Empire Builder: Europe Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Changes from Eurorails 2009
• Quick Guide for Set Up
• Components
  • Cards
  • The Map
  • Load Chips, Markers and Train Boards
  • Basic Game
• How to Win
• Setting Up the Game
• How to Play
• Starting the Game
  • Special Build Turns
  • Starting Your Train
• Build Phase Rules
  • Building Ferry Ports
  • Building the Chunnel
  • Right to Enter Major Cities and Key Cities
  • Limits on Building from Major Cities & Key Cities
  • Limits on Entry into Small and Medium Cities
  • No Credit/No Loans
  • Upgrading your Train
• Operations Phase Rules
  • Running the Train
  • Movement Using a Ferry
  • Movement Using the Chunnel
  • Renting Track
  • Picking Up Loads
  • Delivering Loads
• Admin Phase
• Ending the Game
  • Standard Game: Final Scoring Phase
• Event Card Effects
  • Derailments
  • Floods
  • Counting Mileposts
  • Half-Rate Movement
  • No Movement
  • Losing Loads
  • Losing Turns
• Solo & Variant Rules
  • Improving Your Competitive Play
  • Solo Play Scenarios
  • Simulated Win / Loss
  • Chart of Success for Solo Play
• Variants & Optional Rules
  • Fast Game
  • Faster Game
  • Less Thinking During Your Turns
  • Mercy
  • Cross Grading
  • Two-Players (Honeymoon Game)
  • Challenging Variants

Changes from Eurorails 2009

• Key Cities. Oslo and Stockholm do not count as Major Cities for Victory Conditions, but you may build from them like Major Cities, and every player has a right to one segment connected to each Key City.
• Chunnel and Ferry Cost. The cost of building the Chunnel has been reduced to 17 million. The Newcastle-Esbjerg ferry now costs 14.
• Chunnel Requirements. You no longer need to have an upgraded train in order to build or use the Chunnel.
• Gale Event Change. As always, you may not stage to or move from being staged at any ferry port during the Northern Seas Gale event, however, you no longer lose a turn and a load if you are staged when that Gale is drawn.
• Map. There are significant changes in the map. Most notable are the Key Cities in Scandinavia and easier access into that area.
• End of Game. The end of game rules have been clarified, and an all-new tiebreaker has been added.
• Card Deck. The destination cards have been substantially revised. There are several new event cards, plus derailments now hit randomly.
• 4 Card Start. You are dealt four cards at the beginning of the game, then discard down to three before you take your first normal turn.
• Irish Economy Booming. This event is now a permanent +4 for all deliveries to Ireland.

Quick Guide for Set Up

Basic Game

• Trains: Start with 12/2; first upgrade to 12/3 or 16/2; final upgrade to 16/3.
• Beginning Cards: Each player gets a set of 3 Starter Cards.

Standard Game

• Trains: Start with 9/2; first upgrade to 9/3 or 12/2; final upgrade to 12/3.
• Beginning Cards: Shuffle the draw deck and deal 4 random cards to each player.

Components

• 1 Game board. The board is covered with a special surface designed to be written on by the included crayons. Do not use abrasive cleaners, and do not use water to clean the board. Any other markers should be tested on the board away from the playing area and left overnight. If they can be wiped off without leaving a stain then the marker is usable. Test each color! Mayfair Games assumes no responsibility for marked boards if you do not use the enclosed crayons. To minimize staining, always clean your board immediately after playing.
• 6 Jumbo Wipe-Off Crayons
• 6 Metal Train Pieces
• 92 Load Chips
• 6 Stackable Pawns
• 18 Double-sided Speed Chips (9 / 12 / 16)
• 6 Movement Tracker Cubes
• 1 First Player Chip
• 1 Rulebook
• 1 Solo Play & Variant Rulebook
• 6 Player Aid / Load Reference Sheets
• 1 Wiping cloth
• 1 Movement Board
• 18 Plastic Load Frames
• 1 Money is Private / Public Chip
• 1 Irish Economy is Normal / Booming Chip
• 1 Set of Play Money
• 157 Demand Cards, 22 Event Cards, 18 Starter Cards (for Basic Game)
• 6 Dual Layer Train Boards (double-sided: one side a train that can carry two loads, the other three loads)

Cards

The draw deck is made up of the Demand cards and Events. Each Demand card shows potential deliveries to three cities. For each delivery the card shows the Demand City (with map coordinates and a mini-map), the Source Cities where the load can be picked up, the Load Type (load icon), and the Payout.

