Raccoon Tycoon Game Rules

Hey there! Ready to learn all about the exciting world of Raccoon Tycoon? I’m here to guide you through the game rules, step by step, so you can become a savvy tycoon in no time!

Let’s jump right in. Building your wealth is the name of the game in Raccoon Tycoon, and you do this by buying and selling valuable commodities. These commodities come in four different types: lumber, grain, coal, and iron. Each type has its own value and can be bought or sold at the market. Keep an eye on the market prices and strike when the iron is hot!

Trading is a key part of Raccoon Tycoon. You can buy commodities from the market or make deals with other players to get the ones you need. Remember, the goal is to buy low and sell high to maximize your profit. It’s all about being the smartest and shrewdest raccoon in town!

But it’s not just about trading commodities. You can also invest in towns and railways. Towns generate income, while railways boost the value of commodities. Plan your investments wisely to create a prosperous network that keeps the money flowing.

Raccoon Tycoon is a game of strategy and planning. You need to carefully manage your resources and make smart decisions to outcompete your fellow tycoons. Keep a close eye on the market, adapt your strategy as needed, and seize opportunities when they arise. Remember, fortune favors the bold!

Now that you know the basics of Raccoon Tycoon, it’s time to gather your friends and start your own tycoon adventure. Who will become the wealthiest raccoon in the land? Grab your top hat and let the trading begin!

In Raccoon Tycoon, I get to produce valuable commodities in a marketplace that’s always changing. Then, I can either use those commodities to build towns or sell them at the best price and make a ton of profit.

With the profits I make, I can win auctions for railroads, which are super important. Or, I can buy buildings that give me power-ups and bonuses during production. The key to winning is owning the best towns and railroads.

In Astoria, there can only be one ‘top dog.’ And guess what? It could be you!

What’s Inside the Box

When you’re ready to dive into the world of board games, there’s one that stands out from the rest. It’s called Railroad Revolution, and it has all the elements that make for an exciting and strategic gaming experience.

What’s in the box, you ask? Well, let me tell you! Inside, you’ll find a game board that serves as your stage for adventure. There are 180 commodity tokens, representing different resources that you’ll need to build your railroad empire. And don’t forget the start player token, because every game needs someone to take the first turn.

Of course, no game would be complete without money. In Railroad Revolution, you’ll be managing your finances, making smart investments, and watching your wealth grow. It’s a test of your financial acumen and your ability to make wise decisions under pressure.

But that’s not all. You’ll also find 27 building tiles that you can use to expand your rail network. These tiles represent different types of buildings, each with its own unique advantages. And let’s not forget the 24 railroad cards, 16 town cards, 54 price & production cards, and 12 mission cards. These cards will give you goals to accomplish, rewards to earn, and ways to manipulate the market to your advantage.

Now, let’s talk about the setup. First, you’ll need to lay out the game board and distribute the commodity tokens. Then, each player will choose a starting location on the board and take the corresponding building tiles. You’ll also need to shuffle the various decks of cards and place them within easy reach of all players.

Once the setup is complete, it’s time to get down to business. The objective of Railroad Revolution is simple – build the most successful railroad empire and amass the most wealth. To achieve this, you’ll need to strategically expand your rail network, make savvy investments, and manipulate the market to your advantage.

The game is played over several rounds, with each round consisting of a series of turns. On your turn, you’ll have a variety of actions to choose from. You can build railroads, construct buildings, manipulate the market, or complete missions. The choice is yours, but be wise in your decisions – every move you make can have far-reaching consequences.

As you play, you’ll need to keep a close eye on your opponents. The railroad business is cutthroat, and if you’re not careful, someone else might snatch up the opportunities you were counting on. So stay on your toes, be strategic, and remember – the railroad revolution waits for no one.

Railroad Revolution is a game that will test your strategy skills, your ability to make tough decisions, and your knack for taking calculated risks. It’s a game that is as thrilling as it is challenging, and it will keep you coming back for more, time and time again. So gather your friends, set up the board, and let the railroad revolution begin!

Okay, let’s get started with the game setup!

A – First, we need to shuffle the Price & Production cards and then deal 3 cards to each player.

B – Next, place the remaining cards near the board to create a draw deck.

