Station Master
Station Master Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Your Job as Station Master
The player with the most points after the last train leaves the station wins the game. Points are earned by assigning passengers and carriages.
On your turn, you will choose between assigning a passenger token to one of the available trains, adding a carriage to a train that has not left the station, or playing a special card. If you play a carriage or special card, then you will draw a replacement card.
When a train is completed, it will leave the station. Players will score points based on the value of the train's carriages and the number of passengers they have assigned to the train. Then, those passenger tokens are available for use on other trains.
Equipment
Station Master includes these components:
- 112 cards including:
- 15 engine cards
- 97 Station Master cards
- 36 passenger tokens (six of each color)
- these rules
You will also need something to keep score with, such as a paper and pen or pencil or a clay tablet and stylus.
Setup
Before you begin play, you will need to do the following:
- Separate the engine cards from the Station Master cards. You can sort them by the different backs. If less than 4 Masters are playing, then remove both engines with the green banner. If you are playing with 4, then remove only the "8" engine.
- Shuffle the engine cards. Turn a number of engine cards equal to the number of players face up and put them in the middle of the playing area. This area is called "the Station." Place the remaining engine cards face down in a stack nearby.
- Shuffle all of the Station Master cards and deal 3 cards face down to each player. Players should keep their hand of Station Master cards secret from the other players. Place the remaining Station Master cards face down in a stack nearby.
- Each player chooses a color and takes all 6 matching passenger tokens. You should have 1 "3" token, 2 "2" tokens, and 3 "1" tokens. You should keep your tokens number side down and keep them secret from the other players.
- Choose a starting player. We recommend that the player who has most recently ridden on a train should be the first player.
Now you're ready to begin!
Directing Traffic
Players take turns in order, with play moving to the left. On your turn you choose between the following:
a) Assign a passenger token to an available train
-or-
b) Play a Station Master card and draw a new card from the deck.
You must choose one of the two actions. You may not choose to "pass" your turn.
Assigning Passengers to Trains
On your turn, you have the option of adding a passenger token to an available train. Each train has a limit to the number of tokens that can be assigned to it. Each engine card has a number. This is the maximum number of passenger tokens that can be assigned to that train (this number also shows the maximum number of carriages that can be assigned to that train, see below). You may not add a token to a train that is already full.
Place the passenger token on the engine card to show which train the passengers have boarded. Passenger tokens are not placed on the carriage cards.
Each passenger token represents 1, 2, or 3 passengers. When the train leaves the station, you will earn points based on the total value of the carriages multiplied by the number of passengers you have assigned to that train (see "All Aboard" on page 6).
When you assign a passenger to a train, place the token number side down so the other players don't know how many passengers you have assigned to that train. You may examine your own passenger tokens at any time.
Playing Station Master Cards
There are two kinds of Station Master cards: carriage cards and special cards. They are played in different ways.
Assigning a Carriage
Each engine can pull a limited number of carriages. The total number of carriages the engine can pull is equal to the number on the card. So, this engine can have five carriages assigned to it:
As soon as the train is full (i.e. has a number of carriages assigned to it that equals the number on the engine) it leaves the station. Trains will leave even if there is still room for more passenger tokens. When a train leaves the station, players will earn points if they have passengers on board (see "All Aboard" on page 6).
When you add a carriage to a train, it is placed at the very end of the train, farthest from the engine. You cannot add a car between other carriages already assigned to the train.
Each carriage has a value, which ranges from 6 to –6. Carriages with a positive value will increase the score of the train. Carriages with a negative value will decrease the score. All carriages with a positive value are green, and those with a negative value are red.
1st-Class Passenger Carriages and Executive Class Passenger Carriages are both special kinds of carriage. These carriages only score a positive value when they are assigned to a special kind of train (see "Special Trains" on page 6). If they are assigned to any other kind of train, then they score their negative value instead.
Special Cards
Special cards allow you to take a special action when you play them. The effect of each special card is described on the card. The effect of the special card occurs immediately when played. Here is a description of each card:
Caboose – This card allows a train to leave early, even if it does not have enough carriages to fill it. Score points for this train immediately after you play the Caboose (see "All Aboard" on page 6).
Royal Carriage – Place this card in front of the engine. When this train leaves the station, double the value of the last two carriages on the train (whether they are positive or negative).
