Days of Steam

Days of Steam Rulebook

Table of Contents

Overview of Play

Players take turns either playing tiles from their hands or playing a town tile and moving their trains to pick up and deliver goods. Victory points are awarded for delivering goods, for delivering a variety of goods and for completing circuits of track.

Deck of Tiles:

12 town tiles (red, yellow, green, blue)
80 track tiles
4 train tiles (gray, orange, white, purple)

Other components:

4 Trains (1 each in gray, orange, white and purple)
4 Steam Markers (1 each in gray, orange, white and purple)
1 Die
28 Goods Cubes (7 in each of red, blue, green and yellow)
7 Circuit Counters
20 Black Coal Cubes
1 Cloth Bag

The Track Tiles

These tiles should be used in accordance with the following rules:

Steam Points: When a tile is played, the steam on the player's train tile is increased by the number on the coal car in the corner of the tile.

Play over existing track: These tiles may be placed over an existing track tile and must follow all the rules for playing a tile however, a new configuration of track may be created. These tiles may not be played over a track containing a train, a hill, a bridge or a town.

Track [Double Curve]: A train may only exit this tile along the same track segment it entered. For purposes of determining circuits this tile has two different track segments which are counted separately. Trains cannot fly from one of the curve track segments on this tile to the other.

Note: It is important to place trains on bridge and double curve tiles in such a way so that is clear which track segment they are on. This is important in determining which directions the train may go the next time it is moved and in determining if a train is being passed and an extra steam is required.

Track [Dead end]: Trains must stop upon entering dead ends. On the next turn the train is moved, it is turned around and moved out. Dead ends cost 1 steam to enter.

Track [Bridge]: A train may only exit this tile along the same track segment it entered. This tile has two different track segments, which are counted separately when determining circuits. Trains cannot jump up to or off of the bridge onto the other track segment on the tile.

Hill: Two steam points are required to move a train onto this track segment. When counting the distance between towns a hill is counted as a single track segment.

Water Tower: If a player begins their turn with their train on a track segment containing a water tower, the player may chose to do nothing else during their turn (do not play a tile, do not move their train) and increase their train's steam by 4.

Track Segments: It costs a minimum of one steam to move onto a track segment. Hills cost two. Moving through a track containing another train costs one additional steam point. Moving onto a curve track while using more than 2 steam requires a derailment roll. It is possible to track a circuit through the same tile twice, such as a bridge or tile with two curves, as long as different track segments are used each time.

Terms

Track segment: A single section of track that connects two tile edges. Many tiles (towns, junctions etc.) have more than one track segment.
Dead end: A track segment that does not connect two tile edges.
Valid Path: A series of track segments that may be traversed by a train in one direction without requiring a reverse of direction.

Set Up

Each player selects a different color train, a matching steam marker, and a train tile.
Put all the goods cubes in the cloth bag.
Shuffle the town tiles. Draw one town tile and place it face up in the middle of the playing area. This is where the game map will start. Place each player's train on the town.
Turn over the top two town tiles. Place them next to the map area. Randomly draw two goods for each of these two face up town tiles and place them on the tiles. Place the town tile deck face down next to the two face-up towns.
Shuffle the track tiles and deal 3 track tiles to each player. Players keep these in their hand and hidden from the other players. Place the track tile draw deck face down in an easily reached location.
Each player places his steam marker beside his train tile to indicate he has 0 steam to begin the game.
The player who last played a train game starts.

Sequence

Players take turns performing one of three actions: Play a Tile, OR Move their Train, OR Use the Water Tower.

If a player plays a track tile from his hand, he draws a new track tile at the end of his turn. Play proceeds in a clockwise direction.

Play A Tile

On his turn, the player may either play a track tile from his hand or a town tile from the table. Tiles played must be played in accordance with the following rules:

At least one track segment (non-dead end track) on the tile played must be placed so as to trace a valid path back to a town in play.
No tiles may be placed such that an edge with a track is against an edge without a track.
A track tile may only be played if it is not more than the 5th tile along a valid path away from a town.
A town tile may only be played if it is connected by a valid path to another town.
A town tile may not be played if it would be closer than two track segments from the nearest town in play. However, a track tile may be played in such a way that it creates between two towns a link that is only one track segment long.

When a player plays a tile, check the number on the coal car in the top right corner of the tile played. Add this amount to the player's steam on his train tile by moving the steam marker to the new steam total. The amount of steam may never go below 1 or above 6.

