are owned by
the bank (the ones remaining after all the player selection rounds) do not
have to be auctioned and purchased. Some or all may remain owned by the
bank for the entire game and usage fees are paid to the bank per the
standard rules.
- When a
player has accumulated enough money to pay his RRNC, he can declare at the
start of his next trip his intention to go home instead of rolling for a
new trip. There is no chasing to tax the caught player. The first player
to get back to his home city with enough cash to pay the bank his RRNC is
the winner.
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Page Last Updated: 11/1/05