Coaster Park Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Reading the Dual-Use Cards
• Components
• Setting Up the Game
• How to Play
• Taking Your Turn
  • Propose a Sale
    • Step 1: Choose a Hill
    • Step 2: Name a Price
    • Step 3: Buy, Test, or Pass
  • Hire an Expert
  • Turn End
• Building Roller Coasters
  • Storing in Your Warehouse
  • Building a Launch Hill
  • Building a Standard Hill
• End of the Game
  • Testing Coasters
  • Scoring Bonus Cards
  • Tallying Final Scores
• Abilities of the Experts
• Special Hills

Reading the Dual-Use Cards

The main cards in the game — 12 launch cards and 24 standard cards — serve two very distinct purposes. Each card has two important pieces of information: 1) the listed expert and 2) the associated hill.

• Expert name and ability: The top right half of the card lists an expert and corresponding ability, with a matching illustration to the left. These experts in the card row can be "hired" during the game in order to gain access to their special abilities.
• Hill to be added to central pool: The associated hill (listed on the bottom right of the card) is immediately moved from the general supply to the central pool, where it will now be available for purchase. Once the hill has been moved, this information on the card has no other purpose in the game and can be ignored.
• Cost of expert card: Shown on the card.
• One-time use or ongoing effect icon: Shows whether the expert's ability is used once (one-time use) or remains in effect (ongoing effect).

Components

• 8 marbles
• 7 bonus cards: 6 secret bonus cards and 1 global bonus card (double-sided)
• 116 coaster supports
• 12 launch hills (2x each of 6 types)
• 24 standard hills (2x each of 12 types)
• 12 launch cards
• 24 standard cards
• 129 coins: 48 gold coins ($5 each) and 81 silver coins ($1 each)
• 1 active player marker

Note: The global bonus card is shown on the component illustration with the scoring text "Score 1 point for every $3 (rounded down) you have at the end of the game." The card's name is not printed in the rulebook text.

Setting Up the Game

1. Set all of the hills and coaster supports off to the side in a general supply.

2. Shuffle the 12 launch cards (red backs) to form the launch deck. Set this deck face down off to the side of the play area.

3. Shuffle the 24 standard cards (blue backs) to form the standard deck. Set this deck face down just to the right of the launch deck.

4. Draw the top 3 cards from the standard deck and place them in a face-up row to the right of the decks; this is the card row.

5. Draw the top 2 cards from the launch deck and add them face up to the right end of the card row.

6. Look at the 5 cards in the card row; move the 5 corresponding hills (3 standard hills and 2 launch hills) from the general supply to center; this is the central pool.

   Note: Each hill is made up of 2 identical pieces, and there are 2 copies of each hill. When moving a hill from the general supply to the central pool, move 2 identical pieces (i.e., 1 hill), but not all 4.

7. Give each player coins to equal $24 (e.g., three $5s and nine $1s). Place the remaining coins off to the side as the bank.

8. Give each player 1 marble.

9. Set the global bonus card face up by the card row. Shuffle the 6 secret bonus cards, then deal 1 to each player, face down, and return the remainder to the game box without revealing them. Each player may view their own secret bonus card, but must keep it hidden from their opponents. (In a 2-player game, deal 2 cards to each player instead.)

10. Determine which player has most recently ridden a roller coaster; that player will begin the game as the active player, and should take the active player marker.

[Setup diagram: Game Setup – 4 Players, showing the card row and the central pool layout. Image only; no text.]

How to Play

In Coaster Park, players take turns in clockwise order, beginning with the player who was given the active player marker during setup. When it is your turn, you will either put a hill up for sale or hire an expert. After your chosen action is complete, you will pass the active player marker to the player on your left, who will then take their turn.

The end of the game is triggered either when one player builds their seventh hill or when the standard deck is empty. When this occurs, every player gets one more turn. Then the game ends and final scores are tallied to determine the winner!

Taking Your Turn

On your turn, you must either PROPOSE A SALE or HIRE AN EXPERT. See below for details on how these 2 very different options play out.

