Metro
Metro Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Components
Components for the basic game
- 1 game board
- 61 Metro wagons
- 60 track tiles
- 6 scoring markers
- 1 rules booklet
Components for expansion module 1 - Metro companies
- 1 shares board
- 8 Metro wagons
- 2 scoring markers
- 32 shares - each one 10%, 20%, 30% and 40% share in the colors: yellow, blue, orange, green, purple, black, red and white
Components for expansion module 2 - Metro stations
- 8 Central station Metro wagons
Components for expansion module 3 - Central tracks
- 8 Central station track tiles
Components for expansion module 4 - Station numbers
- 32 Station numbers
Set-up - Example for a 4 player game
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Place the game board in the middle of the playing area.
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All players place their scoring marker on the "0" space of the scoring track.
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Shuffle all track tiles and place them face down besides the game board in easy reach for all players. Each player takes one tile and looks at it without showing it to the other players.
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Each player takes all wagons of their selected color and places them on the game board, according to the charts shown below. The numbers indicate the spaces where the players have to place their wagons.
All wagons must be placed on the dead end of the Metro stations, where they remain until the end of the game. The tracks with the station building do not belong to any players. Any unused wagons are returned to the box, they are not used in this game.
The game board shows:
- A - 60 square spaces on which the track tiles are placed
- B - 32 numbered Metro stations on which the metro wagons are placed
- C - 1 central station in the middle of the game board
- D - 1 scoring track at the edge of the game board
Summary of placing wagons
...2 players (16 wagons each)
| Yellow | Blue |
|---|---|
| all odd numbered stations 1, 3, 5, ..., 31 | all even numbered stations 2, 4, 6, ..., 32 |
...3 players (10 wagons each)
| Yellow | Blue | Orange |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 4 | 7 | 5 |
| 6 | 9 | 8 |
| 11 | 12 | 10 |
| 15 | 14 | 13 |
| 20 | 19 | 18 |
| 23 | 22 | 21 |
| 25 | 27 | 24 |
| 12 | 29 | 26 |
| 31 | 32 | 30 |
...4 players (8 wagons each)
| Yellow | Blue | Orange | Green |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| 7 | 8 | 6 | 5 |
| 11 | 12 | 10 | 9 |
| 16 | 15 | 13 | 14 |
| 20 | 19 | 18 | 17 |
| 23 | 24 | 21 | 22 |
| 27 | 28 | 25 | 26 |
| 32 | 31 | 30 | 29 |
...5 players (6 wagons each)
| Yellow | Blue | Orange | Green | Purple |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 4 |
| 5 | 12 | 7 | 9 | 8 |
| 10 | 18 | 15 | 13 | 11 |
| 14 | 23 | 19 | 21 | 20 |
| 22 | 27 | 25 | 26 | 24 |
| 28 | 32 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
...6 players (5 wagons each)
| Yellow | Blue | Orange | Green | Purple | Black |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 7 |
| 5 | 11 | 8 | 15 | 9 | 12 |
| 10 | 18 | 14 | 20 | 13 | 22 |
| 19 | 25 | 21 | 24 | 23 | 28 |
| 27 | 29 | 26 | 31 | 30 | 32 |
Sequence of Play
The youngest player is the starting player, and then the other players take their turn clockwise. During their turn a player performs the following action:
Action: Place track tiles
The active player (the player performing their turn) places their hand held tile on the game board. If they don't want to place this tile they may draw a new tile from the face down supply, as long as there are any tiles left. In this case they must place the tile just drawn, keeping their hand tile.
After placing their hand tile the player draws a new tile from the face down supply, as long as there are any tiles left.
A player who has connected all their lines to destination stations still keeps on placing tiles.
Note: The track tiles have been designed in such a way that all lines are connecting to some station at the end of the game. It may happen though that loops are constructed which do not connect to any station. Such loops are of no relevance to the game.
