CityTriXX Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• 1. Game Overview
• 2. Card Description
  • 2.1. Trick-Taking Cards
  • 2.2. Cards for Managing Shares
  • 2.3. Financial Management Cards
  • 2.4. Game Aids
• 3. Setup
  • 3.1. Overview
  • 3.2. Individual Setup
  • 3.3. Starting the Companies
• 4. Game Play
  • 4.1. Trick Round
  • 4.2. Operating Round
  • 4.3. Stock Round
  • 4.4. End of Year and End of Game

1. Game Overview

CityTriXX is a deep financial strategy game that merges trick-taking mechanics with the management of railway companies.

The game unfolds over 3 years divided into 3 phases:

1. Trick round: win cards that will be used in the following two phases.
2. Operating round: operate your trains through cities to generate income and increase your share values. ("Operating trains" is a term commonly used to mean arranging the routes of trains that will travel through cities.)
3. Stock round: sale and purchase of shares in the various companies.

At the end of the 3rd year, the winner is the wealthiest, combining the value of their shares and their personal money.

2. Card Description

2.1. Trick-Taking Cards

There are 3 types according to their back: Certificate, Train and Money.

All 3 types of card have on its face a City.

• Certificate cards: even numbers from 2 to 16 with the company's certificate logo. Each represents 1 share, or 10%.
• Train cards: odd numbers from 1 to 15 with the T1 to T4 logos. Each shows a company train logo crossing 1 to 4 cities (T1 to T4).
• Money cards: odd numbers from 1 to 15 with the money logo, representing external financing. Each has a black number.

Icons on the cards:

• A green icon bearing a number (2 or 3) indicates that the card is introduced in that year (year 2 or 3).
• A red icon bearing a number (2 or 3) indicates that the card is removed from the game in that year (year 2 or 3).
• Hexagons indicate the income generated in the city: yellow in year 1, green in year 2, and brown in year 3.

2.2. Cards for Managing Shares

Share Value Card: This card tracks the fluctuating value of the shares of the various companies in play.

The President's Certificate: This card is awarded to the president of each company and comprises 2 company logos, representing 20% or 2 shares.

2.3. Financial Management Cards

Income & Dividends Cards: Track the income generated by the companies during the Operating round using the black numbers. Calculate the dividends for each share distributed to investors by adding the small red numbers.

Personal Money Cards: Track your personal money received through dividend distribution in the Operating round. Track the money spent or received through the purchase or sale of certificates during the Stock round.

2.4. Game Aids

• 3 Current Year Cards: These cards inform about the cards in play in the current year according to their types and values (yellow in year 1, green in year 2, and brown in year 3).
• 5 Turn Order Cards: Cards showing turn order: at the start of the companies and at buying certificates during the Stock round. They are also used to hide the money and certificate cards won in the Trick round.

3. Setup

3.1. Overview

The setup overview diagram carries these callouts (cross-references are to the sections below):

• See 3.2.2: each player places the President's certificate and personal money cards in front of them.
• See 4.1.E.1: the money and certificate cards are concealed under the turn order card.
• See 4.1.E: the train cards are exclusively assigned to the corresponding companies. A card showing a city is assigned to the company of your choice.
• See 3.2.3: place the income and dividends cards on the table.
• See 3.2.4: prepare the cards marked with the green 2 and green 3 icons.
• See 3.3: start the companies.
• See 4.1: place the current year card.
• See 4.1.B: prepare the draw pile.
• See 4.1.C (example): the diagram shows an example of cards played in a trick.

3.2. Individual Setup

1. Choose a company and take the 27 cards and the 6 color disks (1 large and 5 small).
2. Place the President's certificate and personal money cards of your starting company in front of you. Place 2 small disks on 0 and the 3rd on 200.
3. Place the income & dividends cards of the companies in play on the table. For your company's card, place 2 small disks on 0.
4. Prepare the remaining 24 cards by separating the 6 cards marked with the green 2 icon and the 4 cards marked with the green 3 icon. Place these 2 stacks of cards above your company's income & dividends card. The remaining 14 cards will be used in year 1.

