Trans-Siberian Railroad Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Components
• Setup
• Game Board Notes
  • Timing Track
  • Income Track
  • Dividends Track
  • Nationalization Track
  • Phase Track
  • Railroad Treasuries
  • Rail Links
  • External Links
  • Rail Network
• Public vs Private Railroads
• Initial Auction Round
• Game Phases
• Sequence of Play
  • Take Action
  • Buy Stock
  • Build Links
    • Types of Links
    • Build Links Options
  • Pass
• End of Turn and Check for Dividends
  • Pay Dividends
  • Check for Phase Shift (if the game is still in Phase 1)
  • Check for Nationalization (if the game is in Phase 2)
  • Perform Stock Adjustments
  • Adjust Markers and Check for End of Game
• End of Game Procedure
  • End of Game Scoring Example
• Player Board Summary
• Acknowledgments

Game Components

• 1 Game Board
• 26 Railroad Stock Certificates (5 each of Red, Blue, Green, and Yellow, 3 each of Black and White)
• 192 Railroad Link Cubes; 32 each of color (Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, Black and White)
• 4 Marker Cubes used for the Dividends, Timing, Phase, and Nationalization Tracks
• 5 Player Boards
• Game Money (30 x $1, 10 x $5, 30 x $10, 10 x $50)
• This Rulebook

Setup

• Place the game board on the table in easy reach of all players.
• Place the 4 Marker Cubes in the appropriate starting positions for the various tracks on the game board:
  • The 0 box of the Dividends Track
  • The 0 box of the Timing Track
  • The 24 box of the Nationalization Value Track
  • The 1 box of the Phase Track
• Place the Stock Certificates and cubes for each color at the top of the game board above the banner of the matching color. Each player receives a player board and starting money from the Bank:
  • $48 each for a 3-player game
  • $40 each for a 4-player game
  • $32 each for a 5-player game
• The player who has most recently visited Russia is the start player. The players may agree to use a different method to select a start player.

Game Board Notes

The board shows the Rail Links, the Timing Track, the Phase Track, the Railroad Treasuries, the Dividends Track, the Nationalization Track and the Income Track.

Timing Track

• The Marker Cube on this track is moved when certain actions are taken during the game. (See Sequence of Play.) Once the Marker Cube has moved to the last space of this track, Dividends will be paid at the end of the current player's turn. (See Pay Dividends.) After Dividends are paid, the Marker Cube is returned to the start of the track (the box marked 0).

Income Track

• This is used to record the current income for each active Railroad in the game. This will be tracked by using a cube matching the color of the Railroad. The black spaces on the track indicate spots that will increase the stock value of the Railroad when that income level is reached.

Dividends Track

• Each time Dividends are paid, the Marker Cube on this track is moved forward one space. When the Marker Cube reaches the end of this track, the game ends.

Nationalization Track

• This track determines the minimum stock value needed for a Railroad to be safe from Nationalization. This only applies during Phase 2 of the game. (See Nationalization.)

Phase Track

• This track shows the current phase of the game. The game begins in Phase 1.

Railroad Treasuries

• Each Railroad has a space at the top of the board for their Railroad treasury. This space holds the Stock Certificates of each Railroad at the beginning of the game. During the game, the money that is paid by players when buying Stock Certificates of a Railroad is also placed here. This money belongs to that Railroad, and the Railroad can use it later to build links to extend its rail network across the board.

Rail Links

• The game board depicts a map of Russia with major cities shown. A line between the cities indicates that a link may be built between those cities. This represents track of a railroad that is built to connect those two cities.
• Placing a cube of a Railroad's color on the numbered box on the line between the two cities indicates that the Railroad has built track that links those two cities. Each link may be built by one and only one Railroad.
• The number that is shown in the box indicates the amount of income added to the Railroad's income level by building the link.

The connection between Yekaterinburg and Tyumen is an example of a link between two cities. If a Railroad builds this link, that Railroad will add 2 to its income.

External Links

• The map also shows lines between cities and purple circles. These circles represent connections to rail lines that are outside the area shown on the game board. Just like a normal link, the number in the box indicates the amount of income added to the Railroad's income level by building the link.

Example of an External link. If a Railroad builds this link, that Railroad will add 5 to its income.

Rail Network

• Each link that is built by a Railroad extends its track and increases the number of cities that the Railroad connects to. This set of links is called the Railroad's rail network.

