Metromania
Metromania Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Board Components
- Line start — the space where a subway line begins.
- City edge — the border of the city area.
- Line end — the space where a subway line finishes.
- Test-trips memo — the track used to record the results of the end-game Tests-Trips.
- Lake — a forbidden space; digging tunnels here is prohibited.
- Park — a forbidden space; digging tunnels here is prohibited.
- Score track — where each company's score is tracked.
- Spots — House, Work, and Fun. The places players try to connect and score with.
- Working area — Tunnels (18), Start, End, Company (score) counters, kept in front of each player.
- Line — a company's subway line, one full and one striped.
- Destinations (12) — the counters that mark the starting and arrival points of the end-game Tests-Trips.
- Stations (30) — the shared pool of station markers, available to all players.
Installation
(Rules for 4 players. With 2 or 3 players: see the Special Rules section at the end.)
The numbers in parentheses refer to the examples on page 8.
The first player is the most urban.
Join the 4 pieces which form the turn of the game board. In the center, build the city by placing its 6 districts, randomly, in any orientation.
Each player chooses a color, takes his Tunnels and counters. He places his company counter on the 0 of the score track. The stations are placed near all players.
The 12 Destination counters are mixed, hidden letter. Each player, in turn, takes 3, of different type (1 House, 1 Work, 1 Fun). He looks at them at once: if 2 of them have the same letter, he rejects one of it (always hidden letter) and takes another of the same type - that until his 3 Destinations have different letters and types.
Each player keeps his Destinations in front of him, hidden letter.
Game Turn
The play turns clockwise.
During his turn, each player MUST do one, and only one, of these two actions:
- dig 3 tunnels, or
- build an intermediate station
Starting Lines
Each player can build 2 distinct subway lines, one full and one striped.
The subway lines start in the spaces with a white arrow. A player begins a line while placing a tunnel in one of these spaces and his line starting counter (round) just behind. With the first turn, a player can begin only one line.
His second line will not be allowed to start from the same edge of city, nor from the two edges of city adjacent to the first line (except if all the allowed spaces are already occupied). (1)
Digging Tunnels
The tunnels are placed in the triangular spaces of the city. Only one tunnel is authorized by space.
- A line must always be continued since its end, without junction. (2)
- A line cannot form an acute angle. (3) Except from a station: the line can then continue according to any angle. (4)
- A line can never meet nor go along itself. (5)
Caution: a player who chooses to dig tunnels in his turn must compulsorily dig 3 of them (except undeniable impossibility). He can distribute as he wants these tunnels between his two lines.
Special spaces: line starting/ending spaces are only usable to start / end there a line. The spaces of the Lake and the Park are prohibited.
Stations
A player digging a tunnel must build a station at once:
- when his line meets another line. The station is placed at the point of meeting. (6)
- when his line, who went along another line, separates some. The station is placed at the point of separation. (7)
The player scores 1 point at once by Spot whose angle touches the station that he builds. He can continue to play if he has yet other tunnels to be dug (and can thus build other stations).
While connecting to an already existing station, nothing is scored. The Park and the Lake do not give points.
Intermediate station: instead of digging tunnels, a player can use all his turn to build 1 intermediate station on one of his lines, only between two already existing stations (8). For this purpose only, a start or end of line counts like an existing station. The player scores points in the same way (spots).
Destinations
The Destinations counters fix the starting and arrival points of the Tests-Trips which will be carried out at the end of the phase by the municipality. Each player must place his 3 Destinations during the phase of construction, or he will undergo heavy penalties during the Tests!
When a player builds a tunnel on a Spot, he must at once place on this tunnel one of his Destination counters, of the same type than the Spot, visible letter. (9)
Restrictions: only one Destination can be placed by a player during his turn. Two Destinations of the same letter cannot be touched by an angle or a side. A player can't build a tunnel on a Spot if he can't (or does not want) place there a Destination.
Ending Lines
A line is finished on a space with a black arrow. The player places there a last tunnel and his ending line counter (square) behind.
A line cannot be finished on the same edge of city as its departure, nor on an adjacent edge (except if all the allowed spaces are already occupied). (10)
The player gains at once the right to build an intermediate station on this finished line, if he wishes.
Caution: after this "bonus-station", the player can never again add intermediate station on a finished line. But stations will be created if other lines meet or separate with this line.
End of the Building Phase
The phase end when one of these conditions occurs:
- a player has finished his 2 lines
- a player places the last station available
- 5 lines of various players are blocked / finished
(A line is blocked when it is impossible to continue it, generally because all the spaces at its end are occupied or prohibited, or because it does not have any more tunnels) (11)
When one of these conditions occurs, the player finishes his turn. Then each other player can play once again.