C – Now, take one of each Commodity Token and place it on the lowest price of its corresponding Market. For example, Wheat and Wood start at $1, Iron and Coal start at $2, and Goods and Luxuries start at $3.

D – The remaining Commodity Tokens will act as the Supply, so place them near the board.

E – Each player starts with $10 as their starting Money.

F – Place the remaining money near the board to act as the Bank.

Now, let’s create the Railroad Deck:

• For a 2-player game, remove the Skunkworks, Sly Fox, and Tycoon Railroads from the deck.
• For a 3-player game, remove the Skunkworks and Tycoon Railroads.
• For a 4-player game, remove the Skunkworks Railroad.
• For a 5-player game, there are no Railroads to remove.

And that’s it! We’re all set up and ready to start playing.

First, I need to shuffle the remaining Railroad Cards to create the Railroad Deck. This is where all the cards that we’ll use during the game will come from.

Next, I’ll turn over 2 cards and place them face up on the ‘Railroad’ spots on the game board. These cards are special because they can be chosen to start an auction later on.

After that, I’ll create the Town Deck. This is made up of cards with Victory Point (VP) values. I’ll arrange them in order, starting with the four 2 VP cards (in any order), followed by the four 3 VP cards, and so on. Once the deck is in order, I’ll place it near the game board and turn over the top card, placing it on the ‘Town’ spot.

If there are only 2 players: I’ll remove one town card from each Victory Point Value category (one with 2 VP, one with 3 VP, one with 4 VP, and one with 5 VP).

Hey there! Let’s talk about setting up the game. We have these cool tiles called Basic Commodity Bonus Building Tiles. We’re going to shuffle them and place four of them on the Building locations on the game board. These tiles have different commodities on them, like wood, stone, or metal.

Now, we’re going to take the remaining two tiles and set them aside. We won’t be using them in this game.

Next, we have these special tiles called Advanced Building Tiles. We’re going to shuffle them up and place them face down in a neat stack. Whenever a player buys a Building, we’ll take the top tile from the stack and use it to fill in the empty spot, so there are always four Buildings available for purchase.

Here’s an optional rule: If you want to spice things up, you can draw and place Basic Commodity Building Tiles equal to the number of players. For example, if there are five players, you can place four additional buildings. Any leftover tiles can be removed from the game. Then, you can fill in the empty Building spots on the board with Advanced Buildings drawn from the stack.

Let’s start the game by choosing a random start player. They will be the one to go first, and we’ll place the Start Player Token in front of them. As a bonus, the start player gets to pick one Commodity Token for free!

Next, the second player (who is sitting to the left of the start player) gets an even better deal. They get to choose two free Commodity Tokens of their choice! This continues around the table, with each player getting two tokens, until everyone has made their choices. Remember, no player can have two of the same commodity, so each token must be different.

Now, let’s get into the game play.

The start player will take the first turn each round. They get to perform ONE action of their choice. After the start player has taken their turn, the other players will take their turns in clockwise order.

There are five different actions that players can choose from:

1. Trade: You can trade one of your Commodity Tokens for another one from the supply.

2. Buy: You can spend your Commodity Tokens to purchase a new card from the market.

3. Sell: You can sell one of your cards for Commodity Tokens.

4. Build: You can use your Commodity Tokens to build one of the available building cards.

5. Pass: If you don’t want to or can’t perform any of the other actions, you can choose to pass and not take a turn.

1. Production

First, I want to talk about a crucial part of the game called Production. This is when you play one of your Price & Production cards from your hand. When you do this, you get to take three commodity tokens from the supply and place them in front of you.

Now, here’s the thing: the card might show more than three commodity tokens, but you can only choose three. So you have to decide which ones you want. Just keep in mind that if you have the Cottage Industry or Factory buildings, you can get even more tokens.

After you’ve taken your tokens, it’s time to do some price adjustments. You need to increase the Commodity Market prices for the commodities shown on the card. Each icon you see means that you have to increase the price by $1.

Once you’ve taken your tokens and adjusted the prices, you need to put the card you played in the discard pile. Make sure it’s face up next to the Price & Production draw deck. Finally, draw a new Price & Production card from the deck to refill your hand to the maximum number of cards you can have.