Some of the cards are events, which will have a global effect on the game. Event cards are marked as Immediate Effect, One Round Effect, Lasting or Permanent. Examples: "Irish Economy Booming" (Permanent): All deliveries to Belfast, Dublin, or Cork receive an extra 4 million. "Derailments" (Immediate): Draw two additional cards. For each Demand card drawn, any train within 3 mileposts of the 3 cities listed on that card loses 1 turn and 1 load. After the derailments, resolve any Event card(s) in the order drawn. "Heavy Snow: Turin" (One Round Effect): All trains within 4 mileposts of Turin move at half rate. No movement or railbuilding is allowed in the mountain or alpine mileposts of this area.

The Map

The map shows the playing area of the game, it is overlaid with a grid of dots called mileposts. The mileposts will be used for movement and building of track. The red areas are cities on the map. Near each city are symbols to show which loads can be picked up there. Country capitals are marked with a star instead of a dot. The map also includes different types of terrain, rivers, ferries, and a legend for easy reference to in-game rules. The map is geographically accurate for the most part, with a few adjustments to facilitate game play.

Load Chips, Markers and Train Boards

Load Chips represent the loads your trains carry and deliver. Available chips are in the "bank". The Player Aid / Load Reference Sheet has a count of each type of load, and shows where they can be picked up.

First Player Marker: This is used to show which player went first in the game. The game will end at the end of a round, so keep this chip visible throughout the game.

Train Boards represent each player's train. They are double-sided, one side representing a train that can carry two loads, and the opposite side three loads. There is a space for a speed chip to show the speed of the train, and a built-in movement tracker to mark the movement used so far when you stop during your turn.

The plastic load frames are provided for players to use to mark their Demand cards so they remember which demands they are trying to fulfill, and in which order.

Basic Game

These game rules are for the standard and basic game. Any changes from the standard game for the basic game will be in a style box, and start with "Basic Game".

Official Empire Builder tournaments have some additional rules not fully covered here. For additional information, tutorials, videos and FAQ visit the QR code. If you have any questions about these rules, send a message to [email protected].

How to Win

Basic Game Victory Conditions: The game ends at the end of the round during which any player has 200 million in cash, plus seven of the eight Major Cities connected at the end of any player's turn. If more than one player meets those conditions, the one with the most cash at the end of the round wins. In the event of a tie, the players share the win.

Standard Game Victory Conditions: The game ends at the end of the round during which a player has 250 million in cash, plus seven of the eight Major Cities connected at the end of any player's turn. If more than one player meets those conditions, the one with the most cash at the end of the Final Scoring Phase wins.

Note: Once any player has met victory conditions, the game will end at the end of that round, even if an event on a later turn causes that player to no longer meet those conditions.

Sudden Death Tiebreaker. In case of a tie for first, the tied players continue in a sudden-death format, continuing to play with the cards and loads they have. Events that are not lasting or permanent are discarded, and any Event cards drawn during tiebreaker play are discarded without effect. Otherwise, play continues as normal. Cash is counted at the end of every round during which at least one player has made a delivery, and the tiebreak winner is the player with the most cash at that point.

Setting Up the Game

Give each player 50 million, their Train Board, Movement Tracker Cube, a speed chip (12/16 in the Basic Game, 9/12 in the Standard Game), a train marker (pawn), and crayon of matching color, and a Player Aid / Load Reference Sheet. Place the Irish Economy chip on the board with the "Normal" side up and the Money chip with the "Private" side up. The train board should be on the two-load side. Place the speed chip in the leftmost slot on the train board.

Optional: If you wish to track movement on the playing board, place the Movement Board in an unused area.

Basic Game: Place the six sets of three Starter Cards (S1-S3, S4-S6, S7-S9, etc.) face down on the board (keeping the sets together). Each player randomly chooses one set and places those three cards face up in front of you. Put any remaining starter cards back into the box. Shuffle the draw deck and set it face-down near the board.

Standard Game: Shuffle the draw card deck thoroughly, and deal four demand cards to each player. Any event cards dealt are set aside. Once all players have four demand cards, those event cards are shuffled back into the draw deck. Place your demand cards face-up in front of you. Place the draw deck near the board within easy reach.

Note that this is the only time you will have four cards; for the rest of the game you will always have three cards.

Your train type, cards and loads are always public. Keep them displayed in front of you so all information is visible. Money is private until the Tax event card is drawn.

The player with the highest single payout on their demand cards will be the starting player (break ties with the second highest payout, etc.). Give that player the Starting Player marker.

How to Play

A typical turn consists of phases in the following order:

1. Operations Phase: Move your train along track on the board, pick up and drop off loads, and collect payoffs by delivering loads to cities where you have a demand. The maximum distance you can move, and number of loads you can carry, are determined by your train.
2. Build Phase: After all Operations phase actions are complete, you may spend up to 20 million to build track or upgrade your train.
3. Admin Phase: After the turn is over, check for and resolve the end of events, and each player checks for meeting Victory Conditions.

Your turn ends when you pay the cost of your build or upgrade, or declare that you are not building.

