Cargotrain Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Box Contents
• Goal
• Preparing For The Game
  • Building The Board
  • Car Deck
  • Contracts
  • Player Cards
• Playing The Game
  • Planning Phase
  • Action Phase
  • Moving Through The Board
    • Tunnels
    • Railroad Refit
  • Special Action Before Moving
• Description Of Actions
  • 1. Attaching Cars
  • 2. Upgrading Engine
  • 3. Swapping Cars
  • 4. Dismantling Cars
  • Contract Cards
  • 5. Signing A Contract
  • 6. Changing Order Of Cars
  • 7. Moving An Additional Field
• Ending The Game
• Counting The Points
• Quick-Start Guide

Box Contents

45 car cards, 8 engine cards, 4 move cards, 12 contract cards, 24 planning cards, 16 board cards, instruction.

Goal

During the game you will deliver cargo from industrial complexes to the factories. You will obtain points for delivered cargo at the end of the game. Furthermore, you can also fulfill contracts to gain additional points. Player with the most points wins.

Illustrated components: board card deck (16 cards); car card deck (45 cards); contract card deck (12 cards); player's card set (9 cards x4).

There is also a station master card in the box. This card is used to mark the starting player. At the beginning of the game you have to decide who will bear the station master card in a random way.

Preparing For The Game

Before you and your friends start the game, you have to take cards from the box and sort them into three decks.

1. Car deck (45 cards)
2. Contracts deck (12 cards)
3. Board deck (16 cards)

Then, you have to prepare a set of cards for each of you. If there are 2 players, you have to prepare yellow and blue set. For 3 players, the red set must be added. If you have full house (4 players), you have to prepare all of the sets. The set consists of 6 planning cards, 2 two-sided engine cards and a move cards with engine front on it. So, each player gets 9 cards at the beginning of the game. Unused cards (if you have fewer players) have to be put into the box. You will not need them during the game.

Building The Board

Now it's time to prepare the board. Yes, board. Although there are only cards in the box, the game features a board. Board have to be prepared out of... well, board cards.

Illustrated: factory card and industrial complex card.

In the bottom right-hand corner there are icons showing number of players. If there are 2 players, build the board only out of cards with 2 players icon. If you have 3 players, build the board out of cards with icons of 2 players and 3 players. If you have 4 players, use all the board cards, with the exception of tunnel cards with the 3 players icon. Put unused cards in the box – you will not need them during the game.

Among the board cards there are industrial complex cards, factory cards, tunnel cards and one railroad refit card. Building of the board begins with placing the factories. Put all prepared factory cards on a table so they are placed on an imaginary circle, in an even distance from each other.

Illustrated: tunnel card and railroad refit card.

Then, shuffle the remaining cards and randomly place them between already placed factory cards (2 cards between two factories). Et voila – the board is ready.

Illustrated: starting placing of the factory cards (3-players game).

Car Deck

The car deck needs to be prepared out of car cards printed on the factory cards. Thanks to this, the car deck will vary in size depending on the number of players. With 2 players, car deck will consist of 27 cards, 3 players of 36 cards, and with 4 players of 45 cards.

Now shuffle the car deck and place it face-down in the centre of the circle made from board cards. Then, draw cards from the top of the deck and place them under industrial complex card, so there are three cards beneath each of them.

Contracts

Shuffle the contracts deck and put it beside the board face-down. Then, each player draws a contract card. Contract cards let players get additional points at the end of the game.

Player Cards

The last thing you have to do is to place your card set. Each player puts his or her move card on the industrial complex card in corresponding color. Place engine cards on top of each other, so that the engine with the letter "A" is visible. Hold planning cards in your hand.

So, let the game begin!

Illustrated: example of the board, for 3 players, with key: A. factory cards; B. industrial complex cards; C. tunnel cards; D. railroad refit card; E. car cards; F. card deck; G. contract deck; H. players' move cards.

Playing The Game

The game is divided into rounds. Each round consists of two phases: planning phase and action phase. The player with the station master card plays first in a round. When the round ends, starting player passes the station master card to the player on the left. Thanks to this, each player will be a station master during the game, meaning he or she will take his or her actions first.