Town Tiles

As his turn a player may choose to play one of the two face-up town tiles with their associated goods cubes or may draw and play the top tile from the town deck. When a face-up town tile is played, immediately replace it by drawing a town tile from the deck and randomly drawing 2 goods to place on it.

If a face down town tile from the deck is drawn and placed on the map, randomly draw 2 goods to place on it.

Examples of Legal and Illegal Tile Play

Figure 1: A town may only be placed where it is more than two track segments from another town. The red town tile cannot be played in the location shown.
Figure 2: The red town tile may be played in the location shown.
Figure 3: On their turn, a player places the red town in its location. Although it is only one tile space away from the yellow town, the placement is allowed. This is because it is currently connected to the yellow town by a valid path that contains at least two segments. (In this case three, one straight and two curves.) A straight track tile could now be played to connect the two towns even though the two towns would then only be one track segment apart.
Figure 4: At least one track segment on a track tile (not a dead end) must connect to an existing town.
- A side with a track is against a side without a track.
- Only the dead end is connected to a town.
- No track on the tile is connected to a town.
Figure 5: The green town cannot be placed as shown, despite being two track segments from the blue town, since there is no valid path to the green town from any other town. However, the red town can be placed as shown. It is connected to the blue town via a valid path, and there are at least two track segments between the red town and the blue town.
Figure 6: The blue town cannot be placed as shown, since it is not connected to any other town.

Check for a Circuit

After a tile is played check to see if that tile completed a new circuit. A circuit is a continuous loop of tracks connecting at least 2 towns (different or same colors) so that a train could start at one town, pass through the other town and return to the original town without traveling over any portion of a single track segment twice and without reversing direction. If a player completed a new circuit then he immediately receives a circuit counter. A player may only receive one circuit counter per turn regardless of the number of circuits created. Only the first seven circuits created receive circuit counters.

Examples: Circuits

Figure 7: A Legal Circuit.
Figure 8: A New Circuit Is Created. Even though the same two towns are connected, by playing these two tiles, a new path has been created between them. This is a new circuit and the player that created it receives a circuit counter.
Figure 9: This is not a circuit, since a train is not able to take the lower route between towns without reversing. After the circuit is created, playing this tile here does not create a new circuit. A circuit counter is not awarded. Overbuilding this tile here creates a circuit. A circuit counter is awarded.

Move Train

On his turn, the player may move his train. He may start his move using any track segment available on the tile, regardless of where his train stopped or was facing last turn but may not jump green space. Trains may be moved in accordance with the following rules:

A player may only move his own train.
Trains may only move along track segments along valid paths but may end their move on a dead end.
Most track segments cost 1 steam to move into. Hill tiles cost two steam points to enter.
A player removes expended steam by repositioning the steam marker on his train tile. A player may not expend more steam than is present on his train.
Trains must maintain the direction of travel initiated at the beginning of the current turn. Players may turn their train around on track segments and follow the natural path of the track from one turn to the next, but not during their current turn.
Towns are an exception. A train may enter a town, turn around, and exit the town from the same direction it came all in the same turn. There is no limit to the number of trains allowed on a town tile at the same time.
A train may not end its move on a track segment or junction tile that contains another train. A train may end its move on one track segment of a bridge or double curve tile even if another train occupies the other track segment.
When moving into a junction tile, the exits that can be used during the same turn may be limited by the configuration of the track. See following examples.

Examples: Moving Through Junctions in a single turn

Figure 10

A train entering this part of the map at A can leave at B, C, D or F on the same turn. It cannot leave at E, because this would require reversing on tile 3, and it cannot leave at G or H because that would require reversing on tile 4.
A train entering this part of the map at B can only leave at A on the same turn. Leaving at any other point would require reversing on tile 1.
A train entering this part of the map at C can leave at A, D or F on the same turn. There is no restriction on the way a train can move through this tile.
The directions of the junctions on tile 3 restrict the ways that you can move through this tile. A train entering this part of the map at D can leave at A or C. A train entering this part of the map at E can only leave at F on the same turn.
A train entering this part of the map at F can leave at A, C, E, G or H on the same turn.

Examples: Stopping in Junctions

If a train enters a junction and ends its turn, then it will have more options next turn. For instance, a train entering at B can end its turn on tile 1 and on the next turn, can leave at A, B, C, D or F. The fact that leaving at B, C, D or F requires reversing is not an issue, as reversing is allowed between turns.
A train entering at D can end its turn on tile 3, and then on the next turn, can leave at E. The fact that this requires reversing twice on tile 3 is not an issue.

