Welcome to the Age of Steam!

Hello there! Today, I want to walk you through the game rules of Age of Steam. Get ready to immerse yourself in this exciting game of strategy and resource management. Let’s dive right in!

Age of Steam is a board game that challenges players to build and manage railway networks in a rapidly industrializing world. It’s a game of tough decisions, clever planning, and adaptability. So, let’s explore the key components and rules of the game.

First, you’ll need a game board, which represents a map of various cities and regions. Each player will control a network of railway tracks that connect different cities. Your goal is to transport goods efficiently and earn the most money.

Next, you’ll receive a set of colored discs, representing your trains. These trains will be used to transport goods along your railway network. Each player will also have a player board, where you keep track of your income, expenses, and loans.

At the beginning of the game, you’ll have some starting money and you’ll need to decide how to spend it wisely. You can invest in building new tracks, upgrades for your trains, or even take out loans to finance your operations. But remember, loans come with interest, so be careful!

As you progress through the game, you’ll have the opportunity to deliver goods between cities. Each city has a demand for specific goods, indicated by icons on the game board. By meeting these demands, you earn money and increase your income. But be careful, failing to deliver goods can result in penalties and decreased income.

Now, let’s talk about the turn structure. The game is played over several rounds, and each round is divided into phases. In the initial distribution phase, goods are placed on the board according to the demand of each city. Then, in the auction phase, players bid for turn order and the right to choose their starting location.

Once the auction is complete, players take turns performing actions. These actions include building tracks to expand your network, upgrading trains for increased efficiency, delivering goods to earn money, and taking loans if needed. The order of actions is important, as it can impact the availability of resources and opportunities.

Throughout the game, you’ll need to carefully manage your resources, balance your income and expenses, and make tough decisions to stay ahead of your opponents. Flexibility and adaptability are key to succeeding in Age of Steam.

The game ends after a certain number of rounds, depending on the number of players. At this point, players calculate their final scores by adding up their income, the value of their trains, and any bonuses they may have earned. The player with the highest score is declared the winner!

So, there you have it – the basic rules of Age of Steam. Remember, this is just an overview, and there are many additional rules and expansions that can further enhance your gaming experience. I hope you’re excited to jump into the world of Age of Steam and test your skills as a railway tycoon. Have fun and happy gaming!

• For this game, you’ll need a few different items:
• A game board
• A display for goods and actions
• A display for the income track
• Eight white town disks
• One hundred and thirty-six hexagonal track tiles
• Eight hexagonal new city tiles (one red, one blue, one purple, one yellow, and four black)
• Ninety-six goods cubes (twenty red, twenty blue, twenty purple, twenty yellow, and sixteen black)
• Six sets of track ownership locomotives (red, green, yellow, purple, blue, and black, with twenty of each color)
• Six sets of player disks (red, green, yellow, purple, blue, and black, with five of each color)
• Forty one-dollar bills
• Forty five-dollar bills
• Ten ten-dollar bills
• One turn track marker
• Six dice
• And lastly, a black cloth bag

Setting Up

So, let’s get started with the game! First, lay out the game board and put all the necessary items beside it. You’ll need the Goods/Actions display, Income Track display, Money, New City tiles, Dedicated Town Track tiles, and 8 Town disks.

Next, place the Turn Track marker in the “start” circle on the Turn Track. Now, it’s time to prepare the Goods cubes. Grab the bag and put all the cubes in it. Then, start drawing one cube at a time and place it in the Goods display. Begin filling the squares in the display from left to right, starting with the upper left square. Keep drawing cubes and filling the squares in each row until all 52 squares are filled. Make sure each square has one cube in it.

Hey there! Let’s get this game started. Here’s what we need to do:

First, we need to set up the Goods cubes. We’ll randomly draw three cubes and place them in Pittsburgh. Then, we’ll do the same for Wheeling. For all the other cities on the game board, we’ll randomly draw two cubes and place them in each city.

Now, it’s time to choose our colors. Pick your favorite color and take the 5 round wooden disks and 20 Track Ownership Locomotives of that color. Place one disk on the Engine Track in the square labeled “1 link.” Then, place another disk on the Income Track in the square labeled “0.”

Next, let’s determine the player order. Each player rolls 3 dice. The player with the highest roll places a disk in the “1st” place on the Player Order Track. The player with the next highest roll places a disk on the “2nd” place, and so on, until each player has placed a disk on the Player Order Track. Finally, each player places a disk on the “2 shares” box of the Issues Shares Track and receives $10.