Hey there! Did you know that in the game, players can only have a maximum of three Price & Production cards in their hand? Well, unless they have the Smuggler card, in which case they can have four, or the Black Market card, in which case they can have five. It’s pretty cool, right?

Oh, and just a friendly reminder: players can’t use the Smuggler or Black Market buildings to take more commodities than what is shown on the card. Gotta play by the rules and keep it fair!

Example

In the game, I play a card that has various resources and commodities. Some of the resources are wood, coal, iron, goods, luxury, and more. These resources are divided into two areas: Production and Price.

At the moment, I don’t have any buildings yet, so I need to choose which commodities to produce. I can choose three out of the five commodities on the card. In this case, I decide to produce two wood and the goods commodity. I take these commodities from the supply.

After producing these commodities, I also have the opportunity to affect the prices of luxury and goods. I decide to raise their prices by $1 each. This can have an impact on the game and the overall economy.

Commodity Bonus and Production Buildings

Did you know that there is something called Commodity Bonus buildings? These buildings are pretty neat because they give you extra production bonuses. You can easily spot them because they are marked with a (Bonus Production).

When you use the Production action, you’ll receive additional commodity token(s) from the Bonus Building on top of the ones you would normally get from the card. But remember, you can only benefit from one Building per Production action.

Remember: If you have more than one Building, pick one to use.

For example: I own the +1 Wheat (Wheat Field) and the +1 Coal (Coal Deposit) Buildings. I choose the Production action and play a Price/Production Card that gives me 1 Wood, 1 Luxury, and 1 Coal.

I can also take an extra Coal or a Wheat, but not both.

Note: The Bonus Production commodity is added to your regular ‘Maximum Production’.

Example: When the game begins, I have a Maximum Production of 3, which means I can produce up to 3 Commodities. However, things change when I acquire the Cottage Industry Building. With this new addition, my Maximum Production increases to 4 Commodities, as stated on the Price/Production Card.

But that’s not all – I also have two Building Tiles that enhance my production. The first one is the +1 Wheat (Wheat Field), which allows me to produce an additional Wheat. The second one is the +1 Coal (Coal Deposit), which grants me an extra Coal.

Now let’s talk about the Price/Production Card that I play. It shows that I can produce 2 Wheat, 1 Goods, and 1 Iron. So, following the card’s instructions, I gather all four of these Commodities. But wait, there’s more! Thanks to my Bonus Building, I can also take one Coal.

Hey there! Let’s talk about Production Building Tiles, Factory and Cottage Industry Buildings. They work a lot like Bonus Building Tiles, but there’s a catch: you can only benefit from one Production Building Tile when you take a Production action.

Here’s an example to help you understand: let’s say I own both a factory and the Cottage Industry Buildings. In a single Production action, I can only benefit from one of them. Tough choice, huh?

Now, let’s talk about Storage Limit. Each player is allowed to have a maximum of 10 Commodity Tokens at any given time. If my Production action brings my total to more than 10, I have to immediately give some Tokens back to the supply, so I’m back to 10.

However, this limit can be increased. For each Building Tile I own, my Storage Limit goes up by 1. If I have the Warehouse Building, my Storage Limit goes up by 4! How cool is that? 3 points for the special power of the Warehouse Building, and 1 point for its normal bonus.

When you play the game, there are a few important things to keep in mind. Let me break them down for you.

1. Building Tiles: These are special tiles that you can own in the game. They give you certain benefits and can help you collect more Commodity Tokens. For example, if you own three Building Tiles, you can have up to 13 Commodity Tokens. But if one of your Building Tiles is a Warehouse, then you can have up to 16 Commodity Tokens.

2. Selling Commodity Tokens: You can choose to sell any amount of a single type of Commodity Tokens that you own. It can be as little as one token or as many as you want. When you sell these tokens, they go back to the supply, and you get paid based on the current value of that Commodity in The Market. The price of the Commodity drops by the number of tokens you sell.

So remember, owning Building Tiles can help you collect more Commodity Tokens. And when you sell those tokens, you’ll earn money based on the current value in The Market. Keep these strategies in mind as you play the game!