Example: The player does not want to place the track tile from their hand, yet. He draws one from the supply and now has to place this tile on the board. Next turn he can decide again to either place his tile or draw a new one from the supply (if there are any left).
Rules for Placing Tiles
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When placing track tiles they may connect to any line.
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A tile must always be placed on a free space. It must be placed adjacent (edge to edge) to at least one tile already lying on the game board or on a space at the edge of the game board.
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All tiles must have the same orientation, i.e. the arrows on the tiles must point at the same direction as the ones on the game board.
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A tile may not be placed in a way that a Metro line is connecting its departure station with a destination station passing only one tile. The only exception to this rule is when there is absolutely no other way to place the tile.
(Track tiles must be placed on a free space edge to edge. The arrows of the tiles and the game board must point at the same direction. A Metro must pass more than one tile before connecting to its destination station.)
Scoring and End of the Game
A scoring takes place as soon as a Metro line has connected to a destination station.
The owner of this line immediately gains 1 victory point for each tile their line is passing. If the same tile is passed more than once by this line, it generates 1 victory point each time it is passed. If the line is connecting to the power station in the center of the game board the victory points total for this line is doubled. Each player's victory points are recorded on the scoring track using the player's scoring marker. The wagon is flipped over to the backside (dead end), indicating that this line has been scored.
The game ends as soon as all lines have been scored and all tiles have been laid out.
The player with the most victory points is the winner of the game.
Notes:
- The scoring of a Metro line can be done anytime, in case it wasn't done before by mistake.
- The tracks of the central station printed on the game board do not count for victory points when a line connects to it. Only those tiles actually placed on the game board by the players count for victory points.
Example: One Metro line from player green has reached a destination station. The line is built over 7 track tiles (one tile is crossed twice). Additionally the destination is the central station. So the player gets 14 victory points (7 for the track tiles and x2 for the central station). He then flips over his Metro wagon to the other side.
Variants
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In order to have a better choice when placing tiles the players may agree upon abandoning the orientation rule. Using this variant it doesn't matter where the arrow of a tile is pointing at.
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In order to have a better choice when placing tiles the players may agree upon allowing 2 or 3 hand tiles instead of only 1. Using this variant game play will last longer.
Expansion Module 1: Metro Companies
Playable with: Expansion module 2 & 3
When playing with this expansion, the players do not own any Metro companies. Instead of establishing their own companies, players are buying shares of several of the 8 Metro companies. Regardless of the number of players all 8 companies are used always.
Setting up and preparing game play
Set-up and preparations are the same as for the basic game with the following exceptions: 4 wagons of each color (each color is representing a different Metro company) are placed on the spaces of the game board according to the following chart. The numbers indicate the spaces where the wagons have to be placed.
| Yellow | Blue | Orange | Green | Purple | Black | Red | White |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| 11 | 9 | 12 | 10 | 15 | 13 | 16 | 14 |
| 18 | 20 | 17 | 19 | 22 | 24 | 21 | 23 |
| 28 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 32 | 31 | 30 | 29 |
Regardless of the number of players all 8 scoring markers are placed on the "0" space of the scoring track.
All shares are sorted by percentages, resulting in four piles. The piles are shuffled separately and placed face down on the appropriate spaces of the shares board. Each player draws one share from each pile without showing their shares to the other players. Then the top share of each pile is drawn and placed face up next to the particular pile.
Sequence of play
When performing their turn a player now must decide between two possible actions:
- place track tiles (see basic game)
or
- exchange one share
Action: Exchange one share
The active player places one of their own shares face down at the bottom of the pile of the same percentage. Then they take either the face up share or the top face down share of this pile. If they take the face up share, they reveal the top face down share from the pile to be used as new face up share.
Important: Shares can be exchanged only as long as the first scoring marker of any Metro company has not reached or exceeded the 25 points space yet.
Example: Susan wants the yellow 20%-share. She puts her own 20%-share of some other color face down at the bottom of the 20%-pile and takes the face up yellow 20%-share.