Caution: if no more stations remain, any tunnel digging creating a station become prohibited!
Line Points
The points scored by the players thanks to stations building are then adjusted...
- the players who finished their 2 lines keep all their points scored during the building phase.
- the players who finished only 1 line divide their points by 2 (rounded down) and move back their score counter.
- the players who finished 0 line replace their score counter on... 0!
Note: at the end, one can win well without finishing line, but...
Municipality Tests-Trips
It is the hour of truth! The municipality now will carry out 7 tests-trips (one per day of the week) and will distribute points to the most useful companies.
Counting Trips (12-13)
The tests are made between the Destinations of the same letter. Solve them in order, from A-A (Monday) to F-F (Saturday).
Each time, determine the fastest subway trip between stations useful for these Destinations, i.e. placed at one of their angles. Count:
- 1 minute by section between two stations (it does not matter the number of tunnels of the section)
- 3 minutes if line should be changed (even between the lines of the same player)
Score
All the players whose at least one section of line is used in the fastest trip(s) (the smallest duration thus) score points:
- 6 points if they posed one of the Destinations of the Test
- 3 points unless
Caution: a player can never score more than once in the same test!
Note: if you exceed 20 points, place one of your Tunnels beside the 20 of the score track to announce it. Idem, but beside the 0, if - alas! - your score become negative...
Impossible Tests
Some Tests can be impossible, and thus given up, what annoys the municipality terribly! It then inflicts at once to the faulty one(s) a penalty of - 6 points.
A Test can be impossible because:
- one of the Destinations was not placed. Faulty: the player who always has it in front of him...
- a Destination was placed but no station touches it. Faulty: the player who placed this Destination.
- the trip is impossible because connections lack between the lines. Faulty: the 2 players who placed these 2 Destinations.
All the faulty ones must be penalized, but the same player can be penalized only once by Test.
End of Game and Winner
Once that all 6 trips were solved, the game ends in a last Test, that of Sunday: it is done between stations touching one of the spaces of the Park and one of the spaces of the Lake. Find the fastest subway trip: it is worth 5 points for all the rewarded players. If the trip is impossible, it is given up without penalty.
It's the end: the player with the best score is declared victorious and crowned King of the Subway!
In case of a draw, the player who finished the most lines is the best. Afterwards, it is the one which posed the most tunnels. Draw again? Complain to the municipality!
Special Rules
2 Players
Each player plays 2 companies, absolutely independent for the actions and the score. Each player takes for his first company 3 Destinations A, B, C of the different type, and for its second, 3 destinations D, E, F of the different type.
The players play their companies in alternation, initially each one its first, then each one its second, always in the same order.
The building phase is finished when the same company finished its 2 lines (or according to the other conditions).
The final score of a player is equal to the sum of the points of its 2 companies.
3 Players
Each player plays 1 company. He takes 4 Destinations, including two of the same type, with its choice.
Variants
Loyal Municipality (full control)
Each player keeps his Destinations letter visible in front of him.
Straight Municipality (no luck)
Thus distribute the Destinations between the 4 players:
| Player | House | Work | Fun |
|---|---|---|---|
| Player 1 | A | B | C |
| Player 2 | D | A | E |
| Player 3 | F | E | B |
| Player 4 | C | F | D |
Examples
- 2nd line start.
- Digging tunnels: a line must always be continued since its end, without junction.
- Digging tunnels: a line cannot form an acute angle.
- Digging tunnels: except from a station, where the line can continue at any angle.
- Digging tunnels: a line can never meet nor go along itself.
- Stations (Blue plays): a station is placed where a line meets another line.
- Stations: a station is placed where a line separates from another it went along.
- Intermediate station: built only between two already existing stations.
- Destination placement: when a player builds a tunnel on a Spot, he places a matching Destination counter on it.
- End of line: a line finishes on a space with a black arrow.
- Blocked lines: Blue is blocked, as is Green, if they have no more House Destination.
- Simple trip — Test E-E: Red trip lasts 1 min., Green trip 2 min., Red + Orange trip 6 min. So the Red trip is the fastest: Red scores 6 pts (he placed the Work-Destination). The other players score nothing.
- Complex trip — Test D-D: the Blue (full line) + Green trip lasts 6 min., as does the Blue (striped line) + Orange trip. The 2 trips are equally the fastest: Green scores 6 pts (he placed the Work-Destination), Orange scores 3 pts (he placed no Destination for this test). For Blue, his 2 lines are in the 2 winning trips, but a player can only score once in a test, so Blue scores 6 pts (he placed the House-Destination). Test C-C: impossible trip - there's no station touching the Fun-Destination! It's Orange, who placed this Destination, the faulty one: he loses 6 pts.