Prairie Railroads Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Parts
• Setting Up The Game
• Ending/Winning the Game
• Sequence of Play
• Action Cards
  • Offer Stock
  • Construct Track
  • Pay Dividends
• Final Payoff
  • Final Railroad Stock Payoffs
• Determining a Railroad's Value
• Determining a Railroad's Income
• Discover Growth

Game Parts

• 1 Game Board
• 192 Railroad Track cubes, 32 for each railroad
• 40 Orange Development cubes
• 30 Railroad Stocks, 5 for each railroad
• 72 Action Cards:
  • 40 Construct Track action cards (CT)
  • 24 Offer Stock action cards (OS)
  • 8 Pay Dividends action cards (PD)
• 1 six sided Die
• Money: 50 $1, 35 $5, 35 $10, 35 $25, 10 $100
• These Rules

Setting Up The Game

Lay out the game board.

Give each player money: $60 5 players, $70 4 players, $80 3 players.

Give each player some of the action cards, depending upon the number of players:

• 3 Players: give each player 2 PD, 6 OS & 10 CT
• 4 Players: give each player 1 PD, 5 OS & 8 CT
• 5 Players: give each player 1 PD, 4 OS & 6 CT

Please shuffle the remaining action cards, placing them face down on the Draw deck space on the game board.

Place the 40 orange cubes in the Development box on the gameboard.

Put each railroad's five shares of Stock above the railroad's Header at the top of the gameboard. Put each railroad's 32 Track cubes in the same place. This area will also hold the railroad's cash, used for building track.

Use the die to randomly determine a starting player. This player may begin the bidding for the first share of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad (CRIP). Bidding proceeds clockwise around the table. If a player drops out of the bidding, they may not reenter the bidding. Once a player has won the bid they must put the bid money at the CRIP's Treasury (the same area that holds the unsold stock and Track cubes) and take a share of the CRIP Stock. They must now build, at no further cost, one track segment from Troy. The player has two choices, either the track segment from Troy to Whiting or the track segment from Troy to Marysville. Place one of the CRIP's black track cubes on the black circle of the chosen track segment. Also use a track cube to record the current income of the CRIP on the Railroad Income Track, either $2 if the Troy-Marysville track segment was built or $1 if the Troy-Whiting track segment was built. Please see Determining a railroad's Income for more details.

The next stock put up for auction is the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad (ATSF). The first bid is offered by the owner of the CRIP stock. Once a player has won the bid, paid the treasury and taken their share of ATSF stock, they must build, at no further cost, the track segment from Atchison to Topeka. Use a track cube to record the railroad income on the Railroad Income Track.

The next stock put up for auction is the Kansas Pacific Railroad (KP). The first bid is offered by the owner of the ATSF stock. Once a player has won the bid, paid the treasury and taken their share of KP stock, they must build, at no further cost, one track segment from either Leavenworth or from Kansas City. Use a track cube to record the railroad income on the Railroad Income Track.

The next stock put up for auction is the Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railroad (MKT). The first bid is offered by the owner of the KP stock. Once a player has won the bid, paid the treasury and taken their share of MKT stock, they must build, at no further cost, one open (not already used by another railroad) track segment from one of these cities: Fort Scott, Paola or Kansas City. Use a track cube to record the railroad income on the Railroad Income Track.

The next stock put up for auction is the Saint Louis & San Francisco Railroad (SLSF). The first bid is offered by the owner of the MKT stock. Once a player has won the bid, paid the treasury and taken their share of SLSF stock, they must build, at no further cost, one open track segment from one of these cities: Columbus, Fort Scott, Paola or Girard. Use a track cube to record the railroad income on the Railroad Income Track.

The last stock put up for auction is the Missouri Pacific Railroad (MP). The first bid is offered by the owner of the SLSF stock. Once a player has won the bid, paid the treasury and taken their share of MP stock, they must build, at no further cost, one open track segment from one of these cities: Troy, Leavenworth, Columbus, Fort Scott, Paola or Girard. Use a track cube to record the railroad income on the Railroad Income Track.

If no one bids for a stock, the offering player gets the share for free with no money in the railroad's treasury. The initial track segment is still built.

Now that the six railroads are established, the game proceeds using the Sequence of Play. The first player is the player who owns the MP stock, then play continues clockwise around the table.

Ending/Winning the Game

The game ENDS when the eighth Pay Dividend cube is played or when a player can not play an action card (because they have used all of their personal cards and the Draw deck has no more cards). At the end of the turn, the Final payoffs are dispensed and the player with the most money WINS the game. Ties are possible.

Sequence of Play

During their turn, a player must either:

• Select a personal action card

or

• Draw an action card from the Draw deck.

Play then passes to the player on the left until the end of the game.

Action Cards

There are only three different Action cards:

• Offer Stock
• Construct Track
• Pay Dividends

Offer Stock

If the player has selected one of their personal OS cards:

This action requires the player to offer a share of railroad stock on the open market. The player may choose any of the six railroads, as long as there exists an unowned share of that railroad's stock. Alternatively, the player may offer one of their own railroad stocks for sale. If a player put their own stocks up for auction, they may not bid for the stock. Once offered for sale, a stock may not be withdrawn in favor of another.

