Railways of the World

2005 · Transportation

Railways of the World

Players take charge of competing railroad companies in the Age of Steam, starting with a basic locomotive and a secret Tycoon mission card. Over a series of turns they lay track tiles, build routes between cities, purchase and upgrade locomotives, and bid for contracts to deliver scarce goods for income. Income, bonds, and locomotive management drive the economic engine: players balance expansion with operating costs, time train movements, and upgrade engines to carry more or go farther. The base box supplies an eastern U.S. map plus a Mexico map, components for company management, and supports multiple maps and expansions that change terrain and objectives.

Players
2–6 best 5
Playing time
120 min
Age
10+
Complexity
3 / 5
7 on Ludoyafrom $94.99Video Game ThemeTrainsOwnershipNetwork and Route BuildingIncome

On Ludoya's tables

Full stats in Ludoya
134
Plays logged
146
Players
1h 34m
Average play
41
In collections
9
On wishlists
1
Pre-ordered

7.0/10

from 34 Ludoya reviews

  • Mestremuten6.0

    Rating: 3/5 Production value: 3/4 Is the game in my collection/Love to have?: 0/1

  • FinnTroll9.0

    trainzzzzz! i ♥ trainzzzz!

Read the reviews and rate it

Rules questions

Answered from the rulebook by Ludoya's rules assistant.

Can I build more than one link in a single Build Track action?

No. When building you must extend a single link and you stop when you have laid 4 tiles or when you complete that link; you cannot build more than one separate link in one action (p.6).

Can other players remove or redirect track I place later in the game?

No — once tracks are placed they may not be removed, and you cannot redirect another player’s track (cross-over pieces are allowed but do not change ownership) (p.7).

How far can I deliver a goods cube — does engine level count tiles, hexes, or links?

Engine level is the maximum number of links a cube may move (e.g., a “2” engine can deliver to a city one or two links away, but not three), and deliveries must follow complete links without passing the same city or link twice (p.7).

Who scores the income when I deliver a goods cube along other players’ track?

Each player scores 1 point for every complete link they own that the cube traveled along; however the active player must own the originating (first) link used to start the delivery (p.7).

What does the Urbanize action do and what does it cost?

Urbanize costs $10,000; you place a New City tile on a gray city hex and add two random goods cubes to that city (removing an empty-city marker if the city was empty) (p.7).

How does the Build Western Link action work — where must I connect and what do I get?

After you complete a link to Kansas City or Des Moines you may pay $30,000 to place a Western Link tile west of that city and put your control locomotive on it; doing so also adds 4 red cubes to that city, and later deliveries of red cubes from a western link city to Chicago cause two new random cubes to be placed on Chicago (p.8).

Opens Ludoya's rules assistant, which reads this game's rulebook.

Game facts (players, playing time, age, credits) from BoardGameGeek.