The fifth disk is important because it’s needed for the Selected Actions display in the game when you choose an Action. The game starts with the first step of the Sequence of Play, which is “Issue Shares”.

The goal of the game is to have the most Victory Points when it ends. The number of turns you play will depend on the number of players, and it’s shown on the Turn Track on the Income Track display. For example, if you’re playing with 5 players, the game will end after the seventh turn.

Here’s an overview of each turn:

1. Issue Shares

2. Determine Player Order

3. Select Actions

4. Build Track

5. Move Goods

6. Collect Income

7. Pay Expenses

8. Income Reduction

9. Goods Growth

10. Advance Turn Marker

That’s it! By following these steps, you can play the game and compete for the most Victory Points.

When you play this game, you can earn money in two different ways. The first way is by receiving income from your railroad. The second way is when your railroad issues shares. Whenever your railroad issues a share, you immediately get $5. Plus, you move that railroad’s disk on the Issued Share Track, which you can see on the Income Track display (see Ill.1).

In one turn, you can issue more than one share. For each share you issue, you get $5 for each share and move the corresponding railroad’s disk on the Issued Share Track on the Income Track display. But remember, you can’t issue more than 15 shares during the game.

When we play the game, we take turns issuing shares. The first person starts by issuing shares, then the second person, and so on until everyone has had a chance to issue shares. You don’t have to issue more than the two shares you start with.

For example: Let’s say we’re playing with three people. John starts by issuing two shares, moves his marker to the ‘4 shares’ spot, and gets $10. Dave then issues one share, moves his marker to the ‘3 shares’ spot, and gets $5. Pete decides not to issue any shares, so his marker stays in the ‘2 shares’ box.

Now, let’s move on to the next step:

Slide the markers on the Player Order Track (Ill. 2) up, just above the circles that are already printed on the track. Starting with the first player, we will now bid to determine the player order.

When it’s my turn to bid in the game, I have a few choices. I can bid $1 or more to keep playing, or I can drop out of the bidding and move my disk to the last position. If I’ve chosen the Turn Order action, I can also say ‘pass’ once and stay in the bidding. But I can’t bid $0.

The other players have different options. They can either bid more than the previous player or drop out of the bidding. If they have the Turn Order action, they can say ‘pass’ once to stay in the bidding.

We keep bidding until only one player is left. The first player to drop out takes the last player spot on the Player Order Track and doesn’t have to pay anything, even if they bid before.

So, here’s what happens: the last two players left in the bidding pay the full amounts they bid. But for everyone else, it’s a bit different. They only have to pay half of what they bid, and they round up if necessary.

Let me give you an example to make it clearer. Pete starts the bidding as the first player and he says, “I bid $2.” Dave is the second player and he drops out, so he doesn’t have to pay anything. Vince is the third player and he decides to bid $3. Hudson is the fourth player, but he also drops out, so he doesn’t have to pay anything either.

Now, John, who is the fifth player, had chosen the Turn order action earlier. He says, “Pass.” But that doesn’t mean he’s out of the game. Bidding continues with Pete, who drops out this time. He has to pay half of what he bid, which is $1. Vince is still in the game and he had bid $3, so he has two options: either bid a higher amount or drop out. Since his last bid is higher than anyone else’s, he decides to keep his bid at $3.

Now it’s John’s turn again. He can either bid higher than Vince or drop out. But he already used the Turn order action earlier, so that’s not an option anymore. John decides to drop out and puts his disk in the second position on the Player Order Track. He doesn’t have to pay anything because he didn’t bid any money, he just said “pass.”

Finally, Vince puts his disk in the first position on the Player Order Track and pays the bank the $3 he bid. And that’s how the bidding works!

III. Choose Actions

There are seven unique Actions available for selection (Ill. 3) on the Goods/ Actions display. We each take turns choosing an Action, and only one player can select each Action.

Go First:

Do this during the time when Goods are being moved.

I get to be the first one to move Goods in both rounds, no matter what.

Build First:

Do this during the phase when tracks are being built.

I get to be the first one to build tracks, no matter what.

Super Builder:

Do this during the phase when tracks are being built.

I can build four track tiles instead of just three.

Get Moving:

I can move my Links disk on the Engine Track up one space right away. But remember, you can’t have more than six Links.

City Expansion:

Do this during the phase when tracks are being built.