Alternatively, you may give up your entire Operations and Build phases and do nothing during your turn except discard your entire hand and draw three new cards, resolving and replacing any event cards drawn. Your new cards must be drawn one at a time, with events resolved before the next card is revealed. Your turn ends when you have three new demand cards. You still perform the Admin Phase.

After your turn ends, you discard any events which have expired. Then the player to your left takes their turn.

If the draw deck is exhausted and a card needs to be drawn, the entire discard pile is reshuffled, including the card(s) just discarded to trigger the need for a reshuffle.

Starting the Game

Special Build Turns

At the start of the game, each player will have two special turns during which there is no Operations phase.

The first special turn begins with the starting player and proceeds clockwise, with each player spending up to 20 million to build or upgrade, as described in the Build Phase Rules section. After all players take one special turn, the last player goes again and the second special turn play continues counterclockwise. From this point, players will take normal turns, beginning with the Starting Player and continuing clockwise for the rest of the game.

You may give up a special turn to discard your hand and replace it with three new cards. For event cards drawn, only permanent effects are implemented. All other events are discarded without taking effect, as you refill your hand to three cards.

Starting Your Train

As you begin your first turn that includes an Operations phase, you discard down to three cards (if necessary). Then, you must place your train (pawn) in any city (including ports) on the map. Unless an event prevents you from doing so, you may pick up loads available in that city immediately.

Note: Your first track build of the game must be from a major city or key city, but you can start your train in any city, whether or not you (or any player) have track built to that city.

Build Phase Rules

During your build phase, you can spend money to grow your rail network. This involves laying down track between mileposts. Additionally, you can construct special connections such as bridges, ferries, or the Chunnel. Track built may be used during the Operations phases of future turns to deliver loads and make money by running your train to connected cities.

You build your railroad network by drawing a line with your color crayon from one milepost to the next. For each section of track, you must pay the cost for the milepost to which you are building. The standard costs for mileposts are:

• Clear Milepost: 1 Million
• Mountain Milepost: 2 Million
• Alpine Milepost: 5 Million
• River: 2 Million Additional
• Lake/Ocean: 3 Million Additional
• Chunnel: 17 Million (one player only)
• Ferry: Cost of Ferry Route Circle (two players only)
• Country Border: No Additional Cost
• Major City: 5 Million (May build out of Major Cities)
• Key City: 3 Million (May build out of Key Cities)
• Medium City: 3 Million, Maximum 3 players
• Small City: 3 Million, Maximum 2 players

Beginning Construction. You may build track from any major city or key city milepost or from any milepost to which you have already built track.

Right of Way. Only one section of track may be built between any two mileposts.

Bridges over Rivers, Lakes and Ocean Inlets. If you build across a body of water, including into or out of a city, you must build a bridge. The cost for building a bridge is in addition to the regular building cost. If a single track segment crosses two or more bodies of water, you pay only the additional cost of the most expensive bridge.

Example 1 (Antwerp): Bridge over rivers - 3m (1+2m); into medium city - 3m; total build cost - 6m.

Example 2 (Zurich): 1 mountain milepost - 2m; bridge over lake - 4m (1+3m); 1 clear milepost - 1m; total build cost - 7m.

Building Ferry Ports

Only two players may build to a single ferry (either side). You pay the entire cost of the ferry (the number in the circle) to build into a port on either side of the ferry. The entire ferry connection is now part of your network so you may then build out from the opposite port.

No one may build track that would prevent two players from building into and out of any ferry port.

When a small or medium city is also a ferry port, you pay only the cost of the ferry line to connect to both the ferry and the city. E.g., it costs 6 million to build to Liverpool / Dublin and 4 million to build to Stranraer / Belfast.

Example: Starting from London, Ed spends 5M to build to Birmingham. He continues to build out of London towards Portsmouth, spending an additional 5M: 1M for the first milepost, and then 4 to build into Portsmouth Ferry. For the last part of his build for the turn, he spends 8M to build into Paris from Le Havre. Since he already built out of a Major city twice for the turn, he'd have to wait till the following turn to build out of Paris and save himself 4M.

Building the Chunnel

Only one player may build to the Chunnel (either side). You pay 17 million to build to either side, then the entire Chunnel is now part of your network and you may then build out from the opposite side. No one may build track that would prevent one player from building both ends of the Chunnel.

Example: Starting from London, Jeff spends 18M to build to Folkestone: 1M for the first milepost, and then 17 to build the Chunnel. For the last part of his build, he builds south from Calais spending his last 2M for the turn.

Right to Enter Major Cities and Key Cities

No track may block any player from building at least one segment of track to each major city and key city, and connecting all the major/key cities. No track may be built in the red area of a city.

Limits on Building from Major Cities & Key Cities

During one turn, you may not build more than two track segments from any combination of major city and key city mileposts. These builds may be from the same major/key city, or from different major/key cities.