Planning Phase

During this phase, each player must decide how many fields will the train move during player's action phase. Planning cards are used for planning. Each player has 6 such cards. There is a number with the amount of move points on each of them. There are also letters on 3 of them: B, C and D. These cards can only be used if your engine has the right class. At the beginning of the game, players will use only 3 cards with numbers: 1, 2 and 3.

From the cards one possesses, each player makes a stack of exactly 3 cards. The order of cards in this stack is vital. This order cannot be changed during the action phase.

Card with the letter D differs from other planning cards. It has two values: 1 and 2. Player decides whether he or she wants to move 1 or 2 fields. This decision must be made just before making a move.

Illustrated: engine classes.

• A class engine lets you play cards: 1, 2 and 3.
• B class engine lets you play cards: 1, 2, 3 and 3B.
• C class engine lets you play cards: 1, 2, 3, 3B and 4C.
• D class engine lets you play cards: 1, 2, 3, 3B, 4C and 1/2D.

Action Phase

This phase consist of 3 turns. Each turn is played the same way. At the beginning of each turn, each player reveals the top card of his or her stack simultaneously. The station master moves his or her train a corresponding number of fields first. Then, he or she must take an action. Then next player does the same. When all players made their moves and actions, the action phase ends.

There is a possibility that player make a mistake and put into the stack a card he or she cannot play. If this happens, that player loses this turn – he or she cannot move the train and take an action.

Illustrated: planning card for the first turn, planning card for the second turn, planning card for the third turn.

Attention! Even if class of your engine is too low to, you can place cards of higher class in your stack. Nothing stand in the way to upgrade the engine before you reveal that card.

Illustrated: the planning card's stack consists of exactly 3 cards. Even if you have more, you can only use 3.

When the action phase ends, the station master passes the station master card to the player on his or her left – he or she will be a station master next turn. New station master has to swap the railroad refit card with any other card without other cards on it (move or car cards). After this you can begin the next round.

Moving Through The Board

During the game you will move your train, which is represented by a move card. The move can take place clockwise or counterclockwise. However, move must be made in one direction. Revealed card shows exactly how many fields a player has to move. Player can pass through the fields with another player's move card on it. He or she can also stop on such fields.

There are special fields on the board, which affect the move of the train. These cards are tunnels and railroad refit card.

Tunnels

Train can pass the tunnel during the move. One must remember, if a train entered tunnel A, he or she has to leave through a tunnel A; if player entered tunnel B, player has to leave through tunnel B. To pass through a tunnel, a player has to spend a move point. Using tunnels can shorten the road and allows a change of move direction after leaving it.

Railroad Refit

Trains cannot enter or pass through this field. This card will change its location between the rounds.

Illustrated: player plays planning card with value equal to 3. Thanks to this, his or her train can move to 6 places: A, B, C, D, E and F. Below are two examples of move. How to get to the other places? Try to get this yourself. Such exercise will prove useful during the game.

Illustrated examples: moving 3 fields, counterclockwise; moving 1 field clockwise, then using a tunnel, and the last move counterclockwise.

Special Action Before Moving

Before making a move, you can take special action. It is not considered a mandatory action after move. This action can only be taken if you start a turn on industrial complex card. This action lets you attach first available car. You must begin attaching starting from the card nearest to the industrial complex card. You attach that car at the rear of your train. Then, draw one car card and place them on the end of car queue.

Attention! Every engine has limit of cars it can pull. Remember not to exceed it when attaching them. Highest number of cars that engine can carry is marked in down-right corner of the engine card. At the beginning of game your engine can pull only one car at once. However, don't be worried about that. You'll have chance to upgrade it later during play.

Illustrated: A. player attaches first car in queue; B. then, he or she draws first card from car deck; C. and puts it at the end of the queue (with the labelled first, second and last car cards in queue).

Description Of Actions

After making a move, you have to take one of the following actions. Remember, you can only choose one:

1. Attaching cars,
2. Upgrading the engine,
3. Swapping cars,
4. Dismantling cars,
5. Signing a contract,
6. Changing order of cars,
7. Moving an additional field.

1. Attaching Cars

If your train end the move on the field of industrial complex, you can attach car or cars located in this complex to your engine. Attaching cars has to be started from the first car card in queue. Cars are attached to the rear of your train, maintaining the order in which they were in the complex. Then, draw car cards equal to the number of cars you attached to your engine and place them on the end of car queue. You have to keep in mind a maximum limit of cars your engine can haul.