Example:

Let’s say I sell 4 Wood Commodity Tokens. The Wood Market shows a value of $6. So, the Bank will pay me $24 (4 x $6). The Tokens I sold will go back into the Supply.

After the sale, the value of Wood in the Market decreases by the number of units sold.

Wood is originally valued at $6 and 4 units are sold. As a result, the new value of Wood in the Market is now $2.

3. Let’s Start a Railroad Auction (Choose a Railroad Card)

You need to choose one of the two Railroad Cards available and initiate an Auction for that card. The Card will indicate the minimum bid.

The auction starts with the player who initiated it. Each player takes turns bidding or passing, moving clockwise around the table. Once a player decides to pass, they cannot bid again.

When it comes to auctions in the game, the highest bid wins the Railroad Card. The winner then pays the amount they bid and takes ownership of the card. This is shown by placing the Railroad Card in front of them.

Once the Railroad Card is won, a new card is drawn from the deck to fill the empty spot in the offer. It’s important to always have two cards on offer unless the deck is empty.

If the player who started the auction doesn’t win, they still have the freedom to take any action they want, including starting another auction. However, if they do win the auction, their turn comes to an end.

Keep in mind that players can’t bid more money than they actually have. You need to stay within your budget!

In a two-player game, there’s a slight variation. The player who starts the auction can only make one bid. The other player has the choice to bid more or pass on the auction.

Now, let’s move on to the next step: purchasing a building tile.

When I’m playing the game, I get to pick one of the four Building Tiles that are available. All I have to do is pay the cost that’s shown on the Tile. Once I do that, I place the Building Tile in front of me to show that I own it. This means I get to enjoy the benefits of that Building Tile for the rest of the game.

But don’t worry, there’s always a new Building Tile ready for purchase. Whenever one is taken, another one is added to the offer. So there are always four Buildings to choose from (unless there aren’t any more in the stack).

Now, here’s something interesting. Some of the Building Tiles have two sides. For example, the six Commodity Building Tiles and the Machine Shop/Water Mill Advanced Building Tile. When they’re purchased, the side with a “+1” is face-up and active.

However, if I want to upgrade one of these double-sided tiles, I can use a Purchase Building Tile action later. All I have to do is pay the cost on the “+2” side. Once I do that, I flip the tile over to show its new value. It’s like getting an upgraded version of the Building Tile!

Now, let’s move on to the next step of the game: purchasing a Town with Commodity Tokens.

If you want to buy a Town Card, you have two options for payment. You can pay either the number of the specified Commodity shown on the bottom left of the card, or the number of ‘Any Commodity’ displayed on the bottom right of the card.

If you choose to buy a Town Card, the Commodity tokens you use for payment are returned to the supply near the board.

Once you purchase a card, it goes in front of you, and a new card is drawn from the deck to replace it. This ensures that there is always one Town Card available for purchase, unless the deck is empty.

Note: When you use the ‘Any Commodity’ option to buy a Town Card, you don’t have to use the same type of Commodity. You can mix and match any Commodities you have.

End of the Game

The game continues until:

• The last Town Card is bought
• If the Bank runs out of money
• The last Railroad is auctioned

When one of these things happens, I’ll finish the current Round until everyone who hasn’t taken their turn has done so.

Note: In every game, the last player is the one to the right of the ‘Starting Player’ who went first at the beginning of the game.

And then the game ends.

Information

During the game, I’ll place all my cards and building tiles where everybody can see them (public information). But my money is a secret and doesn’t need to be shared.

Scoring

I’ll get Victory Points (VP) based on the following:

• My Town Cards
• My Railroad Cards
• Each Building I own is worth 1 VP
• The value of each pair of a player’s owned Towns and Railroads is 2 VP. For example, if a player owns 3 Railroads and 6 Towns, they can make 3 pairs and gain 6 VP.

Note: Owning multiple Railroads of the same type gives the player more Victory Points according to the Railroad Card.

The winner of the game is the player with the most Victory Points at the end.

In the event of a tie, the player with the most money wins.

Optional Rules

Sudden Death Victory:

If any player reaches $1,000 during the game, they can declare themselves the winner and end the game.

Beginning Gamers:

If any of the players are new to this type of game, remove the ‘Advanced Buildings’ to make the game easier to learn and play.