Re-Assign Carriage – When you play this card, you may remove the last carriage from any train you choose, and add it to the end of any other train in the station. If that train is now full, it leaves immediately.
Repair – Examine the top three or five cards (as instructed by the repair card) in the discard pile. If any of them are carriages, you may choose one carriage card and add it to the end of any train, just like you played it from your hand (see "Assigning a Carriage" on page 4).
Transfer Passengers – Choose any train in the station. You may take any three passenger tokens of your choice off that train, and place them on any other trains of your choice. You may not examine passenger tokens that belong to other players. You may choose to transfer your own passenger tokens.
Standing Room – Place this card in front of the engine. The maximum number of passenger tokens that can be assigned to this train is increased by one. This does not change the number of carriages that can be assigned to the train. When you play this card, you may immediately choose to assign one of your passenger tokens to this train.
Uncouple – When you play this card, you may remove the last one or two carriages (as instructed by the uncouple card) from any train of your choice. Those carriages are placed on the discard pile.
Rush Hour
There is one rush hour special card in the deck. You must play this card immediately when you draw it. Do not add it to your hand. Instead, play it and then draw another card to replace it. Once rush hour has been played, the total number of engines in the Station is increased by one. Draw a new engine card and add it face up to the center of the table.
Special Trains
There are two kinds of special trains. They have engines that can change the value of carriages that have been assigned to those trains.
Executive Class Trains
These special "express" trains are the favorite of executives and wealthy travelers. The carriages assigned to these trains will often be the must luxurious cars available. If you assign a 1st-Class Passenger Carriage or an Executive Class Passenger Carriage to an Executive Class Train, then use the green, positive value for scoring that car. The value of all other carriages on an Executive Class Train is not affected.
Freight Train
There is one Freight Train in the deck. This train can be assigned passengers and carriages just like any other kind of train, but the value of the carriages is reversed! So, the positive, green cards will score a negative value, and the negative, red cards will score a positive value. But, since a Freight Train is not an Executive Class Train, 1st-Class and Executive Class cars will still score a negative value.
All Aboard! (Scoring)
When the last carriage (or a caboose) is added to a train, it leaves the station. When it leaves, it immediately scores points for all players who have passengers assigned to that train. Total the value of all the carriages on the train. This is the base value for each passenger. Then, turn all the passenger tokens on the train face up. Add up your passengers on the train, and multiply them by the total value of the carriages. This is your score for the train.
As each train leaves the station, add your score from that train to your previous total. After the train is scored, the passenger tokens are returned to their owners. You are free to reuse your passenger tokens as many times as you wish. Place all of the carriages in the discard pile. Place the engine card in the engine deck discard pile. Then, draw a new engine card and place it face up with the others.
Card Reference
- Engine w/ 5 Passenger Tokens
- Green Passenger Carriage (5 pts)
- Red Transport Car (-1 pt)
- Red Freight Car (-2 pts)
- Multi-color 1st-Class Carriage (-3 pts)
- Green Passenger Carriage (6 pts)
Scoring Example: This train has five carriages and five passenger tokens. The two green carriages are worth 11 points. The two red carriages are worth a negative 3 points. Since this is not an Executive Class train, the 1st-Class Carriage is also worth negative 3 points. So, the total value of the train is 5 points.
- The green player has one passenger with a value of one, so he earns 5 points (1 x 5 = 5).
- The red player has two passenger tokens worth a total of five points, so he earns 25 points (2 x 5 + 3 x 5 = 10 + 15 = 25).
- The blue player has one passenger token with a value of three, so he earns 15 points (3 x 5 = 15).
- The yellow player has one passenger token with a value of one, so he earns 5 points (1 x 5 = 5).
Now the players take their passenger tokens back so they can use them again on other trains. All of the carriages and the engine are discarded. A new engine is drawn and added to the Station.
The End of the Day
The game ends when all of the trains have left the station. After the last engine is scored, the player with the most points is the winner!
If there is a tie, then the tied player with the single largest train score wins.
It is possible that all the cards in the deck will be drawn. If this happens, don't reshuffle the deck! Instead, all the players must continue to play with the cards they have in their hands. You must continue to play on your turn, unless you physically cannot do so (because all trains in play have the maximum number of passenger tokens AND you have no carriage or special cards in your hand), even if you don't want to!