Dutch InterCity Rulebook

Table of Contents

Setting Up
End of Game
Sequence of Play
Offer Shares
Purchase Track
Receive Dividends
Assign Turn Order Cards
The Final Turn
Developer's Note

Setting Up

Place the map in the center of the table.

Place the color coded stocks, track cubes and track cards next to the colored sections at the sides of the game board.

The amount of starting capital supplied to each player at the start of the game depends upon the number of players:

6 players, $10 each
5 players, $12 each
4 players, $15 each
3 players, $20 each

The Turn Order cards used also depend upon the number of players, all 6 in a 6 player game and only 1, 2 and 3 in a three player game. Shuffle the Turn Order cards, each player takes one. The player drawing the lowest number card is the starting player. This first player starts the OFFER SHARES segment.

End of Game

The game ends when all sections of track have been purchased or on any turn where no track sections have been purchased. See FINAL TURN.

The winner is the player with the most money.

Sequence of Play

OFFER SHARES
PURCHASE TRACK
RECEIVE DIVIDENDS
TURN ORDER

This continues until the FINAL TURN.

Offer Shares

The first player may offer a share of railroad stock for auction. The player offering the stock is not required to bid on the offered stock. Players who drop out of the bidding may not re-enter the bidding. The order of bidding follows the Turn Order cycle.

Example: In a 3 player game, John has Turn Order card #2 and he offers a share of the Red railroad. He bids $5. Dave has Turn Order card #3 and passes. Pete has Turn Order card #1 and bids $6. John passes, Dave had already passed so Pete purchases the offered share of the Red railroad for $6. He puts the money in the Red railroad's Corporate Treasury.

The first share of stock sold in a railroad is the Director's share. The railroad starts with ownership of the section of track drawn on the map in the railroad's color. The money paid for the stock by the highest bidder goes directly into the railroad's treasury; put the money paid for the stock in the off board color coded section of the gameboard. If another player ever holds more shares than the Director, that player becomes the new Director of that railroad. The new Director takes the Director's share and gives one of his other shares to the former Director.

The next player (the player with the next higher Turn Order card) may now offer a share of railroad stock for auction. This continues until every player has had an opportunity to offer a share of railroad stock for auction. If, at the end of this first round, every player still has some money, shares are offered in turn order until one player has no money. At the moment one player has no money the Offer Shares segment is concluded.

Purchase Track

Each Director may choose a section of track to purchase for that railroad. The same player might be the Director of more than one railroad and may choose a track section for each railroad they Direct. The money used to purchase track may only come from the railroad's treasury. The Director's choice is secret, they put a Track card from the railroad's color coded Track card deck face down in front of them. The chosen section of track must connect to the railroad's existing track, it may not be disconnected. The minimum payment (2, 4 or 6) for building the section of track is shown on the card (and map). Once all active railroads (those with a Director) have chosen a Track card, all Track cards are revealed.

If only one railroad has chosen a certain section of track, the Director pays the minimum cost from the Railroad's Treasury to the Bank. That railroad puts a track cube in that track section's box. If the Railroad's Treasury does not have enough money to pay the minimum cost, nothing is built.

If a track card was chosen and that track has already been built, this is a way for the Director to say that the railroad is not planning to build any track this turn without letting the other players know this intention.

If two (or more) railroads desired to purchase the same section of track, this section is auctioned off. This auction is blind. Each Director involved takes the railroad's treasury, puts the money they are willing to bid for the track section in their right hand and the remaining money in their left hand. When each Director is ready, each reveals their bid. The highest bid wins the right to build the track. If multiple track links are contested, resolve the adjudication in this order: Yellow, then Purple, then Blue, then Red, then Green.

If the bid money is greater than or equal to the minimum cost of the track, the bid money is put in the Bank and any remaining railroad treasury money is returned to the Railroad's Treasury. That railroad puts a track cube in that track section's box.

If the bids are tied, nobody builds the track this turn.

If the highest bid was less than the minimum payment for the track, the Railroad's Treasury must add money to pay the minimum payment. If the Railroad's Treasury does not have enough money, nothing is built.

Receive Dividends

Shareholders are paid $1 for each share of stock in a railroad times the number of contiguous sections of track that the railroad has in its network. This money is paid from the Bank. Contiguous sections are just that - branches do not count; each city may only be visited once.

Example: The Green railroad has built Track sections #29, #10, #14, #20, #22 and #28, in addition to having its starting track from Groningen to Zwolle. The longest contiguous track is the start section, #29, #10, #20 and #22. This means that the holders of shares in the Green railroad will receive $5 for each share they own. Note that section #14 is not counted as it is a short branch, probably built to deny track to another railroad, or perhaps it could not continue further. Also note that #28 was not used in figuring the longest contiguous track because it would have meant that Utrecht was visited twice.

Assign Turn Order Cards

The Turn Order cards are redistributed according to each player's cash. The player with the most cash gets Turn Order card #1, the poorest gets the highest number Turn Order card available. Break any ties by using the prior assignment of the Turn Order cards, assigning the lower Turn Order card to the player who had the lower Turn Order card last time.

The Final Turn

The Final Turn is realized when either all track sections have been built or no track section was built this turn. All the Shareholders receive their Dividends. When that step has been completed, each railroad's Director adds together the minimum value of each section of track that the railroad has built. This total is then paid to the Railroad's Treasury. Now the Director counts the money in the Railroad's Treasury. This total is divided by the number of purchased shares in the railroad, rounding fractions down. This final share equity is paid to each shareholder for each share they hold from the Railroad's Treasury. Any money remaining in the Railroad's Treasury is given to the Director of the railroad.

Example: From the prior example, the Value of the Green Railroad is $4 (Track section #14) + $6 (#28) + $6 (#29) + $2 (#10) + $4 (#20) + $6 (#22) + $10 (Green starting track) = $38. This $38 is put into the Green Railroad's Treasury, which had $5 already in it. Now this $43 money is divided by the number of purchased shares. Joshua has the Director share and two other green shares. Jeroen has two green shares. With 5 purchased shares, $43 is divided by 5, rounding down, resulting in $8 per share. This money is paid to the shareholders with Joshua receiving $24 and Jeroen receiving $16. The remaining $3 in the Railroad's Treasury is given to the Director, Joshua.

Developer's Note

Han Heidema was the consummate train gamer. He had one of the largest, if not the largest, collections of train games in the world. I enjoyed my extended stays at his beautiful home in Wolfheze, watching the Dutch InterCity trains go by every now and again. A mathematician by training, in retirement he became the Editor of Spel!, the Dutch board game magazine. His recent passing is a great loss for gamers everywhere. His discerning intellect and innate generosity will be missed by all. I applaud Jay Tummelson of Rio Grande Games for his decision to produce Han Heidema's Dutch InterCity.

John Bohrer

Game Design: Han Heidema Graphic Design and Illustration: Todd Sanders Game Development: John Bohrer Artwork sourced by Jeroen Doumen

The license for Dutch InterCity has been kindly granted to Rio Grande Games by Winsome Games.