2. Upgrading Engine

You can take this action only if your train ended the move on a industrial complex field in your color. To take this action, you have to change your current engine card to a card of engine with higher class. Engine cards are two-sided, so if you change class from A to B or from C to D, you just have to flip the card to the other side. To change from B to C you have to swap their places. You can take this action only three times during a game. If your engine is already class D, you cannot upgrade it. Upgrading your engine lets you haul more cars and use additional planning cards.

3. Swapping Cars

You can make that action if your train ends the move on any industrial complex field. You can then dismantle your last car and attach the first car card in queue. Dismantled car has to be placed at the end of car queue in industrial complex. You can swap only one car.

Attention! There cannot be more cars attached to your engine than the car limit.

Illustrated: A. player attaches first car in queue; B. then, he or she draws first card from car deck; C. and puts it at the end of the queue. (The illustration labels the last car card, second car card and first car card in queue.)

4. Dismantling Cars

This action can be taken if your train ended the move on a factory card. Additional condition is that the color of your last car or cars must match color of the factory. If they match, you can dismantle this or these car or cars. Dismantled cars have to be placed face-up below your train – it's your warehouse. These cards will give you points at the end of the game.

Check carefully if cards placed in your warehouse can be used to fulfill the contract, you can do it. To fulfill contract, show that contract card to your opponent and take off the warehouse cards used to fulfill this contract. Put these cards face-down by your warehouse on the point stack. Fulfilled contract is placed by the point stack face-up.

Contract Cards

At the beginning of the game, each player got one contract card. On each card there are 2 pieces of information: value in points and terms of contract. Amount of points and terms are variable. If you manage to fulfill the contract you will get points for this contract equal to its value. At the end of the game you get 2 points penalty for each unfulfilled contract you have.

Illustrated terms of contracts: 4 of a kind; 3 of a kind; 2 of a kind; 2 different cars; 3 different cars.

Illustrated: player has following cars in his or her warehouse. This player also has unfulfilled contract card. Cards in warehouse let him or her fulfill that contract. First term is satisfied with cards A. Second term is satisfied with cards B. Player flips all of these cards face-down and puts it on his or her point stack. Furthermore, he or she flips fulfilled contract face-down.

5. Signing A Contract

This action can be taken when your train ends the move on any field. You can draw two cards from the top of contract deck. Look at them, then put one on the bottom of the deck face-down and keep the other. It is new contract to fulfill. Keep in mind that you cannot have more than two unfulfilled contracts. If contract deck is empty, this action cannot be taken.

6. Changing Order Of Cars

You can take this action when your train ends the move on any field. You can choose any industrial complex and swap the order of cars in it.

7. Moving An Additional Field

You can take this action when your train ends the move on any field. You can move your train one additional field, even in the direction opposite to your move. You can also use this to move through a tunnel, if your train ended the move on a tunnel card.

Ending The Game

When the car deck depletes and total amount of cars in industrial complexes is even or less than the number of players, it is the last round of the game. After it ends, you count the points. Player with the most points wins.

Counting The Points

Each player counts car cards in the warehouse and point stack. Each card is worth 1 point. Furthermore, if you managed to collect cars of each type, then a card from such set is worth 2 points instead of 1. Then, add points from contracts to the points from cars. Finally, subtract the penalty points. You get a total amount of points this way.

Example (3 players game): Player gets 19 points for possessed cars and 4 points for contract.

Quick-Start Guide

Game is divided into rounds. Each round consists of two phases: planning phase and action phase.

Planning phase: Each player makes planning stack out of exactly three cards.

Action phase: Action phase consists of three turns. During each turn players reveal top cards of their stacks. Then, starting from station master, each player makes a move with his or her train. Then, he or she must take one of listed actions:

1. Attaching cars,
2. Upgrading the engine,
3. Swapping cars,
4. Dismantling cars,
5. Signing a contract,
6. Changing order of cars,
7. Moving an additional field.

At the end of the round, station master passes the station master card to other player. New station master has to swap railroad refit card with another card without any attached cards (car cards or players' move cards).

Game ends when number of car cards on the board is equal or fewer than the number of players.