However, you may build an unlimited number of track segments into major city mileposts at a cost of 5 million each, and into key city mileposts for 3 million each.

With proper planning, you can avoid the expense of building track into major and key cities.

Limits on Entry into Small and Medium Cities

Only three players may build into a medium city and only two players may build into a small city. No player may build more than three track sections to or from a medium or small city. No track may be built which would block a second player from a small city, or prevent a second or third player from building into a medium city.

• Small City: Maximum 2 Players, Maximum 3 Tracks per Player
• Medium City: Maximum 3 Players, Maximum 3 Tracks per Player

No Credit/No Loans

You may not build track for which you cannot immediately pay. Track drawn which cannot be paid for is immediately erased.

Upgrading your Train

Basic Game: You start with your train board set to two loads, and have a 12-speed chip. By spending 20 million, you may either flip your board to the three-load side, or upgrade your speed chip to the 16. This 20 million counts as the 20 million you may spend during the build phase.

During a later turn, you may upgrade again by spending an additional 20 million. This would allow you to upgrade the element you didn't upgrade the first time, so you would end up with a 16-speed, three-load locomotive.

Standard Game: You start with your train board set to two loads, and have a 9-speed chip. By spending 20 million, you may either flip your board to the three-load side, or upgrade your speed chip to the 12. This 20 million counts as the 20 million you may spend during the build phase.

During a later turn, you may upgrade again by spending an additional 20 million. This would allow you to upgrade the element you didn't upgrade the first time, so you would end up with a 12-speed, three-load locomotive.

Operations Phase Rules

Running the Train

During this first phase of your turn, you move your train by traveling on track built on the board and counting the mileposts reached, up to the value of the speed chip on your train board. You are not required to use all of your movement, but any movement not used on a turn is forfeited.

The type of milepost does not matter; each milepost costs one movement point to move to, regardless of terrain.

Use the front of your metal train or the directional arrow on your pawn to point in the direction your train is moving.

Trains may use the same track and end a turn on the same milepost. Trains cannot be blocked; they may pass each other freely.

Basic Game: A train may reverse direction (turn around) at any milepost.

Standard Game: A train may only reverse direction in a city (including all major city and key city mileposts, and any port). At a junction, a train may move any direction in which track is built, except to move directly back the way it came. Your train may change direction in this way as many times as you wish each turn, up to your maximum movement points.

The red areas within major cities and key cities are public. Any train may travel across the city using the public track as its own. Each milepost is counted for movement, and loads may be picked up or dropped off at any milepost within the city. If a river flows between two mileposts inside a major or key city, a bridge exists at the beginning of the game that spans those mileposts. If such a bridge is destroyed, it is rebuilt immediately after the Flood card is discarded (automatically, during the Admin phase between player turns).

Movement Using a Ferry

Using a ferry is a two-turn process. On one turn you stage your train onto the ferry by moving to and ending your turn on a ferry port. On a later turn (usually the next one), you leave the staging area and move your entire turn at half-speed (rounded up). Your train's first movement step is onto the ferry port on either side of the water (usually on the opposite side if you wish to cross the water, but you may start with the port on the same side if you decide not to cross).

Movement Using the Chunnel

All three Chunnel mileposts are counted for normal movement. They are underground and not within the affected area of weather events.

Renting Track

You pay nothing to run your train on your own track or public track. You must pay 4 million for unlimited use of another player's network that turn. If more than one player has built the track or ferry you wish to rent, you may choose which player to use.

You may not use an opponent's track unless you have the cash to pay the rental fee before using it.

These fees do not count toward the spending limit in the build phase of your turn.

Picking Up Loads

You may pick up a load when your train is on or passes through a city where it is offered, as long as there is a load chip available in the bank.

Your train may carry up to two or three loads, depending on the type of train you have. The maximum number of loads that can be carried at one time is shown on the train board. Trains may carry different types of loads or multiple loads of the same type. Each load takes up one slot. You may pick up and carry loads whether or not you have a demand for them.

Extra loads can be profitable in case you draw a demand card for them, and may protect you if an event causes you to lose a load. It is good strategy to keep your train full whenever possible.

Loads may be dropped without payoff at any city, by returning the load chip to the bank. There is no movement penalty for picking up or dropping off a load. During the Operations Phase, you may load, unload, and move your train any number of times, up to your maximum movement, in any order. Movement and load capacity are limited by the type of train and any event cards in play.

Delivering Loads

To fulfill a demand on one of your cards, you must be in the delivery city with the load on your train and do the following:

1. Announce the delivery city name, the load you are delivering, and the payoff amount so all players can hear it. Example: "Toulouse gets Iron for 23".
2. Return the load chip to the bank.
3. Receive the amount stated on the card from the bank. Important Note: It is your responsibility as the delivering player to ensure you are paid and receive the correct amount from the bank.
4. Discard the demand card.
5. Draw a new card. If it is an event card, it is resolved immediately, before another card is drawn. Some events may prevent the player from making another delivery or taking other planned actions. After resolving the event, draw an additional card. If it is another event, it happens immediately as above. Keep drawing cards one at a time until a Demand card is drawn.