When you play this action, you get to add a new city tile to a town before you build your track.

Production Action:

This happens during the Goods Growth phase.

With this action, you can draw two goods cubes randomly from the bag at the start of the phase. Then, you can place these cubes in any two empty boxes on the Goods Display, one cube per box.

Note: This action is useless during the first turn because there are no empty boxes.

Turn Order (pass) Actions:

This happens during the Determine Player Order phase.

You can use this action to say “pass” and not bid anything during the next Determine Player Order bidding phase.

IV. Build Track

The Gameboard

Hey there! I’m excited to tell you about this really cool gameboard. It’s not your typical square or rectangle, no sir. This gameboard is a hex map! What does that mean? Well, instead of boring old straight lines, the map is made up of hexagons, or hexes. And guess what? We get to play with track tiles on this map!

Building the Railroad

So, here’s the deal. We use the hex-shaped track tiles to build tracks on the map. These tracks connect the cities and towns on the map, which is super important for getting around. But not all hexes are the same. Some of them have mountains or rivers, which makes it a bit trickier to place our track tiles. If a hex has rough texture, that means there’s a mountain on it. And if there’s a river, it means it’s going to cost us a bit more to place a track tile there. Oh, and one more thing. The Great Lakes, you know, those big ol’ lakes, are off-limits for our track tiles. We can’t place them there.

About the Track Tiles

Now, let’s talk about those track tiles. They’re pretty cool. Each track tile has lines on it that show you where the track goes. Most of them are simple and just show a section of straight or curved track. But there are other types of track tiles too, with different patterns and designs. It’s like a puzzle putting them all together and creating our railroad network.

Track tiles can vary in complexity. Some tiles show two separate sections of track crossing each other, creating a more intricate design.

Have you ever stopped to think about the tiles under your feet? They may seem like ordinary objects, but they hold a fascinating secret – conductivity. You see, tiles are made to conduct electricity, creating a world of possibilities. It’s astonishing to realize how something so mundane can be transformed into a conduit for power.

Take a moment to imagine the impact this has on our daily lives. We walk on these tiles every day, unaware of the hidden power coursing beneath our feet. We have the ability to harness this energy and put it to use. Can you imagine the possibilities?

Think about it – every step you take could generate energy. It’s mind-boggling to consider the potential. So, the next time you find yourself standing on a tile, take a moment to appreciate the hidden power below and imagine the difference it could make in our world.

Hey there! Let’s talk about something interesting – Dedicated Town Track tiles. You know, those special tiles that have a Town printed on them? They can only be placed on hexes with a Town, like Milwaukee.

So, here’s the deal. When you put a simple or fancy track in a Town hex, a Town counter (that’s just a white wooden disk) gets put right smack in the middle of the Track Tile. I mean, it makes sense, right? Towns connect all the track into that particular Town. It’s like they’re the hub, bringing everything together.

When it’s my turn to play, I can choose to use the Urbanization action. This special action allows me to place a New City tile on the game board. But, I have to be careful where I put it – the New City tile can only be placed on a hex that already has a Town.

It’s exciting to have the opportunity to expand and create new cities in the game. The New City tiles provide even more options for me to strategize and grow my civilization. By choosing the right moment to use the Urbanization action, I can make my empire even more powerful.

Building Track

When it’s time to build a track in the game, I have to do it in Player Order. That means I take turns with the other players. I can place or replace up to 3 track tiles, but if I chose the Engineer action, I can place up to 4 track tiles. If I’m the player who chose the First Build action, I get to build track before the 1st Player. Building track is all about putting down a track tile or swapping out an existing one.

The first track tile that I build at the beginning of the game has to be next to a City. And one end of the track on that initial tile has to connect to the City. Even though City hexes don’t have visible track, they’re still considered to have connected track from each side to every other side.

From then on, any track that I build has to eventually connect to a City using my own track.

When it comes to placing tiles in a Town hex, you have the option of using both simple and complex Track tiles. If you decide to place a Track tile on a Town, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. Either the Track tile must be a dedicated Town Track tile or you must place a Town disk upon it.

It’s important to understand that a railroad doesn’t need to have all of its track connected. It’s possible to have separate, disconnected links and sections between Cities.

Restrictions

There are a few restrictions when it comes to building Track tiles. First, the track cannot run off the grid, whether that’s off the end of the game board or into one of the Great Lakes. Second, you cannot build a Track tile that directly connects to another player’s track. And finally, a Track tile cannot be built on a City hex.

