30 Rails
30 Rails Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Required
- 1 game sheet
- 1 pen or pencil
- 1 white 6-sided die
- 1 coloured 6-sided die
Setup
Roll the white die 6 times, once for each row of the "map". Draw a mountain symbol in the column corresponding to the number on the die. One die roll may be ignored, and a mountain is not drawn in that row.
Select one space that is orthogonally adjacent to a mountain and write a letter "M" in that space. This represents a mine.
Write each of the numbers from 1 to 4 in one of the grey squares around the edge of the map. One number must be written on each of the four sides of the map. Each number represents a station. You will score more for connecting the higher numbered stations.
Highlight one "bonus" square on the map, within the 6x6 white area in the centre. This may be by lightly shading; by marking a corner; or by drawing around the outline.
Overview
The main rules describe the basic game for one player. For multiplayer rules and the advanced game, see Multiplayer and Advanced Game.
The game consists of 30 turns. Each turn, roll both dice. The white die indicates a row or column and the coloured die indicates a track type. Draw the track on the map. When the map is complete, calculate your score. You score for each completed railway line that connects 2 stations, with extra points for passing through the bonus square. Longer lines score more, and connecting higher numbered stations scores more. In addition, you score for each station that is connected to the mine.
Turn Sequence
- Roll both dice.
- Draw the selected track in the selected square of your game sheet.
White Die
The white die indicates a row or column for the track. Select any empty square in either the row or the column corresponding to the value on the die. If every square in the indicated row and column is already filled, you may select any empty square on the map.
Coloured Die
The coloured die indicates the type of track that must be drawn.
- Curve — Draw a 90-degree curve. It may be oriented in any direction.
- Straight — Draw a straight. It may run north-south or east-west.
- Double Curve — Draw two opposing 90-degree curves. They must not be connected. They may be oriented in any direction.
- Crossover — Draw a crossover. This consists of 2 straights at right-angles. The two tracks are separate and do not meet. One passes over the other via a bridge.
- Y Junction — Draw two 90-degree curves, joined at one edge. The junction may be oriented in any direction. Any railway line that passes through this square may use either the left or right branch.
- Junction — Draw a junction. It may be oriented in any direction. Any railway line that passes through this square may use either the straight or the curve.
Overrides
Twice during the game you may override the rolled value of a die and use any value of your choice. This may be done once for the white die and once for the coloured die. The two overrides may both be done on the same turn, or each on separate turns.
When an override is used, cross out the corresponding die symbol in the "Overrides" section of the board.
Game End
After 30 turns, the map should be completely filled. Scoring now takes place. Rate your score as follows:
- 40+ — Okay
- 50+ — Good
- 60+ — Excellent
Scoring
The game sheet prints the following scoring reference.
Station pair points:
| Stations | Points |
|---|---|
| 1–2 | 1 |
| 1–3 | 2 |
| 1–4 | 3 |
| 2–3 | 3 |
| 2–4 | 4 |
| 3–4 | 5 |
Mine connection points, by number of stations connected to the mine:
| Stations connected | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Points | 2 | 6 | 12 | 20 |
Check each pair of stations listed in the scoring section of the game sheet.
If the stations are connected by a continuous line, that pair of stations is scored. Only direct routes are counted; it is not permitted to reverse at a junction or to go via an intermediate station.
It is not permitted for a line to pass over the same length of track twice. However, a line may pass through the same square twice via a crossover or double curve.
If the stations are connected, write the number indicated in the first column, e.g. connecting stations 1 and 3 to each other scores 2 points.
Count the number of squares the line passes through and write this number in the second column. If more than one route is possible, only the shortest is counted. If a route legally passes through the same square twice, the square is counted both times.
If the line passes through the "bonus" square, write "2" in the third column. If two routes are equally short, but one passes through the bonus square, the bonus is scored. The bonus is only counted once per line, even if the route passes through the bonus square twice.
Write the sum of the first three boxes in the final column.
Count the number of stations that are connected to the mine by a continuous line. Write the indicated number in the corresponding box, e.g. 3 connected stations score 12 points.
At the bottom, write the total of column 4 plus the score for the mine. This is the final score.
Multiplayer
30 Rails is suitable for any number of players. All players always use the same dice rolls, during setup and during the game, but each player makes their own decisions of where to place mountains, mine, stations, bonus space and track. Also, each player uses their overrides separately. If one player overrides a die, the value rolled is not affected for the other players. The player with the highest final score is the winner.
Advanced Game
The advanced game is played on a slightly modified game sheet. The overrides have been removed and a "Shares" column has been added to the scoring section. The rules are the same as the basic game, except as follows.
Gameplay
There are no overrides.
Instead of laying track, a player may choose to buy shares. In this case, take the highest of the two dice and write the value in any one square of the "Shares" column of the scoring section. If the selected square already has a value, add the new value to the existing one.
When buying shares, you must also nominate a square of the "map" that will never have track built on it. Draw an "X" in any space on the map. There is an icon above the "Shares" column to remind you of this.
Scoring
During scoring, for each row score the lowest of the "Sum" column and the "Shares" column. If there is no value in the "Shares" column, you score nothing for that line, whether or not the stations are connected.
The mine is scored as normal.