Propose a Sale

When you propose a sale, there are 3 steps that will take place in order:

1. Choose a Hill (active player)
2. Name a Price (active player)
3. Buy, Test, or Pass (in turn order)

Step 1: Choose a Hill

As the active player, you must choose a hill to be put up for sale. You may choose any 1 hill that is available in the central pool. This may be either a launch hill or a standard hill.

If you do not like any of the hills available in the central pool, you may instead draw 1 card from either deck, then move the corresponding hill from the general supply to the central pool and put that hill up for sale. After drawing the card, place it face up at the right end of the card row. (If this would be the sixth card in the row, discard the leftmost card and shift all the remaining cards to the left.)

[Example diagram: Choose a Hill (top of deck). Image only.]

Step 2: Name a Price

As the active player, you must name a price that you would be willing to pay for the hill that is up for sale. The price may be any amount (including "$0"), but it can never be more than you would be able to pay with the money and discounts you have available.

Note: New players often find themselves paying too high a price for coaster hills early on and running out of money toward the end of the game. Don't be too aggressive on the auction block!

[Example diagram: Name a Price. Image only.]

Step 3: Buy, Test, or Pass

In this step, players will either buy the hill that is up for sale, test one of their existing coasters, or pass. The player seated to the left of the active player begins, and the action continues in clockwise order — but only until the hill has been bought. (It's possible that not all players will take an action in this step.)

• BUY THE HILL → Pay the named price and take the hill that is up for sale, either storing it in your warehouse or building it immediately. (See Building Roller Coasters for detailed rules.)

  When anyone other than the active player buys the hill, the active player gets a choice: they may collect the money that the building player paid for the hill OR they may take an expert of their choice from the card row and place it in their own player area, in which case the builder's money is paid directly to the bank. Then the turn ends.

  If none of the other players buy the hill, then the active player MUST buy the hill, paying the cost directly to the bank. Then the turn ends.

• TEST AN EXISTING COASTER → Pay $1 to the bank and select 1 of your existing coasters; you now get 3 attempts to run your marble down that coaster and test the track.

  Note: This action is the only way to determine the validity of your coasters before the end of the game! Test attempts will show you whether your coaster is in working order or whether you'll need to change its construction with the help of hired experts.

  When running a marble down the track, use an upside-down coaster support at the top of your launch hill — the goal is to hold the two halves of the hill close enough together that the marble doesn't fall through — and then launch the marble down with one hand.

  When you launch the marble, you can simply let go of the marble or you can push it down the launch hill. Don't be too forceful, though; you don't want the marble to careen off the tracks! It may be best to let gravity do most of the work.

• PASS → If you do not wish to (or cannot afford to) buy the hill that is up for sale or test an existing coaster, you simply pass and do nothing.

[Example diagram: Buy, Test, or Pass. Image only. Speech-bubble captions read: "I'm going to test." / "Dang, I can't do anything 'cause buying the hill ended the turn." / "I'm going to buy the hill."]

Hire an Expert

When you hire an expert, you pay $2 to the bank in order to take any card from the card row, placing it in front of you. This is now an expert that gives you a special ability.

After taking the card, immediately draw a new card from either of the card decks and add it to the right end of the card row. (If this would be the sixth card in the row, discard the leftmost card and slide the remaining 5 cards to the left.) Then move the corresponding hill from the general supply to the central pool.

Turn End

When a hill is bought or an expert is hired, the turn is over. The active player marker is passed to the left, and a new turn begins.

Building Roller Coasters

Whenever you buy a hill, you must either build it instantly or store it in your warehouse for future use.

Please see the back of the rulebook for building/assembling diagrams.

Storing in Your Warehouse

To store a hill in your warehouse, simply set the hill (both pieces) down in front of you. Later, you may pull this hill out of your warehouse when building in order to add it to an existing coaster or start a new coaster.

You may have only 1 hill in your warehouse at a time (unless you hire certain experts). If you want to store a hill, but your warehouse is already full, you may immediately build a hill or discard a hill from your warehouse (removing it from the game) in order to make room.