Important: Only one load can be delivered from each demand card.

After delivery, you continue your turn, using any remaining movement if you wish to do so. Your train board has a movement marker at the bottom for keeping track of your movement when you stop to deliver a load.

When making multiple deliveries to the same city, each one is done separately. You must complete all of the above steps for each load you deliver, before making the next delivery.

Important: Cards are drawn and resolved one at a time. E.g., if you draw an event, no one may draw or see the next card until the event is resolved.

Admin Phase

When a player finishes their turn, and before the next player begins their turn, there is an Admin phase during which the following activities occur in the order listed. This detail only matters at certain times of the game.

1. Events that expired at the end of the finishing player's turn are discarded.
2. Any destroyed major city bridges are rebuilt, and closed-down ferry ports are re-opened.
3. All players check to see whether they have met victory conditions (see How to Win), and announce if they have done so (this is not optional).
4. If this is the end of the round, and at least one player has met victory conditions during the round, then Final Scoring occurs (see Ending the Game).

Ending the Game

A player who has reached the victory conditions at the end of any player's turn (See How to Win above) must announce it. Play continues until the end of the round, so each player gets an equal number of turns. Then continue to the Final Scoring Phase.

Standard Game: Final Scoring Phase

The final scoring phase occurs at the end of a round during which any player met victory conditions at the end of any player's turn.

1. If an Event destroyed track which disconnected required major cities after any players met victory conditions, those players rebuild the track to reconnect, paying the usual build cost.
2. Your final score is the amount of cash you have.
3. Among the players who met victory conditions in the final round, the player with the most cash (after rebuilding any needed track) wins. Note: The winning score might be below 250 million as a result of rebuilding.
4. If two or more players are tied, use the sudden death tiebreaker to determine the winner (as described in the How to Win section).

Official Empire Builder Tournaments have additional Final Scoring Phase rules, to determine finish order and scores more accurately. For more details on tournament rules and scoring, see the QR code.

Event Card Effects

An event card takes effect immediately when it is drawn, and no additional cards are revealed until the event is resolved. The timing and order drawn can be critical, especially when there are multiple active events. It is possible to be affected by more than one event at the same time.

Event cards can have one or more types of effects:

• Immediate: Immediate effects do not linger. Discard the event after resolving the effects.
• One Round: These effects last through the end of the drawing player's next turn, then they are discarded.
• Lasting: These effects last until they are discarded as specified on the event card.
• Permanent: These effects last until the game ends.

Derailments

A derailment is an immediate effect that causes each affected train to lose a turn and a load. Draw the next two cards from the deck. Trains within three mileposts of all cities listed on those cards are derailed, subject to these clarifications:

1. If the two cards drawn include one demand card and one event card, only the three cities on that demand card are hit by the derailment, then the event is resolved.
2. If the two cards drawn are both event cards, the original derailment event has no effect and the two events are resolved in the order drawn.
3. You cannot be derailed twice by the same event, although you could be hit by two separate derailment events without being able to move in between. (See clarification example in Losing Turns, below)
4. If you are derailed, you must immediately choose which load you will lose, before the next card is revealed.
5. When the derailment ends, the train is restored to the same location, status, and direction of movement where it was when it was derailed, minus the load(s) lost. Note that being derailed does not allow you to turn around outside of a city, or to destage from a ferry port.

Floods

Each flood event indicates which river is affected. The river continues flooding until after the end of the drawing player's next turn.

1. All bridges built over the flooding river are destroyed. Erase all the bridges over those rivers. Note that bridges over lakes and ocean inlets are not affected by floods.
2. Track may not be built over a flooding river, and trains may not move over a flooding river.
3. If the flooding river flows between two major city mileposts, that bridge is also destroyed for the duration of the flood, however, it is immediately rebuilt during the Admin phase after the flood event card is discarded.
4. After a flood, each player must be given an opportunity to rebuild any of their bridges that were destroyed. You may not build where another player's bridge was located until that player has taken one turn during which they could have rebuilt it. Note that choosing to discard your cards or not having the money to rebuild when the opportunity comes does not give you extra time to rebuild.

Example: The Ebro River flood destroys one of Trella's bridges. On her next turn, she gets a Wildcat strike which prevents her from building. Then she loses a turn to the Iberian Rail Strike. Then she moves but is prevented from rebuilding the bridge by the Mediterranean Gales event. Her next turn (after the Gale ends) is her first turn with an opportunity to rebuild the destroyed bridge.

