Coast-to-Coast Rails
Coast-to-Coast Rails Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Components
- Game Board
- 100 Mini Poker Chips – chip denominations are shown on the left side of the game board
- 6 Player Mats
- 10 Starting City Selection Cards
- For each of the five Railroads:
- 40 cubes
- 1 Dividend Marker
- 1 Auction Card
Preparing for Play
Lay out the game board and choose a player to be Banker. The Banker distributes $120 equally among the players. All remaining money is placed in the Bank.
The Banker shuffles the ten Starting City Selection Cards and reveals five starting cities that will be used in the game. Five cubes (one of each color) are placed on the board, one in each of the five starting cities. Each of the Starting Cities has a red outline. The Dividend Markers for each Railroad is placed on the Dividend Track in the space that matches the Railroad's home city value (number shown in the hex). All Starting City Selection Cards may then be placed back in the box.
Lay out each of the Railroads' 40 cubes in pools beside the game board so that all players can reach them.
Ending/Winning the Game
The game ends after the set of rounds when either of two conditions is met:
- Three Railroads complete coast-to-coast routes.
- The fourth set of rounds has been completed.
The winner is the player with the most money at the end of the game. Shares have no value at the end of the game. Ties are possible.
Game Sequence
Each set of rounds consists of the following rounds conducted in this order:
- Stock Round
- Rail Building Round
- Dividends
In the Stock Round, players auction off the ownership of three shares from the Railroad's cube pool. In the Rail Building Round, players pay money to finance route construction by taking cubes from the cube pool and adding on to Railroad's network. Finally, all Railroads pay dividends to their shareholders based on the value of the cities to which they connect and pay a double dividend if they have established a coast-to-coast route.
Stock Round
At the beginning of a Stock Round, the players check to see who has the least money (tie breakers are explained in the section titled "Other Rules"). This player selects a Railroad that has not made a coast-to-coast route and has at least one cube left to auction. Railroads with no cubes and Railroads that have already completed coast-to-coast routes are not auctioned.
The player places an initial bid of at least one dollar or passes. Players bid in clockwise order, either outbidding the previous highest bid or passing. Once a player passes on a given Railroad, she may not re-enter the bidding. The player that wins the auction pays his full bid to the bank and receives two shares (cubes). The player to pass last pays half her bid to the bank (round up) and receives one share (cube). Each player takes their cubes from the Railroad's cube pool. If there are not enough cubes to pay all the players, the auction winner gets the remaining shares. Players that do not get any shares pay nothing. If only one player bids, the auction winner pays her full bid and gets two shares.
The auction winner flips the Auction Card of the previously auctioned Railroad face-down and selects the next Railroad to put up for auction. After all possible railroads have been auctioned, all the Auction Cards may be flipped back up and the Rail Building Round begins.
Rail Building Round
At the beginning of the Rail Building Round, the players again check to see who has the least money. This player begins the round.
On a player's turn, he may build track for any one Railroad. This is done by placing one or two cubes, one at a time, on the board, each adjacent to existing track. The player pays the bank for each track (cube) they lay. Rural track costs are:
- Light Green - $1
- Dark Green - $3
- Light Brown - $4
- Dark Brown - $6
These costs are also shown on the left side of the board. Cities are colored white, pink and red and cost the number printed on them. Railroads may only have one of their cubes in any one hex, but a hex can contain from zero to five different Railroads' cubes. If a Railroad is the second to build in a rural hex, the cost is doubled. If it is the third, the cost is tripled and so on (x4, x5). Cities always cost the number printed on them.
If a Railroad builds into a city by building a track in it, the city provides a dividend equal to the number printed on it. Move the Dividend Marker on the Dividends Track up by this value each time a new city is reached.
There are only 40 cubes for each Railroad to use for shares and tracks. If any of the shareholders that hold a plurality (the most) of a given Railroad's shares wishes a player not build a given track, she may veto a build. The building player does not lose his turn and may attempt another build. The remaining cubes in each Railroad's cube pool should remain visible to all players and counting the remaining cubes is allowed.
If a Railroad connects an East Coast City to a West Coast City, the Railroad may not build anymore, but its dividends instantly double. Players should move the Railroad's Dividend Marker to reflect the change.
The East Coast Cities are: Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Charleston, St. Augustine, New Orleans.
The West Coast Cities are: Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles.
Each of these cities has a blue outline along its coast to show that it is a coastal city.
If a player builds no track, he must pass. Once a player passes during the round, he may no longer build any track for the rest of that round. After the player has built track or passed, play passes clockwise. Play continues until all players have passed.
This round makes or breaks Railroads as each strives to make its coast-to-coast route. It's not easy to bring a Railroad cross-country without a little help. Collusion between players is allowed and is even encouraged. Deals may be discussed and struck on anyone's turn, but deals are non-binding and there is no recourse for either party if a deal goes sour.
Dividends
After all players have passed in the Rail Building Round, the Bank pays dividends for each share equal to the number shown on the Dividends Track. Each cube is worth one share. After all players have been paid, check to see if either of the game-ending conditions is met. If either of these conditions is met, the game is over and players should add up their money to determine the winner. If neither of these conditions is met, begin a new set of rounds with a Stock Round.
Other Rules
Player money is open information throughout the game.
When determining ties for least money, the player with the fewest shares begins the round. Further ties are broken in order of distance clockwise from the Banker. Thus, the Banker puts the first Railroad up for auction in the first turn of the game.