Chicago & NorthWestern Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Parts
• Setting Up The Game
• Initial Build
• Ending/Winning The Game
• Sequence of Play
  • Offer Stock
  • Build Track
  • Pay Dividends
  • Special
  • Gone West
  • Forced Pass

Game Parts

• 1 Game Board
• 96 Railroad cubes, 16 for each railroad
• 24 Railroad Stocks, 4 for each railroad
• 6 Special cards, 1 for each railroad
• 5 Pay Dividend cards
• 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 starting capital. $60 with 5 players, $70 with 4 players, $80 with 3 players.

Give each player one Pay Dividends card. Place any extras in the game box, they are not used.

Put each railroad's four shares of Stock, Special card and 16 track cubes at the edge of the game board next to the Railroad logo. This area holds the railroad's Treasury, money paid for stock is placed in this location. When a railroad builds track, the money required to build track comes from this Treasury.

Randomly determine the Start player.

Initial Build

The Start player selects one of the five available railroads (the MP is not available until a railroad builds into St. Louis) and places at least $5 into the railroad's treasury. The player takes a share of the railroad's stock and must build some track for that railroad. How much track they build (single link, double link or triple link) depends entirely upon how much money is in the railroad's treasury and how much they wish to spend of that railroad's treasury money. Place one of the railroad's cube (or cubes if multiple track links are built) onto the white box denoting ownership of that track link.

Example: Pete selects a share of the Rock Island Railroad and places $5 into the railroad's treasury. He selects the track link between Chicago and Cedar Rapid. He places a purple Rock Island track cube in the white box on the track link. To pay for the track, he takes $5 from railroad's treasury and puts it in the bank.

The next player (to the left of the Start player) must select an available unbuilt railroad and perform the same procedure. This procedure continues until each player has started a railroad. Play now begins with the Start player.

Ending/Winning The Game

The game ENDS when the sixth Special occurs or when 4 railroads have Gone West or when no railroad stocks are available for sale. Finish the turn. The player with the most money WINS the game. Ties are possible.

Sequence of Play

The player must choose one of these actions:

• Offer Stock
• Build Track
• Pay Dividends
• Special
• Gone West

Play continues with the player to the left.

Offer Stock

The player selecting this action must offer a share of railroad stock for sale on the open market. The player may choose any of the railroads, as long as there exists an unowned share of that railroad's stock and the railroad is open (The MP may still be closed, the MP is not available until a railroad builds track into Saint Louis).

The minimum bid for the stock is $5. The player executing this action is required to bid at least $5. The player's opening bid may bid higher than the minimum bid.

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 bid money to the railroad's Treasury and takes the stock.

Example: Pete plays an Offer Stock Action and decides to offer a share of the AT&SF stock. Pete hopes to preempt the other players so he bids higher than the required minimum. He notes that Rich has $23, Dave has $16 and Hudson has $25. Pete also has $25 and wants this stock, so he bids $25. Since no other player can bid higher, Pete pays the $25 to the AT&SF treasury and takes a AT&SF stock.

Build Track

The player selecting this action must have a share in a railroad that has at least $5 in its treasury. If the player has at least one share of a railroad and that railroad has at least $5 in its Treasury, the player may have that railroad construct a track link.

A track link is a line of track connecting two cities. Each track link has one box used to denote the owning railroad. When a track link is built, a cube of that railroad is placed in the box. Only one railroad may build any specific track link.

All railroads except the MP start in Chicago, the MP starts in Saint Louis. A single track link may be built if it connects to the railroad's existing trackage or its starting city. The railroad transfers $5 from its Treasury to the bank and places one of the railroad's cubes on the white track box on the link.

If a railroad has at least $15 in the treasury, a double track link 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 links, not a fork or two disconnected sections.

Similarly, if a railroad has at least $45 in the treasury, a triple track link may be built, essentially three consecutive $5 builds for $45. Again, the railroad may only build through and to cities where it has no existing track, and the build must be three consecutive links, no forks or disconnected sections.

Example: Dave has a share of the Rock Island Railroad. The Rock Island treasury has $22. Dave decides to build a double link, from Cedar Rapids to Mason City and from Mason City to Sioux City. He places a purple cube on the box between Cedar Rapids and Mason City and another purple cube on the box between Mason City and Sioux City. He takes $15 from the Rock Island treasury and places it in the Bank.

When a railroad builds into Saint Louis, the MP stock is available to purchase during the Offer Stock action.

Pay Dividends

A player must have a Pay Dividends card to select this action. When a player selects this action, all players holding shares of railroad stock are paid dividends. The dividend amount paid per share of stock depends entirely on the number of Track Links the railroad has built. Each Track Link pays $3 per share, $5 per share if the railroad has Gone West (see below).

Each player starts the game with a Pay Dividends card. When the player selects the Pay Dividends action, they must place their Dividend card on the big CNW logo on the game board and are no longer able to select the Pay Dividends action.

Example: Pete has two shares of the AT&SF, Rich has one share of the AT&SF and one share of the CRI&P. The AT&SF has built two Track Links. The CRI&P has built one Track Link. Pete is paid $12 from the Bank for his AT&SF dividends. Rich is paid $6 from the Bank for his AT&SF dividends and $3 for his CRI&P dividends. Pete's Dividend card is placed on the big C&NW logo and Pete may no longer select the Pay Dividends action.

Special

The Player may only select this action if they own one or more shares in a railroad that has reached its Special city and has not Gone West. Special cities are shown in green on the game board. Each railroad has a specific Special city:

• CMStP&P - Minneapolis
• C&NW - Sioux City
• CRI&P - Omaha
• AT&SF - Topeka
• CB&Q - Kansas City
• MP - Little Rock

The Special may only be done once for each railroad. The railroad performing the Special places their Special card on the big CNW logo on the game board to denote that its Special has occured. A special dividend for that railroad, and only for that railroad, is immediately paid to that railroad's shareholders.

Example: John has a share of the Rock Island Railroad. The Rock Island has reached its Special city, Sioux City. John selects the Special action during his turn, causing a special dividend for the shareholders of the Rock Island. The Rock Island has four track links built: Chicago to Cedar Rapids, Cedar Rapids to Mason City, Cedar Rapids to Des Moines and Mason City to Sioux City. Each link is worth $3, resulting in $12 in dividends paid for each purchased share of the Rock Island Railroad. Pete has two shares and receives $24, John has one share and receives $12 and Dave has one share, receiving $12. John puts the Special card for the Rock Island on the big CNW logo.

Gone West

The Player may only select this action if they own one or more shares in a railroad that has reached a Gone West city. Gone West cities are shown in purple on the gameboard. Each Gone West city may only be used once for the Gone West action.

The player must place one of the railroad's track cubes on the used Gone West city to show that it has been used. Place the railroad's Special card (if it has not already been used) on the big CNW logo. No Special action may now be performed by the railroad. Remove any unused track cubes and unsold stocks for that railroad from game. Stock in that railroad may no longer be offered in the Offer Stock action. That railroad may no longer perform a Build Track action.

In future Pay Dividends actions, railroads that have Gone West pay $5 per Track Link.

Forced Pass

It is possible, although we have never seen it, that a player is unable to select an action. This would mean that they have already used their Pay Dividends card, none of their railroads can Build Track, do the Special action or Go West action and the player does not have $5 to offer a stock for sale. We don't think that a player could get into this predicament, but it could happen. If this is the case, the player is required to say "Forced Pass".