3.3. Starting the Companies

1. Place the share value card on the table.
2. Randomly distribute a turn order card to each player.
3. Following the obtained order, each will determine the starting share value of their company (between 30 and 50) and place their large disk on it (over the disks already present if the value has already been chosen).
4. Each pays twice this value from their personal money because the President's certificate represents 2 shares of the company.

In the example in 3.1 overview, yellow and pink choose a starting share value of 40 and therefore pay 80, leaving them with 120 in personal money. Blue chooses 45, pays 90, and thus has 110 remaining.

5. The priority order of the companies is determined by the position of the disks on the share value card. The priority company has its disk on the highest value, and if several disks are present, the disk underneath is the priority.

In the example in 3.1 overview, the order is blue first with 45, yellow second with 40, and pink third with 40 as well.

4. Game Play

4.1. Trick Round

This phase is played over 10 tricks, and with each trick, the won cards are allocated according to their type. The following 2 phases OR (operating round) and SR (stock round) are carried out after having played your 10 cards (the 10 tricks of this phase).

Place the current year card on the table for all to see.

A. Prepare Your Hand

1. In year 1, shuffle your 14 starting cards. In year 2, add and shuffle the 6 cards marked with the green 2 icon set aside during setup. In year 3, add and shuffle the 4 cards marked with the green 3 icon.
2. Deal yourself 10 of your cards. The remaining cards (a variable number depending on the players and the year) are gathered at the centre of the table to form the future draw pile.

Typographical fixes in this section: the booklet prints "Deal yourself of your 10 cards" (transcribed here as "Deal yourself 10 of your cards") and "canter of the table" (transcribed as "centre of the table").

B. Prepare the Draw Pile

1. Shuffle the remaining cards from all companies to form the draw pile.
2. Divide this pile into 3 stacks according to the 3 types of cards (train, certificate, money). Turn the top card of each stack face up. (See 3.1 Overview.)

C. Play the Cards

1. The first trick is started by the holder of the lead company on the share value card. Each player always plays the cards of their own colour. It is not possible to follow a colour played by another player. Then the other players play in a clockwise direction.
2. Determine the order of winning the trick based on the following criteria:
   • the highest number on the played cards;
   • if equal, black numbers (money cards) first, then company-coloured numbers in the order on the share value card;
   • if equal in black numbers, it is also the order on the share value card that breaks the ties.
3. The winner of the trick will start the next trick.

In the example in 3.1 overview, pink is first because it wins the trick with its 8, which is the highest value. Then, blue is second with its black 7, and yellow is third with its black 7 because at equal values, it is behind blue on the share value card.

D. Winning Cards

1. The winner of the trick chooses one of the trick cards. Then, the other players (except the last) in the order of winning the trick take a card from the trick. The remaining card goes to the winner of the trick, who thus wins 2 cards.
2. The last in the order of winning the trick (the loser) wins a card but does not take it from the played cards. They take 1 of the face-up cards from one of the 3 stacks of the draw pile.

[In the rare case where the draw piles are empty, then it's the last player who takes the last card from the trick.]

E. Managing the Won Cards

The cards won during the trick must be immediately assigned. (See 3.1. Overview.)

1. The money and certificate cards are concealed under the turn order card and will be used in the Stock round.
2. The train cards are exclusively assigned to the corresponding companies and will remain in those companies until their obsolescence (see end of year). To assign a train, place it under the income & dividends card of the same colour company.
3. If you decide to take a city, all 3 types of cards (money, certificate, and train) have a city side and can therefore be allocated as such. To allocate a card as a city, place it under one of the income & dividends cards of the company of your choice. These cities will be traversed by trains in the Operating round to generate income.

4.2. Operating Round

Starting with the company with the highest share value (bottom disk in case of a tie), calculate the revenues and dividends.

A. Operate Trains and Obtain Revenues

Calculate the income of each company by adding the values of the cities (of your choice, with no obligation to take the highest) traversed by the trains (up to the sum of the trains). The values vary according to the year.

• In year 1, take the values of the yellow hexagons.
• In year 2, take the values of the green hexagons.
• In year 3, take the values of the brown hexagons.

B. Adjust the Share Value

The booklet also gives this rule in French ("Ajustez la valeur des parts selon les revenus générés"); the English text follows and is transcribed below.