The minimum bid for the stock is one fifth of the railroad's Value (see page 6). The player executing this action is not required to bid anything, indeed they may not have the money to pay the minimum bid! However, the player has the opportunity to make the opening bid, which may be higher than the minimum bid required by the current Valuation.

Bidding commences with the player executing the action and proceeds clockwise around the table. If a player drops out of the bidding they may not reenter the bidding. When all but one player has dropped out of the bidding, that player wins the Auction. The purchaser pays the money to the railroad's Treasury (or the offering player if it was their stock for sale) and takes the stock. There exists the possibility that no player has enough money to bid for the stock, even at the minimum bid price; if so, the stock is not bought, and the turn is over.

Example: Dave plays an Offer Stock card and decides to offer the last of the KP stock. The KP's Value is 55 so the minimum bid is $11. Dave hopes to preempt the other players so he bids higher than the required minimum. He notes that John has $3, Pete has $12, and Alex has $16. Dave also has $16 and wants this stock, so he bids $16. Since no other player can bid higher, Dave pays the $16 and takes the last KP stock.

If the player has drawn the OS card from the Draw deck:

The procedure is the same as above, except that the drawing player is restricted in which railroad's stock is offered. They may not offer one of their own shares for sale. Additionally, if one railroad has more unsold shares than any other railroad, a share of that railroad's stock must be offered.

If two or more railroads are tied for having the most unsold stock, the drawing player chooses which of these railroad's stock is offered.

Once used, the OS card is put face up in the "Used cards" space on the gameboard.

Construct Track

If the player has selected one of their personal CT cards:

The player selecting this action must first Discover Growth (see page 6).

After discovering growth, the player must have a railroad build a segment of track using one of its track cubes. Each track segment may have only one railroad. Which railroad may build the track depends on the player. If the player has more shares of stock in a railroad than anyone else, or ties for most stock with other players, the player has 'control' of that railroad and may have that railroad construct track.

Every section of track costs $5 to construct. The $5 is paid by the railroad from its Treasury to the Bank. If the railroad does not have $5 in its Treasury, it is 'underfinanced' and it cannot build track and another railroad must be chosen by the player to build track.

If the player does not control a railroad, or only controls underfinanced railroads, they must still choose a railroad that is not underfinanced, even if they do not own any stock. The player who does control the railroad selects and builds a track section. If more than one player is in control, the player selecting the CT action chooses which of the controlling players gets to select the track construction. After the track is constructed, play returns to the player playing the CT card, whose turn immediately ends.

If every railroad is underfinanced, nothing happens, and the turn is over.

If a railroad has the money, a single track segment may be built if it is open (no other railroad has built the track segment) and if it connects to the railroad's existing trackage. The railroad transfers $5 from its Treasury to the bank. Place one of the railroad's Track cubes on the black circle of the chosen track segment.

Some segments are shown with arrows, these are unidirectional and may only be built from one city to another. Wichita (F6) has four of these. If a railroad's track reached El Dorado (to the right) then that railroad may follow the arrow and build the Wichita-El Dorado segment. If the railroad's track reaches Wichita but not Wellington, the railroad may not build this track segment.

If a railroad has $15 in the treasury, a double track segment may be built, essentially two consecutive $5 builds for $15. There are additional restrictions in addition to the normal $5 construction. The railroad may only build through and to cities where it has no existing track, and the build must be two consecutive segments, not a fork or two disconnected sections.

At the western edge of the map are Western Build boxes, like the one next to St. Francis (A1). If a railroad had built the St. Francis-Atwood track segment in a prior turn, that railroad may choose to construct the Western Build next to St. Francis. The benefit of constructing the Western Build is an immediate Pay Dividends for the stockholders of that railroad. The cost of constructing a Western Build varies with the number of existing Western Builds:

Existing Western Builds	Cost
No existing Western Builds	$15
1 existing Western Build	$20
2 existing Western Builds	$25
3 existing Western Builds	$30
4 existing Western Builds	$35
5 existing Western Builds	$40

A Western Build uses the entire Construct Track turn, it may not be done in addition to single or double segment builds. Each Western Build may only have one railroad. Western Builds, like Start Cities, provide no income. The Value of a Western Build is $25. A railroad may only have one Western Build. When the Western Build is completed, place a Track cube on the W to denote that it has been built.

If the player has drawn the CT card from the Draw deck:

The procedure is the same as above, including Discover Growth (see page 6), except that the only building style allowed is a single track segment build. Both double track segment builds, and Western Builds are not allowed.

After a track segment is constructed, please remember to update the railroad's Income running total to reflect the increase.

Once used, the CT card is put face up in the "Used cards" space on the gameboard.

Extended Example: In the Initial Auctions, Jevon managed to purchase an SLSF stock for $22. With his free initial build, he built the Columbus - Coffeyville track segment. The SLSF's Income is $2, the Value is $1. (Printed as such in the source.)