Building a Launch Hill

To build a launch hill, you must start a new coaster. (There is no limit to the number of coasters you may have.) Assemble the hill, attaching coaster supports so that it stands up. It might be a bit wobbly, and that's okay. It will be stiffer when more hills are added to it.

When you build a launch hill, you may also build hills from your warehouse at the same time, either on the same coaster or other coasters. See example on page 8.

Building a Standard Hill

To build a standard hill, you must add it to an existing coaster. Assemble the hill with coaster supports, then attach it to the downhill end of an existing coaster, so that the new hill slots outside the previous hill. (This is very important — otherwise, the marble may not travel correctly.)

When you build a standard hill, you may also build hills from your warehouse at the same time, either on the same coaster or other coasters. See example on page 8.

End of the Game

As soon as any player builds their seventh hill, or the standard deck is empty, the end of the game has been triggered. When this happens, every player will get one more turn as the active player, then the game ends. Once the game has ended, players must test their roller coasters, score their bonus cards, and then tally their final scores.

Testing Coasters

All players must now test their roller coasters to see how they will score. Players should test their coasters 1 at a time so everyone can witness each test — this is the most fun part!

Each player has 3 free attempts on each of their coasters, and will count only their best attempt for each. Every hill (including the launch) that the marble passes completely over will count for scoring. Every hill that the marble does not pass completely over is removed from the game. If this results in a coaster having less than two hills (a launch hill and a standard hill) remaining, then the entire coaster is removed and will not be scored.

Players then score points for their coasters that tested successfully. For each coaster, count up the total number of flag icons on one side; that is the number of points they score. (Note: Do not count both sides of the coaster; the two sides simply mirror each other.)

Scoring Bonus Cards

Each player scores points for their own secret bonus card and for the global bonus card. Each player's secret bonus card represents a scoring condition that applies only to that player. All secret bonus cards should now be revealed and scored, along with the global bonus card.

Remember: Because hills that the marble does not pass completely over are removed from coasters, points from bonus cards are only awarded for the hills that remain after final testing.

[Example diagram: End-Game Scoring. Image only. The secret bonus card in the example reads "Score 1 point for each yellow steel hill in your coasters."]

Tallying Final Scores

After the points from successfully tested coasters and bonus cards have been tallied, the player with the most points is the winner!

In the case of a tie, the tied player with the longest roller coaster — measured by lining up the coasters side by side on the table — is the winner. If there is still a tie, tied players compare their second-longest coasters in the same way, and so on until there is a clear winner.

Abilities of the Experts

There are 10 different types of experts available to assist you with the construction of your coaster park. Some provide ongoing abilities and remain active for the entire game, while others provide one-time abilities and are flipped face down after use.

You may use the abilities of your experts any time that you are taking an action, even if you are not currently the active player.

You are allowed to have multiple copies of the same expert at once. If you have multiple copies of an expert with an ongoing ability, those abilities stack.

• Acquisitions Expert → Buy any available hill for $5.
• Corporate Spy → Look at another player's secret bonus card.
• Construction Foreman → Insert a hill between 2 existing hills in 1 of your coasters.
• Contract Attorney → Pay $1 less when buying a hill.
• Crane Operator → Move a hill from the end of 1 coaster to the end of another.
• Demolitions Expert → Remove a hill from the end of 1 of your coasters.
• Engineer → Draw 2 expert cards. Keep 1 and shuffle the other back into the deck.
• Financier → Collect $1 from the bank at the beginning of each of your turns.
• Ride Mechanic → When testing a coaster, do not pay the $1 cost if all 3 attempts are unsuccessful.
• Warehousing Manager → Your warehouse storage limit is increased by 1.

Special Hills

There are 5 different special hills that have unique scoring conditions.

• Bump* → +2 points if marble stops between the bumps
• Double Dipper → +1 point if previous hill is smaller (compare hill size listing)
• Jump → +1 point for each previous hill
• Loop → Doubles the value of the entire roller coaster
• Plateau → +1 point per hill after the plateau

*This is a special exception to the normal rules for scoring coasters. For the Bump to score, the marble does NOT have to pass completely over the hill.