Adjust the share value according to the generated income:

• If income = 0: the disk moves back by 1 position.
• If income < 1x the share value: the disk does not move.
• If income < 2x the share value: the disk moves forward by 1 position.
• If income ≥ 2x the share value: the disk moves forward by 2 positions (only 1 position if it starts from 0).

C. Distribute the Dividends

All certificate holders receive dividends according to the number of shares they hold (note: the President's certificate has 2 shares). On the income & dividends card, there are small red numbers. Add these values according to the position of the 2 small disks. This total is multiplied by the number of shares held. The amount obtained is recorded on the personal money card.

For example: "75+0" income shown in black and "8+0" dividends shown in red.

Operating Round: Example

A. We are in year 1, the blue company operates a T1 and a T2 train. It thus accounts for 3 of the 4 cities and reports 75 (20+30+25) on the income & dividends card.

B. The blue company, launched with a share value of 45, earns an income of 75 and thus moves its disk by 1 position up to the value of 50.

C. The income is 75 (black number) and the dividends are therefore 8 (small red number). For each share held, the players receive 8 and adjust their personal money.

4.3. Stock Round

A. Determine the Speaking Order for Buying Certificates

The speaking order is determined by personal money. The turn order card no. 1 goes to the player with the least personal money, and so on. Thus, the order differs from the clockwise order. In case of equal personal money, the card goes to the player who plays with the suit of cards of the company with the lowest value (the top disk in case of equal value).

At their turn, a player may pass or buy (even if they have already passed). The year ends if all pass successively.

B. Sell a Certificate

The sale of a certificate is only allowed if it is directly followed by a purchase.

1. Sell one and only one certificate (purchased in a previous year) and add its value to your personal money.
2. Then, move back by 1 position the value of the sold share on the share value card.
3. Place this certificate on the table, where it will remain until it is redeemed. It is never put back into play for the trick round.

C. Buy a Certificate

1. To buy a certificate concealed during the Trick round or sold by another player, pay for it with your personal money and/or your concealed money cards.
2. If the buyer is not the president of the company, then the share value is adjusted upwards by 1 position.

D. Clarifications

• A player cannot hold more than 6 shares (i.e., 60%) of a company.
• The President's certificate can never be sold.
• If a player strictly exceeds the number of shares of the president, the President's certificate is transferred in exchange for 2 standard certificates.
• A player cannot buy a certificate of a company for which they have sold a certificate in that year, and vice versa.
• Reserved but unpurchased certificate cards and unspent money cards at the end of the year are reintroduced into play (they are never converted into personal money).
• Sold certificate cards remain available for purchase for the following year and are not reintroduced into play.

4.4. End of Year and End of Game

A. End of Years 1 and 2

1. At the end of year 1, remove from the game the obsolete T1 trains marked with the red 2 icon. Do the same in year 2 for the obsolete T2 trains marked with the red 3 icon.
2. Remove all city cards placed under the companies during this year, but keep the train that did not rust (obsolete).
3. Gather all the other cards of your companies and start the next year.

B. End of Game and Final Scoring

1. At the end of year 3, perform the scoring using the final scoring sheet. Leave the disks in place on the income & dividends card (whether in your hand or under the companies).
2. Calculate the final value of each company's shares by adding the value on the share value card to the last dividend distributed per share (small red numbers).
3. Transfer each player's personal money to the final scoring sheet.
4. For each company and for each player, multiply the final values by the number of shares held and record this amount.
5. Add up these amounts for all players.

The player with the highest total wins the game.

In case of a tie, the player with the most certificates wins. If the tie persists, it's the one with the most personal money, then the one who kept their starting company, and finally the one with the starting company first on the share value card.

Example of Final Scoring

1. At the end of year 3, here is an example of scoring on the final scoring sheet with 3 companies in play (Belgian in yellow, French in blue, and German in pink).
2. The French blue company has its shares at 100 and distributes 15 in dividends. Its final value is therefore 115.
3. There remains 63 in personal money for Paul, 18 for Hubert, and 114 for Aoulad.
4. Aoulad is the president of the German pink company (D). He has 6 shares for a total of 918. He also has 2 shares of the French company for a total of 230.
5. Aoulad wins with 1262, followed by Paul with 1202 and finally Hubert with 1078.