Public vs Private Railroads

A Railroad that is currently operating in the game will be in one of two states: Public or Private. However, Railroads Nationalized in Phase 2 will be neither (See Nationalization).

A Railroad is Public if two or more of its Stock Certificates are owned by one or more players.

A Railroad is Private if only 1 of its Stock Certificates is owned by a player.

These definitions will be used throughout the game.

Initial Auction Round

Before the game begins, there are four Stock Certificate auctions to attempt to open each of the 4 starting Railroads: the Red, Blue, Green, and Yellow Railroads. The Black and White Railroads will have the opportunity to open later in the game. The Railroads are auctioned in order going left to right, starting with the Red Railroad.

The start player will be the first to bid for a Stock Certificate of Red Railroad:

• The minimum bid is $8.
• The start player decides to either bid or pass.
• Bidding continues clockwise around the table with each player raising the bid by a minimum of $1 or dropping out of the bidding.
• If a player drops out, they may not re-enter the bidding for the Stock Certificate currently being auctioned.

1. If all players pass on the opportunity to bid on a Railroad Stock Certificate, the following happens immediately:
   • The Railroad Stock Certificates and Link cubes for that Railroad are removed from the game.
   • The Marker Cube on the Nationalization Track is advanced 3 spaces.
   • The same player starts the bidding in the next auction if applicable.
2. If a player wins the auction for a Railroad Stock Certificate, the following happens immediately:
   • They take one of the Railroad Stock Certificates of that Railroad.
   • They build a link connected to Moscow for no cost by placing a cube of the Railroad's color on the numbered box shown on the link.
   • They record the income shown on the link that was just built on the Income Track using another cube of the Railroad's color.
   • They assign an initial value to the Railroad stock on the Stock Value Track using another cube of the Railroad's color. The value assigned may not exceed the amount of money they bid for the Railroad Stock Certificate.
   • The bid amount is paid by the player and put in the Railroad's treasury.
   • This Railroad is now considered to be open.
   • The winner of an auction is the first to bid on the next stock.

EXAMPLE:

• Piotr wins the auction with a $13 bid for the Red Railroad
• He places a red cube in either the '8' or the '12' box of the Stock Value Track to indicate the initial Stock Value of the Red Railroad
• He pays $13 to the Red Railroad's treasury

Once the auction for the Yellow Railroad Stock Certificate has been completed, the Initial Auction round is over. The Black and White Railroad Stock Certificates will be auctioned later when the game shifts to Phase 2.

Phase 1 now begins with the last player to buy a Stock Certificate in the Initial Auction Round.

Game Phases

Trans-Siberian Railroad is played in two distinct phases. Players do the same actions in each phase, but the steps at the end of each turn are different depending on which phase the game is in. The current phase is shown by the position of the cube on the Phase Track. The game begins in Phase 1.

The game remains in Phase 1 until a Railroad has reached a Stock Value of 48 or above. This condition is checked each time Dividends are paid. (See Pay Dividends.) Once this condition is met, the game shifts to Phase 2 at the beginning of the next player's turn.

Sequence of Play

Take Action

On a player's turn, they are designated the current player and must choose one of the following actions. After the action is completed, play passes clockwise to the next player. The possible actions are:

• Buy Stock
• Build Links
• Pass

Buy Stock

Players may purchase Stock Certificates of active Railroads. An active Railroad is defined as opened and not removed from the game. There must be unsold Stock Certificates available in the Treasury of the Railroad in order for them to be purchased.

Please note: Stock Certificates may not be purchased from or sold to other players.

The player selecting this action must either:

• Buy one Stock Certificate
• Buy two Stock Certificates

1. Buy one Stock Certificate

The price for a Stock Certificate is shown on the Stock Value Track. The player must pay the exact amount to the Railroad's treasury from their personal money. If needed, the player can make change from the Bank so that the exact amount can be paid. The player takes a Stock Certificate from the Railroad's treasury to complete the sale.

2. Buy two Stock Certificates

The procedure is the same as above, with the requirement that the two Stock Certificates must be purchased from two different Railroads. In addition, a $4 bonus must be paid by the player to one of the two Railroad treasuries. The player chooses which Railroad gets the bonus.

When a player buys two Stock Certificates in one turn, the cube on the Timing Track is moved down one space.

Build Links

General Rules for Building Links

Only a Public Railroad (one that has sold at least two shares) can build a link.