Counting Mileposts

Mileposts are counted the same way train movement is counted. When an event calls for counting mileposts from any geographical feature (e.g., a coastline), count the feature itself as the "0" point and the nearest mileposts as "1". To count from a major city or key city, count from the city center as "0". The city center also determines whether the entire major or key city is affected by an event.

Example: The centers of Milan and Berlin are four mileposts from the seacoast. During a Longshoreman's Strike, all mileposts in both cities are unaffected by the event, and during a Teamsters' Strike all mileposts in both cities are shut down for pickups and deliveries.

Gale Ocean / Sea Boundary Flags. For the purposes of the Gales event cards, the boundary between the Atlantic Ocean and the Northern Seas is marked on the map by a yellow flag northwest of Nantes. The boundary between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean is marked by the flag southeast of Seville. Note that mileposts in the vicinity of those flags are affected by two different Gales. E.g., the city of Seville is within four mileposts of both the Atlantic and the Mediterranean.

Half-Rate Movement

When an event defines an area of effect which causes a train to slow down, half rate movement begins with the first movement step to or from a milepost which is within the affected area. Once a train is slowed to half rate, it remains at half rate for the rest of that turn, with each step using two movement points (rounding in your favor).

Example: a 12-speed train has spent 7 movement before moving onto a milepost four away from Frankfurt during a fog event, the train's 5 remaining movement will only allow it to move 3 more mileposts (with rounding up).

Example: A 12-speed train begins its movement on a milepost that is within 4 mileposts of Frankfurt during a fog event, the train can only move 6 spaces that turn, even if it reaches a milepost more than 4 away from Frankfurt during the turn.

Example: A 12-speed train begins its turn staged on a ferry port. To leave the port, the train can move up to 6 spaces, beginning with the ferry port on either side of the water as its first movement step. This means the train can only move 5 mileposts away from the port on either side.

Note: Trains never speed up in the middle of a turn.

Note: If a train is slowed to half-rate movement for more than one reason, it still moves at half-rate. There is no half of half-rate.

No Movement

When an event defines an area of effect or terrain type in which a train may not move, you may not move to or from an affected milepost.

Losing Loads

When an event causes your train to lose a load, you choose which load is lost from among those the train is carrying. You must make this choice immediately, before the next card is revealed.

Game Play Suggestion: Place the lost load chip on the board next to or under your train, to remind you that you will lose your next turn (that load is available for pick up). Remove it and return it to the bank as you lose your turn.

You may not pick up another load until your next operations phase. In the meantime, if you are hit with another event that causes you to lose a load (e.g., you are hit by two different Derailment events in the same round), you must choose to lose one from your remaining loads. Ignore the load loss effect if you have no loads to lose.

Losing Turns

When an event causes you to lose your turn, you may not move your train, deliver or pick up any loads, build track, upgrade a train, or discard and draw new demand cards during a lost turn. You may collect money if another player uses your network.

If you draw an event card that causes you to lose your own turn, your current turn ends immediately (after refilling your three cards). You lose the rest of the current turn and all of your next turn.

Losing turns is not cumulative. When you lose a turn, it is always the next turn regardless of how many events are drawn during that round that cause you to lose a turn.

Example A. You were planning to deliver two loads to the same city, but lost your turn after delivering the first load. You are not able to deliver the second load until you once again have a turn.

Example B. If you are derailed, then hit by another derailment event before you have lost your turn, you would lose two loads but only one turn. But if the second derailment event happens after you have lost the first turn, you would lose the next turn as well.

Solo & Variant Rules

All of the Empire Builder system games play well as solo games. These rules will explain four ways to play, but there are many other options. If you want more variety, experiment with playing solo games with the variants listed.

Dozens of variations have been played with the Empire Builder system over the years. This book includes a few different ways to make the game go faster or take longer, be simpler or more complex - as you wish.

Improving Your Competitive Play

Empire Builder games are a race to reach victory conditions before your opponents do. One of the most effective ways to become more competitive is to play solo while tracking the number of turns it takes you to win. The movement tracker boards are useful for this purpose. Compare your typical results to the Chart of Success in this book to see where you rank. To get better, look for ways to finish in fewer turns.

Solo Play Scenarios

1. Basic Solo Play. Play as normal but be conscious of how quickly you get your train fully upgraded, how much track you are building, how often you are only using one of your cards, and how long you hold onto bad cards. These are all opportunities to get better. Track the number of turns it takes you to reach victory conditions, and compare your result to the Chart of Success, and work to improve your result.

2. Play Multiple Positions. Set up the game for two, three or four players. Play each position yourself, trying to do as well as possible in each position. Do not draw track or make any other play solely for the benefit of another player and only agree to "deals" if you truly believe they are in the best interests of both players. Track the number of turns it takes for the first player to reach winning conditions. Even better, continue playing (and tracking) until all players have met winning conditions. Track the average number of turns it takes for all players to finish. This is an excellent way of trying different strategies as well as developing different areas of the board.