Speed Limit

The speed limit on curved track segments (including curved track segments on junction tiles) is 2. When a player spends more than 2 steam on his train's entire move, and his train enters any curved track segments, he must roll the die after finishing his move. If the number rolled is greater than the number of steam spent during the turn minus 2, then the train survives intact. Otherwise, the train derails.

For example, a train expends 6 steam points moving and the move includes moving onto at least one curve track segment. The owning player must roll a 5 or 6 for the train to safely complete its move. On a roll of 1-4 the train derails.

A derailed train is returned to its position at the start of the turn and it loses the steam it used during its move. If the train moved a good as part of its proposed move, the good is also returned to its location at the beginning of the turn.

There is no speed limit for trains moving through towns. A train may enter a town and exit making a 90 degree turn without requiring a speed limit die roll, since the intersection is not considered a curved track.

Passing a Train

A train may pass another train on a track, but it costs one additional steam to move along the track segment containing the other train. It does not cost any additional steam to pass one or more trains in a town.

If an opponent's train is on a junction tile, it always costs one additional steam to move through the tile even though the trains may not be using the exact same track segment.

The bridge and double curve tiles contain two separate, distinct track segments. It does not cost a player an extra steam to pass a train on a track segment completely separate from the one he is on.

Shipping Goods

Trains may ship goods as part of their movement as follows:

It does not cost any additional steam to pick up, carry or deliver goods.
Trains may only pick up a good when they are on the same tile as the good. When picking up a good, place the good on the train. When goods are taken from a town they are not replenished.
Trains do not need to start on a tile with a goods cube in order to pick it up. A train may move onto a tile, pick up a good and continue on its way.
Trains may carry only one good at a time.
Goods are delivered when they arrive at the first town that matches their color. Goods may not be delivered to the town in which they originally started.
When a good is delivered, the delivering player removes the good on the train and keeps it for calculating his victory points.
A train may continue its movement after delivering a good to a town and may also pick up another good in the same town or a different town and continue on its way.
If a train carrying a goods cube ends its movement in a town, but the color of the goods cube does not match the town, the good must be automatically unloaded and is available for any player to pick up on his turn.
Trains carrying a goods cube may stop anywhere along the tracks. As long as the train does not stop in a town, the train retains possession of the goods cube and it cannot be picked up by another train.

Movement Examples

Legal move: In the Figure 7 circuit example above, it would require 3 steam points to move from the yellow to the red town, taking the southern route. It would require 4 steam to move along the northern route. If either move is made in one turn it would require a derailment roll. On the southern path only a roll of 1 would cause a derailment. If the train derailed, it would be returned to the yellow town and the player would lose 3 steam. On the northern route a roll of 3-6 is required for a successful move. On a roll of 1 or 2 a derailment would occur. If the train derailed, it would be returned to the yellow town and the player would lose 4 steam points. If an opponent's train were on the hill, it would take 5 steam to travel the northern route and a speed limit die roll of 1-3 would result in derailment.

Use the Water Tower

On his turn and if the player begins his turn with his train on a track segment containing a water tower the player may chose to do nothing else during his turn (does not play a tile, does not move his train) and increase his train's steam by 4.

Figure 11 - Example: A train begins its turn on tile 1. It has three steam. It may expend one steam to move onto the water tower and stop. On a future turn, instead of playing a tile, the owning player may move the train off of the water tower, or the player may spend his entire turn with the train at the water tower collecting up to 4 steam. Even when starting a turn at a water tower, 6 steam remains the train's maximum.

Coal Cubes

When the last town tile is put into play, each player receives 5 coal cubes. Coal cubes may only be used at the beginning of a player's turn to increase his steam. For each coal cube discarded a player receives one steam. The maximum amount of steam a train may have remains 6. A player may use one or more coal cubes to stoke his boiler and then move his train or play a tile on the same turn. Steam gained via coal cubes does not have to be used in the same turn the coal cubes are turned in, but can be stored on the train tile until needed.

Scoring

A player's score is calculated as follows:

2 victory points for each delivered good
1 victory point for each circuit counter

In addition, players score a delivery bonus based on the number of different colors of goods that they have delivered as follows:

1 victory point for 2 different colors of delivered goods
3 victory points for 3 different colors of delivered goods
5 victory points for 4 different colors of delivered goods

Ending the Game and Determining the Winner

The game ends immediately when one of the following occurs:

A player earns 13 victory points. He is immediately declared the winner.

The last tile is drawn from the track deck. The player with the most points wins. In case of a tie the player with the most circuit counters wins. If there is still a tie, the player with the most steam points on his train wins. If a tie still exists, those players share the victory.