A player may only build a link for a Railroad if the player holds the majority or is tied for the majority of that Railroad's Stock Certificates.

The number in the box indicates how much income the link adds to the Railroad's Income once built. This number has no effect on the building cost. Increase the Railroad's Income by the amount indicated by moving the Railroad's cube forward on the Income Track by the indicated amount.

Example: The Red Railroad is building the link from Yekaterinburg to Tyumen. The income for the Red Railroad is increased by 2.

If the Railroad's income cube lands on or passes over a black square on the Income Track, increase the Railroad's stock value by moving the Railroad's cube on the Stock Value Track one space forward for each black space reached or passed.

Money paid to build the link must be paid from the Railroad's treasury to the Bank. The cost to build each link is explained in the next section of the rules.

Types of Links

When building a new link, a Railroad may build by either "Extending" or "Jumping" from its existing rail network.

Extend:

If a Railroad wants to extend its existing network, it may add a new link to the board. This means that the newly placed cube must be placed directly adjacent to another link of that Railroad's color.

The cost to build a link in this way is $4, which is paid to the Bank from the current Railroad's treasury.

The amount of income (i.e., the number in the box where the cube is placed) that this link generates has no effect on the cost to build the link.

Example: The Red Railroad is extending the link from Yekaterinburg through Tyumen to Omsk. This link would cost Red $4 and would generate $2 in additional income for the Railroad.

Jump:

Add a new link to the board by using a link built by another Railroad. The newly placed link must be placed directly adjacent to a link built by a different Railroad.

The cost to build using the jump option is $4 paid to the Bank plus $2 paid to the rival Railroad(s) for each of their links used to connect back to the current Railroad's network. The building costs are paid by the current Railroad's treasury. The player must select the least expensive jump.

The amount of income (i.e., the number in the box where the Link cube is placed) that this link generates has no effect on the cost to build the link.

Example: In the situation shown above, the Blue Railroad wants to build the link from Barnaul to Abakan. This link is not connected to Blue Railroad's network. So, the Blue Railroad must jump over the Green Railroad link from Omsk to Barnaul in order to build this link. In this case, the Blue Railroad must pay $2 to the Green Railroad to use their link. Then, the Blue Railroad must pay $4 to the Bank to build the link.

If the Blue Railroad wanted to build the link from Krasnoyarsk to Lesosibirsk, it would have to pay both Green and Red $2 each to use their respective links from Omsk to Novosibirsk (green) and from Novosibirsk to Krasnoyarsk (red) plus $4 more to build the link itself. The total cost for the Blue Railroad to build this link would be $8.

Build Links Options

The player selecting the Build Links action must choose one of the following options:

• Build one link
• Build two links
• Build an External link

Build one link

When building one link, a Railroad may add a link to the game board by either "Extending" or "Jumping" from an existing link as previously described.

Build two links

When building two links, a Railroad may add two links to its network by either "Extending" or "Jumping" from an existing link as previously described; however, the second must extend the first.

IMPORTANT: When building two links, each of the newly built links must be contiguous, not two disconnected links or branches. The second link that is built must use the city that was the end point of the first link as its starting point.

FINER POINTS for BUILDING TWO LINKS:

• When building two links:
  • The second link built must start from the end point of the first link that was built as part of this action.
  • The second link cannot be a JUMP.
  • External links cannot be built when building two links.

In addition to the cost to build links as noted earlier, the Railroad must also pay a $4 surcharge to the Bank.

After building two links, the Railroad's stock value is increased by moving the Railroad's cube on the Stock Value Track one space forward. As noted above, if the Railroad's income cube lands on or passes over a black square on the Income Track, increment the Railroad's stock value by moving the Railroad's cube on the Stock Value Track one space forward for each black space reached or passed during this turn.

After successfully building two links as one "build two links" action, the cube on the Timing Track is moved down one space.

Example: In the situation shown to the left, the Blue Railroad had previously built a link from Tynda to Never and now wants to build 2 links, from Never to Chita and from Chita to Ulan-Ude. They would pay the Bank $8 ($4 + $4) and also pay a $4 surcharge to the Bank.

They cannot build from Chita to the External link. Nor may they build a link from Nizhneangarsk to Ust-Kut by jumping over the Tynda to Nizhneangarsk link, which is owned by the Green Railroad, as the second link on the same action.