3. Solo Play with simple second-player simulation. Follow the Honeymoon game variant rules by reducing the number of available chips by one for each load, and allowing only one player to build into each small city (unless the city is also a ferry port, in which case two players can still build that ferry/city).

Adjust the game as follows:

• Have Player 2's train board and crayon near you on the table. Their train board is flipped to the three-load side.
• After your two initial build turns, draw one demand card and give it to Player 2. Discard any drawn events without effect.
• Player 2 takes one of each of the loads listed on the card.
• Then, for each small city on the card to which you have not already built, use Player 2's crayon to draw track out of that city, three mileposts due east and three mileposts due west. If this track build is not possible, change the direction one step counterclockwise (east becomes northeast, west becomes southwest) and try again. If it is still not possible, build as far as you can and stop.
• You may rent Player 2's track, paying 4 million to the bank on each turn during which you do so.
• Each time you make a delivery, after you replace your own demand card, discard Player 2's card and return their loads to the tray. Then draw another demand card and repeat the steps above. Resolve events as usual, with Player 2 as the drawing player.

Track the number of turns it takes you to reach victory conditions, and compare your result to the Chart of Success, and work to improve your result.

4. Solo Play with advanced simulated track for other players. You can play this version with 1-3 opponents, using different color crayons for each player.

• After you take your first two special build turns, draw 3 cards for each additional player. Discard events without effect.
• On each card, identify the lowest payout (use the one closer to the top of the card if there is a tie).
• Draw track between the city and the load of the lowest payout. Either connect from that player's existing track or to and from major cities. Build to the load source nearest their existing track, or to the one easiest to build.
• If that player cannot legally build to the delivery or the nearest pickup city because it is locked out, extend their track to the major city closest to the locked out city.
• Try to draw the track just as you would draw it for yourself. Draw through cities along the route if they are along the simplest path, but do not go out of your way to do so.
• Build the Chunnel or the closest ferry if that is the simplest path to the load or destination.
• Do not spend a lot of time analyzing these builds. Just pick a route if it is a close call. Do not count how much it costs or pay to build this track.
• Other players' tracks are available for you to rent using normal rules - each turn pay the bank 4 million for each color you use other than your own track.
• Each time you deliver a load and receive a payment, you will draw an additional card for each player after your turn. Draw track for the lowest value delivery just as you did in the beginning.
• It is possible that the other players will lock out cities.
• Track the number of turns it takes to meet winning conditions and compare your results to the chart.

Simulated Win / Loss

For use with Solo Scenarios 1, 3 & 4 above. If you wish to add the excitement of winning or losing the game, add these steps:

After a certain amount of turns you will draw a card to determine how well your opponents are doing. This card is discarded without effect after updating your opponent's status.

After Turn 16, draw one card to determine your opponent's status. If the card number ends in:

• 0-2 = Your opponents are DOING Above Average
• 3-7 = Your opponents are DOING Average
• 8-9 = Your opponents are DOING Below Average

After Turn 32, draw another card as above. If the card number ends in:

• 0-2 = Your opponent status gets one step better (if possible)
• 3-6 = Your opponent status stays the same
• 7-9 = Your opponent status gets one step worse (if possible)

Beginning with the end of Turn 48, you could lose the game at any point. Draw a card at the end of each turn (from Turn 48 on) and consult the appropriate table below (based on opponent status). As above discard the card without effect:

Opponent Status DOING Above Average

• Turns 48-50: Card ends in 0 - 1 = YOU LOSE
• Turns 51-55: Card ends in 0 - 3 = YOU LOSE
• Turns 56+: Card ends in 0 - 7 = YOU LOSE

Opponent Status DOING Average

• Turns 48-50: Card ends in 0 = YOU LOSE
• Turns 51-54: Card ends in 0 - 2 = YOU LOSE
• Turns 55-58: Card ends in 0 - 4 = YOU LOSE
• Turns 59+: Card ends in 0 - 6 = YOU LOSE

Opponent Status DOING Below Average

• Turns 48-50: NO DRAW
• Turns 51-54: Card ends in 0 - 1 = YOU LOSE
• Turns 55-58: Card ends in 0 - 3 = YOU LOSE
• Turns 59-60: Card ends in 0 - 4 = YOU LOSE
• Turns 61+: Card ends in 0 - 5 = YOU LOSE

Chart of Success for Solo Play

Basic Game

• Less than 30 turns: Blowout Victory
• 30-35: Solid Victory
• 35-40 turns: Possible Victory
• 40-45 turns: 2nd or 3rd place
• More than 45 turns: Last Place

Standard Game

• Less than 45 turns: Blowout Victory
• 45-50: Solid Victory
• 50-55 turns: Possible Victory
• 55-60 turns: 2nd or 3rd place
• More than 60 turns: Last Place

(The back cover repeats these tables in a condensed form that differs slightly in the Below Average row; the tables above are as printed in the booklet body.)