In a later turn, Jevon plays a Construct Track card from his hand of cards. He has the SLSF build a single track segment from Coffeyville - Sedan. He pays the Bank $5 from the SLSF's treasury. The SLSF's Income is now $5, and the Value is $2.

In another later turn, Jevon plays a Construct Track card from his hand of cards. He has the SLSF build a double track segment, one from Sedan - Winfield and the other from Winfield - Wichita. He pays the Bank $15 from the SLSF's treasury. The SLSF's Income is now $15, and the Value is $4.

Pay Dividends

It does not matter if the player has selected a personal PD card or drawn a PD card from the Draw deck. There is no difference to the PD action. All players are paid dividends on their railroad stock, unless it is the eighth Pay Dividends card played. If it is the eighth, proceed to the Final Payoffs section below. If it is the first through seventh played, it is time to give the shareholders their justly deserved profits. The dividend paid for each share of railroad stock is the total Income (see page 6) for that railroad, divided by five. Round up.

Example: Dave has managed to acquire two shares of ATSF, whose Income is 61. Each share pays $13 (61/5 = 12.2, round up to 13) Dave collects $26 for his stock in the ATSF.

Once used, the PD card is put face up in the "Used cards" space on the gameboard.

Final Payoff

When the eighth Pay Dividends card is drawn or when a player has no personal action cards and none remain in the Draw deck, the game is over and each player is paid a final railroad stock dividend based on Income, Value and the actual number of outstanding shares. Any money in a railroad treasury is returned to the Bank.

Final Railroad Stock Payoffs

Each share of Railroad stock is paid off by the following formula:

(Value + Income) / number of stocks sold. Round fractions up.

Example: The Income for the MP is at 55, the Value is 85, and only 4 shares were sold during the course of the game, three to Ed and one to John. (( 55 + 85 ) / 4 ) = $35. John gets $35 for his share and Ed gets $105 for his three shares in the MP.

The winner is the player with the most money!

Determining a Railroad's Value

A railroad's value is determined by the amount of track it has built. Each track segment is valued at $5/segment. Even though a railroad may have spent more than this to build a track segment, the Value is only the base cost of the track segment. Each Western Build is valued at $25.

A railroad's Value is important; from this number we derive the minimum bid cost of a share of that railroad's stock.

Example: The CRIP has built the Troy-Marysville segment, the Marysville-Cuba segment and the Cuba-Concordia segment. The Value of the CRIP is $5+$5+$5=$15, so $15 is the CRIP's Value. Therefore, the minimum bid for the CRIP stock is $3.

Determining a Railroad's Income

A railroad's income is determined by the income for each segment of track it has built. The income of each segment is the addition of both cities that it connects. Start cities provide no income; neither do Western Builds. A railroad's Income is important; from this number we derive the dividend paid to each share of that railroad's stock. To avoid recalculations, use the Railroad Income track to keep a running total of a railroad's Income.

Example: The CRIP has built the Troy-Marysville segment, the Marysville-Cuba segment and the Cuba-Concordia segment. Neither Marysville nor Cuba has experienced growth. Concordia has grown, as shown by an orange cube in its city box. So, Concordia's income is $3, Marysville's income is $2, and Cuba's income is $1. So, the income for the Concordia-Cuba segment is $4 ($3+$1), the income for the Cuba-Marysville segment is $3 ($1+$2) and the income for the Marysville-Troy segment is $2 ($2+$0). The CRIP's Income is $9 ($4+$3+$2).

Discover Growth

The City and Town Growth Chart is on the bottom left-hand-side of the gameboard. This is used to determine which cities or towns become developed.

Roll the die. This is the most significant digit. Roll the die again. This is the least significant digit. On the game board are tables listing cities and towns with bold die rolls numbers from 11 to 66. The two digits rolled determine what city or town grows during this particular Discover Growth.

Example: If you rolled a '1' and then a '2' the number is '12'. Immediately to the right of 12 is listed the city of Pratt with its grid reference of 'F5'. (The grid reference is provided to assist you in finding the city.) Having rolled the '12', Pratt is in the Primary column to the right and Ransom is in the secondary column to the left. The secondary city is used only if the Primary city has already grown. This is not the case for Pratt, so Pratt now grows. Put the orange cube in the Pratt box on the map. A city only grows once in a game, if at all. Before its growth, the income received from a railroad connecting to Pratt was $2, after growth the income has increased to $3.

Later in the game, a '12' is rolled again. Since Pratt has already grown it cannot grow again. The secondary city is Ransom, and Ransom has not yet grown, so it does so now. Put the orange cube in the Ransom box on the map.

Later in the game another '12' is rolled. Both the Primary and secondary cities have already grown. When both cites have been used, the player may choose to grow any unused Primary city. If all the Primary cities have grown, the player may choose any secondary city.

After Discover Growth is completed, please remember to update any affected railroad's Income running total to reflect any increase.