Build one External Link

As noted above, an External link is denoted by a connection that ends in a purple circle instead of a city. Note that the link in the southwestern corner from Rostov-na-Donu is an External link even though it also connects to Tuapse.

Unlike other links, the cost to build an External link is $8.

The cost to jump to an External link is $8 plus $4 for each other Railroad link used. The $8 is paid to the Bank. The $4 is paid to each rival Railroad per rival link jumped. As described above, the player must select the least expensive jump.

After building an External link, the Railroad's stock value is increased by moving the Railroad's cube on the Stock Value Track one space forward, in addition to any increase due to landing on or passing a black square on the Income Track.

As a result of building an External link, the cube on the Timing Track is moved down one space.

Pass

A player may select to Pass as their action on their turn.

The cube on the Timing Track is moved down one space as a result of this action.

End of Turn and Check for Dividends

At the end of each player's turn, check to see if the cube on the Timing Track has reached the box marked 5. If it has, then the following steps occur:

IF THE GAME IS STILL IN PHASE 1:	IF THE GAME IS IN PHASE 2:
Pay Dividends	Pay Dividends
Check for Phase Shift	Check for Nationalization
Perform Stock Adjustments	Perform Stock Adjustments
Adjust Markers	Adjust Markers
Check for End Game	Check for End Game

Pay Dividends

Give the Timing Track Marker Cube to the player that triggered the Dividend. (This will assist in remembering whose turn it is when normal play resumes.)

Pay Dividends for each currently operating Railroad. This step occurs in both Phase 1 and 2. To do this, find each Railroad's income, as shown on the Income Track, and divide it by the number of Stock Certificates owned by players. All fractions are rounded up. This amount is paid from the Bank to the players for each Stock Certificate currently owned.

Please note that this can sometimes mean that more money is paid out as Dividends than the Railroad shows as income.

No Dividends are paid for Stock Certificates that are still in the Railroad Treasury.

DIVIDENDS EXAMPLE:

Color	Income Level	# of Certificates	Dividend per Certificate
Blue	9	3	$3
Green	11	2	$6
Red	7	2	$4
Yellow	14	2	$7

Anna owns 4 Stock Certificates. Based on the chart above, she will receive $3 for her Blue certificate, $12 for her Green certificates, and $7 for her Yellow certificate for a total of $22.

Beth owns 2 Stock Certificates. Based on the chart above, she will receive $3 for her Blue certificate and $4 for her Red certificate for a total of $7.

Connor owns 3 Stock Certificates. Based on the chart above, he will receive $3 for his Blue certificate, $4 for his Red certificate, and $7 for his Yellow certificate for a total of $14.

Check for Phase Shift (if the game is still in Phase 1)

If any Railroad's Stock Value is greater than or equal to 48, the game is now ready to shift to Phase 2. Move the cube on the Phase Track to the space marked Phase 2.

The game is now interrupted, and another Auction Round is executed. This is conducted in the same way as the Initial Auction Round except that the Black and White Railroad Stock Certificates are now the ones that will be auctioned in that order. The bidding for the Black Stock Certificate begins with the player who caused the Dividend to occur. The bidding for the White Stock Certificate begins with the player who bought the Black Stock Certificate. If the Black Stock Certificate was not purchased, the bidding begins with the player who caused the Dividend to occur. In addition, if the Black or White Railroads are opened, the first link built may be any individual link as long as it connects to an existing Railroad network. An External link cannot be built in this way.

During these auctions, if all players pass on the opportunity to bid on the Railroad Stock Certificate, the same rules apply here as in the initial auction round:

• The Railroad Stock Certificates and Track cubes for that Railroad are removed from the game.
• The Marker Cube on the Nationalization Track is moved 3 spaces forward.

Once both Railroad Stock Certificates have been auctioned, the game continues with the Perform Stock Adjustments step described below. The next time dividends are paid, the Phase 2 steps will be followed. Players should flip their Player Boards to the Phase 2 side at the beginning of the next player's turn.

Check for Nationalization (if the game is in Phase 2)

Every Public Railroad that has a stock value less than the value indicated by the location of the Marker Cube on the Nationalization Track is immediately Nationalized.