Scoring of Metro companies
Scoring is done the same way as in the basic game. Points do now count as profit points for the Metro companies instead of victory points for the players.
Scoring and end of the game
After all tiles have been laid out and scoring has been done for all companies a final scoring takes place.
First determine the value of each Metro company:
- The company or companies with most profit points ... each value 8,
- with second most profit points ... each value 7, etc.
- company with least profit points ... each value 1
Please use a wagon of the appropriate color to indicate the values on the scoring track.
Example calculating the value of the companies: Yellow has the most points, its value is 8. Orange is second with value 7. Blue and Green share the 3rd position, both have a value of 6. Red is next, its value is 4.
Now the players sum up their victory points (VP):
40%-share = 4x value of respective company; 30%-share = 3x value; 20%-share = 2x value; 10%-share = 1x value
The player whose share(s) of a certain company add up to the highest percentage of this company held by any player gains bonus points. These bonus points are a tenth of the company's profit points, rounded down. In case of a tie both players gain the full amount of bonus points. All players add up their total, the player with the highest total is the winner of the game.
Example calculating the VP's of the players: Nina owns the yellow 40% and the 20%-share, the blue 10%-share and the green 30%-share. She gains: 4x value 8 + 2x value 8 = 48 VP from the value of the yellow company; 1x 5 = 5 VP from the blue company; 3x 4 = 12 VP from the green company = 65 VP in total from companies. Because Nina owns 60% of the yellow company, she holds the majority of the yellow shares and additionally gains: 38:10 = 3.8, rounded down = 3 points. So her total at the end of the game is 65 + 3 = 68 VP.
Expansion Module 2: Metro Stations
Playable with: Expansion module 1 & 4
Played with basic game
Set-up
Every player gets the wagon in his colour, the rest of the wagons are not used.
Sequence of play
In his turn a player can, instead of placing a track tile, place his central station-subway tile on any unoccupied central station space in the middle of the game board to obtain another Metro line.
- This Metro line must pass more than one tile, before connecting to its destination station.
- Metro lines starting from the middle do not score double victory points.
Played with the basic game and with expansion module 1
Set-up
All central station Metro wagons are placed near the game board.
Sequence of play
In his turn a player can, instead of placing a track tile, place a central station subway tile on any unoccupied central station in the middle of the game board. Therefore he has to show 1 share of this company and place it face up in front of him. He may not exchange this share any longer. So the wagon's Company gains another Metro line.
Important: Track tiles cannot be placed directly next to the Metro wagons in the middle. Those spaces can only be reached by building the line next to it.
Expansion Module 3: Central Tracks
Playable with: Expansion module 1 & 4
Set-up
Choose 4 central station track tiles at random and place them in the middle of the game board, so that all stations in the middle are covered.
Note: The orientation of the tiles does not matter. The rest of the central station track tiles are not needed.
Sequence of play
Metro lines can no longer arrive at a central station. They automatically connect to the central station tracks and continue through them to other track tiles. Every line will now finish at a station on the edge of the game board.
Example: A line built over track tiles numbered 1 through 10 in sequence through the central station tracks scores 10 victory points.
Important: Track tiles cannot be placed directly next to the central track tiles. Those spaces can only be reached by building the line next to it.
Expansion Module 4: Station Numbers
Playable with: Expansion module 2 & 3
Set-up
The 32 station numbers are shuffled face down. Players agree upon a number of tiles in each colour that every player gets. The players can keep their tiles secret from other players.
Recommendation: For the first game we recommend using only 1 or 2 tiles of each colour.
Scoring and end of the game
At the end of the game players reveal their station numbers. For each Metro line that ends in a station, that a player has the appropriate station number for, he earns the points for that metro line. Metro lines that start from a central station score double the amount of points.
Example: Player yellow has station number 28. He gets 12 victory points for that (the same amount that player green got for building this line).