Variants & Optional Rules

All players must agree to play by any of these rules. Be aware that some of them will significantly change the play of the game. These are generally not recommended in a tournament or other competitive setting.

Fast Game

To shorten the game, modify the Basic Game rules as follows:

• Begin the game with a train that can move 16 spaces
• Upgrade to a train that can move up to 20 spaces
• Ignore standard ferry movement rules. Instead, once a ferry has been built, it takes four movements to go from one port to the opposite port. You must end your movement if you reach a port with less than four movements left.
• Ignore all special Chunnel rules. Treat the Chunnel as another ferry that costs 4M to build.

Faster Game

Use the Fast Game rules above. Also, remove the Excess Profits Tax Event card and all Derailment Event cards from the game, or ignore them when they are drawn. For an even faster game remove all event cards.

Less Thinking During Your Turns

If you wish to reduce the amount of thinking that happens in the middle of your turns, try the following changes:

• Reverse the normal turn order; do the Building Phase first and the Operations Phase last.
• When you make a delivery, do NOT draw a new card. Continue moving, make all your deliveries and use all the movement you wish to use that turn. Then, as the very last action of your turn, draw new cards to replenish your hand up to three cards. Events take effect when drawn.

Spend the time between your turns to analyze your new cards so you are ready to build and move as soon as it is your turn again.

Mercy

Sometimes you miscalculate and can't complete your planned delivery. Sometimes events conspire to strand you in an impossible position.

If everyone agrees there is no reasonable way for you to recover, the following rules apply:

• You may borrow a minimum of 5 million, up to a maximum of 20 million from the bank.
• You must repay twice the borrowed amount. Each time you make a delivery, at least half of the payoff amount must be directed to the loan balance until the loan is paid in full.
• On their next turn after someone invokes Mercy, each other player has the chance to borrow money under the same terms and conditions.

Cross Grading

During your build phase, if you have an upgraded train you may cross grade. You may lower the speed of your train and increase the load capacity of the train or vice versa, for 5 million. Take the lower speed chip and flip the train board to the 3 load side, or take the higher speed chip and flip the train board to the 2 load side. When you cross grade, you may also spend up to 15 million to build track in the same turn. There is no limit to the number of times you may cross grade. Money spent on cross grading does not count towards the upgrade to the largest and fastest train.

Two-Players (Honeymoon Game)

All Empire Builder series games play well with two players (or one!) using standard rules. But to make a two-player game a bit more challenging:

• Remove one load chip for every load. E.g., only 3 loads of Oil are available, rather than 4.
• Only 1 player may build into a small city (unless the city is also a ferry port, in which case two players can still build that ferry/city).
• To build into a small city you must have a demand card for that city or for a load available there on one of your existing demand cards.

Challenging Variants

Slow Start. Start with a 6-speed train that carries two loads. Your first 20 million upgrade may be to upgrade to a 6-speed, three-load train or a 9-speed, two-load train. The second upgrade can be to a 9-speed, three-load train or a 12-speed, two-load train. Your final upgrade is to the 12-speed, three-load train.

Open Contracts. Whenever a player discards their hand to draw three new cards, the discarded demand cards are placed next to the Board as Open Contracts. Up to four of these may be on the board at one time (randomly choose if there is not room for all three cards being discarded). Open contracts are available to all players. The first player to deliver a load on an open contract discards the card from the table and receives the payoff as usual, except no replacement card is drawn. As an alternative, at the start of the game deal 4 face up demand cards as open contracts as well.

Field Warehousing. Loads dropped off in a city without a payoff remain at that city. Any player may pick up that load by passing through the city and picking it up normally. The load remains until picked up, with two exceptions:

• If any player wants to pick up that load in a city that normally produces the load, but the bank is empty, the player may take the load from any Field Warehouse that has it.
• If any event affects a city with a Field Warehouse, all of its loads are returned to the bank.

Branching. All players may build track that branches from any existing track on the board, at the usual cost, not just their own.

Pay To Move. You must pay 1 million per turn to the bank to move on your own track, and/or 4 million to move on another player's network. No payment is required if your train does not move.

Pay To Load And Deliver. You use one milepost of movement each time you pick up or drop off one load. For example, if you both pick up 1 load and drop off 1 load or if you pick up 2 loads, you have used 2 mileposts of movement.

Run Two Trains. Each player starts with two trains, which may be upgraded in the usual way. Both may move in the same turn. Players may agree to have four demand cards at all times instead of three.

Reshuffle. When the Excess Profits Tax event card is drawn, remove that card from the game and reshuffle the deck.