The following steps occur when a Railroad is Nationalized:

• Pay the owners of the Stock Certificates of a Nationalized Railroad the value of a Dividend from the Bank, using the standard method: Divide the income by the number of player-owned Stock Certificates, rounding up.
• Remove all Stock Certificates of the Railroad from the game, even those owned by the players.
• Remove the Railroad's cubes from the Stock Value and Income Tracks.
• Remove all unused link cubes of that Railroad. Existing links built by this Railroad remain on the game board and any money paid in the future to the now-closed Railroad is paid to the Bank instead.
• Advance the Marker Cube on the Nationalization Track 3 spaces forward for each Railroad that was Nationalized. This advancement takes place after any and all Railroads have been Nationalized during this step.

Perform Stock Adjustments

The Public Railroad(s) with the highest income, according to the Income Track, has its Stock Value cube(s) moved one space forward. If the Stock Value cube is already on the final space of the track ($75), the Stock Value cube is not moved.

All Private Railroads have their Stock Value cubes moved back one space. If the Stock Value cube is already on the first space of the track ($8), the Stock Value cube is not moved.

Adjust Markers and Check for End of Game

Advance the Nationalization Cube one space forward if the game is in Phase 1 OR if the game is in Phase 2 and no Railroads have been Nationalized during this turn.

Advance the Marker Cube on the Dividends Track to the next space.

The game is over if any of the following is true:

• The Dividends Marker Cube has reached the space marked END.
• Any Railroad has reached a stock value of $75.
• There are less than two Public Railroads left in the game.

Check to see if the game has ended. If not, then the game continues with the next player in clockwise order from the player who triggered the Dividend. Return the Marker Cube for the Timing Track to the first space, marked 0.

End of Game Procedure

All Private Railroad Stock Certificates held by any player are considered worthless.

Each Public Railroad Stock Certificate held by any player is worth its Stock Value, as indicated by the position of its tracking cube on the Stock Value Track.

The value of the Stock Certificates is added to the money currently held by each player.

The player with the highest total value of stock and money wins. If there are multiple players with the highest total, the game ends in a tie.

End of Game Scoring Example

• The game has ended because the Blue Railroad's stock value reached $75.
• Anna is the only player to own a stock certificate of the White Railroad, and she only owns one, so White is considered to be a Private Railroad. Therefore, any White stock is worth $0 at the end of the game.
• The Green Railroad was Nationalized, and its cube was removed from the Stock Value Track. Therefore, its stock certificates have no value.
• Each player adds up their stock value and adds their money on hand.
• Beth is the winner of a close game.

Stock Ownership:

Player	Red	Blue	Yellow	Black	White
Anna	1	1	1	1	1
Beth	2	1	1	0	0
Connor	1	2	1	0	0
Dennis	0	1	2	1	0

Scoring:

	Red	Blue	Yellow	Black	Money	Total
Final Stock Value	52	75	66	52
Anna	52	75	66	52	$47	$292
Beth	104	75	66	–	$60	$305
Connor	52	150	66	–	$28	$296
Dennis	–	75	132	52	$42	$301

Player Board Summary

Sequence of Play: Select one action: a, b, or c

a. Buy Stock i. Buy one Stock Certificate ii. Buy two Stock Certificates 1. Advance Timing Cube

b. Build Links (Public Railroads only) i. Build One Link ii. Build Two Links 1. Advance Timing Cube and Increase Stock Value iii. Build One External Link 1. Advance Timing Cube and Increase Stock Value

c. Pass i. Advance Timing Cube

End of Turn — Check Timing Track:

If Marker on Box 5 (Pay Dividends) then:

1. Pay Dividends
2. Check for Phase Shift i. If yes, immediately hold the second auction round
3. Adjust Stock Prices
4. Advance Marker Cube on Dividends Track
5. Check for Game End
6. Advance Marker Cube one space on Nationalization Track
7. Return Marker Cube to 0 on Timing Track
8. If Phase Shift occurred at Step 2 above, turn this board over to Phase 2 side and continue

When Buying Stock

• One Stock Certificate - price of stock
• Two Different Stock Certificates - price of each stock + $4 to one Company

When Building Links

Pay link cost to bank, jumped link cost to owning railroad

• One Link - $4 + $2 per jumped link
• Two Links - $12 + $2 per jumped link
• One External Link - $8 + $4 per jumped link

(Must jump fewest possible links)

Acknowledgments

The license for TSR (Trans-Siberian Railroad) has been kindly granted to Rio Grande Games by Winsome Games.

©2020 Rio Grande Games. All Rights Reserved.