Metro X
Metro X Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Overview
In this game, players create subway networks by filling in their station spaces. Following the numbers revealed by the cards, all players will have to fill up their subway map with ◯s in the station spaces. However, the number of times they can add stations to each line is limited, so they will have to make tough choices. Players will want to secure more points by getting their star bonuses in stations with many intersecting routes. Players will also get bonuses by being the first to complete routes. Try to fill in all your stations to minimize penalty and achieve a high score!
Contents of the Game
- 20 Indicator Cards
- 100 Tokyo Map sheets
- 100 Osaka Map sheets
- 6 pencils
- 6 Summary Cards
Each Indicator Card has a Front and Back. The Summary Cards likewise have a Front (showing the penalty table) and Back (showing the types of Indicator cards).
Game Setup
First, decide whether all players will play with the Tokyo map or the Osaka map.
When playing the game for the first time and players have no preference, we recommend playing with the Tokyo map.
Every player receives the following items:
- 1 sheet of the decided map type
- 1 Summary card
- 1 pencil
Decide on one player to flip the cards.
Make sure all the Indicator cards are shuffled well, then place the deck of Indicator cards in the middle of the playing area in view of all players. Leave space for a discard pile next to the deck. The game setup is now complete!
Details of the Map
The map consists of the following elements:
Indicator Space — Each line has a fixed number of indicator spaces.
Subway route — Each route is distinguished by colour and pattern.
Route name — e.g. "Ginza" (route G).
Route completion bonus — Two numbers appear beside each route's indicator spaces:
- The bonus awarded to the player who completes the route first (shown on a crown icon).
- The bonus awarded to all others who complete the route later (shown on a diamond icon).
Station Space — The closest Station space to the Indicator space is the Start Point, and the Station space furthest away is the End Point.
The boxes at the bottom of the map are used for calculating the score at the end of the game.
Flow of the Game
Every turn, the designated player flips one Indicator card face-up to the discard pile. All players simultaneously look at the Indicator card that was drawn, and then choose a route. They then write numbers or icons on the Indicator space of that route. Then, depending on the number, players will fill in ◯ (or in some cases numbers) into the Station spaces of that route. After this, all players declare if they have completed a route to earn the route completion bonus.
If you draw a card with the Shuffle icon on it, at the end of the turn after checking for route completion, collect all of the Indicator cards from the discard pile and shuffle the entire deck.
Continue turns until all the Indicator spaces are filled.
Since there are an equal number of Indicator spaces, all players should finish at the same time.
When all the Indicator spaces are filled, proceed to Game End & Scoring.
Filling in the Map
When a card is flipped, first choose one empty Indicator space. You must then fill the chosen Indicator space with either the number or icon stated on the card.
In the rare case that there is an empty Indicator space but all the Station spaces in that route are filled, you may still write a number or ☆ in the Indicator space and ignore the Station spaces.
1) Number Cards
On the chosen route, look for the first empty Station space from the Start point. Fill in that space with a ○.
Continue drawing a ○ in the following adjacent spaces until ONE or more of the following conditions A-C are satisfied:
- A. The number of ○s drawn is equal to the number written in the Indicator space
- B. You reach a filled (non-empty) Station space
- C. The End point is reached
2) Circled Number Cards
On the chosen route, look for the first empty Station space from the Start point. Fill in that space with a ○. Continue filling the following spaces, skipping spaces already filled with numbers or icons.
Continue drawing a ○ in the following adjacent spaces (skipping already filled spaces) until ONE or more of the following conditions A-B are satisfied:
- A. The number of ○s drawn is equal to the number written in the Indicator space
- B. The End point is reached
3) ☆ Cards
On the chosen route, look for the first empty Station space from the Start point. Fill in that space with a number. The number to be written is twice the number of routes passing through that Station space (use the coloured lines for reference). Points will be given for this number at the end of the game.
4) Free ○ Card
Write nothing in the Indicator space, and fill in any one empty space with ○.
Route Completion Bonus
When all the players have finished writing for that turn, each player checks if they have completed a route by filling in all Station squares for that route. If they have completed a route, they should declare this by stating "X route is completed".
The first player who completes the route circles the crown icon. All other players cross out the crown in that route. When two or more players complete the same route in the same turn, all these players circle the crown icon. After that turn, all other players who complete the route circle the diamond icon. Circled numbers at the end of the game will be scored as Route Completion Bonuses.
In the rare case that multiple routes are completed by filling in intersecting Station spaces, treat this as having completed multiple routes. Obtain the Route Completion Bonuses in the same way.
The End points of Route P (New Tram) and Route Y (Yotsubashi) of the Osaka Map are dotted because they share a common End point. If this station is filled in as the End point on either route, the space is considered filled for the other route.
Game End & Scoring
The game ends when all the Indicator spaces have been filled. Add up the following: 1) Route Completion Bonuses, 2) Intersection Bonuses, and subtract 3) Empty Spaces Penalty for your total score.
1) Route Completion Bonus
Add up all of the numbers (circled crowns and diamonds) in the square titled Comp.B.
2) Intersection Bonus
Add up all of the numbers written on the Station spaces in the square titled Cross.B.
3) Empty Spaces Penalty
Tally up the number of empty Station spaces on your map. Use this number as X and refer to the table to see the number of points to be deducted from your final score. Write this in the square titled Emp.P.
| X | Penalty |
|---|---|
| 0–5 | 0 |
| 6 | 1 |
| 7 | 2 |
| 8 | 3 |
| 9–10 | 4 |
| 11–12 | 5 |
| 13–14 | 6 |
| 15–16 | 7 |
| 17–18 | 8 |
| 19–20 | 9 |
| 21+ | 10 |
The player with the most points wins! In the case of a tie, the player with the fewest empty spaces wins. If that is also tied, all tied players win.
Solo Play
For Solo Play, use the regular rules except for the following: When a route is completed, always circle the Crown icon. At the end of the game, use the following table to score yourself:
| Score | Result |
|---|---|
| 50+ | You are either a genius or have unspeakably good luck. |
| 40–49 | You possess professional level skill |
| 30–39 | You are at an advanced level |
| 20–29 | You are at an intermediate level |
| 10–19 | You have average level skill |
| 5–9 | You need some practice |
| 1–4 | You really need some practice |
| 0 and below | It is possible that you may have gotten some rules incorrect. |
Tips for Gameplay
- It is impossible to fill all Station spaces unless you run into spectacular luck. For that reason, it is important to decide which routes you plan to complete and which routes you will probably not complete.
- Check the map for stations that have many intersecting routes, and try to get the Intersection bonus for that station.
- Make use of routes which have multiple stations running in parallel! If one route is extended, the other route is also extended.
Credits
Feedback and thoughts are welcome at OKAZU ([email protected]).
Publisher: OKAZU brand Find the latest information here: http://okazubrand.seesaa.net/ Game Design: Hisashi Hayashi (OKAZU) Graphic design: ryo_nyamo Writing: HAL99 Playtesting: the usual members English rules: Daryl Chow