Completed Railroad Links and Unfinished Track Sections

You know those tiles that connect one city or town to another? Well, when you have a whole bunch of them and they form a complete path, that’s called a Completed Railroad Link. But here’s the catch, you can’t just connect a city or town to itself, that’s not allowed. On the other hand, when you have a group of track tiles that don’t connect anything, that’s called an Unfinished Track Section.

Who Owns the Track?

Well, the person who built the track gets to claim ownership. They can do this by placing a Track Ownership Locomotive on the Completed Railroad Link or Unfinished Track Section that they built. That way, everyone knows that they’re in charge of it.

If you don’t add more track during your turn, your train will be removed and the section of track becomes unowned. But if another player extends and completes that unowned section, they can claim ownership by placing one of their train markers on it. Just redirecting the track doesn’t count as an extension.

When you extend a section of track to a city or town, it becomes a completed railroad link. Your train marker shows that you own it. Once a link is completed, you don’t have to keep extending it to maintain ownership – it’s yours for good.

Example: When it’s time to build tracks, I like to start with track A, which costs $2. Then I add track B for another $2. For the final piece, I choose track C, but this one is a little more expensive at $3. That’s because it’s the first track I’m placing in a River terrain hex. So in total, I’ll be paying $7 for this track building phase. If you want to know more about the costs of building tracks, you can find the information on page 10. (Illustration 4)

So here’s the deal: I have these awesome black Track Ownership Locomotives, and I love setting them up on my track. Now, the track that I have between Evansville and Cincinnati is all good to go. It’s a Completed Railroad Link, so I can just keep on chugging along with my locomotives. But here’s the thing, the track from Cincinnati towards Lexington is not yet finished. It’s an Unfinished Track Section, which means I can’t go all the way to Lexington just yet. Bummer, right? Well, hey, at least I still get to have fun with my locomotives on the completed part of the track. (Ill. 5)

So, here’s what happened: I constructed track D for just $2. Then, I took things up a notch by building a track that goes into and out of Indianapolis, which cost me $3. I achieved this by using a straight track and attaching a Town disk to it. And finally, to round things off, I put together track F for an additional $2. Just like that, I had my own little railway masterpiece. (Ill. 6)

So, I’m a guy named Dave, and I have these cool yellow Track Ownership Locomotives that I like to put on my track. The track I have goes between the city of Evansville and the town of Indianapolis, and it’s a Completed Railroad Link. The track between Cincinnati and Indianapolis is also a Completed Railroad Link. (Ill. 7)

Switching Tracks

If you want to switch out one Track tile for another one, you can do that for different reasons, like crossing, coexisting, redirection, or entering a Town.

When you switch out Track tiles, you don’t have to worry about any fancy stuff like terrain features, because they don’t affect the cost. Just remember, you can’t mess with someone else’s track, but you can replace your own Track tile with another one if you’re still connected to someone else’s track. The new track you add has to connect to your existing track. Crossings are also allowed.

Hey there! Did you know that in this game, you have the power to switch out a regular track tile for a cool crossing track tile? These crossing tiles have two different sections of track that intersect with a bridge. But here’s the catch: you have to place the new tile in a way that keeps the existing track intact, and the new track has to connect to your own track or a City.

Another option

But wait, there’s more! You can also replace a regular track tile with a coexisting track tile. These tiles also have two separate track sections, but no bridge. Just like before, you need to make sure to place the tile in a way that maintains the existing track and connects to either your track or a City.

Changing directions

If you own a track or if it’s unowned, you have the power to redirect a Track tile at the end of an unfinished Track Section. But there’s a catch – if other players have ownership of the track, you must redirect it in a way that keeps their track intact. This process is often used by players who find their own track blocked or made difficult by someone else.

Unfortunately, you can’t redirect track in a Town. However, you can upgrade it to allow for more connections, which can be very beneficial.

Entering A Town

When you’re in a Town, you have the ability to replace a Track tile with another one. Just make sure that the new tile is placed in a way that maintains the existing track.

Example: I build track G for 3 dollars, it’s the first tile on a River terrain hex. Then, I build crossing track H for another 3 dollars, connecting it to Indianapolis (using a Complex Crossing Track and placing a Town disk on it). (Ill. 8)

John told me this and it got me thinking – track-building is a tricky business!

When I play with my red Track Ownership Locomotives, I like to set them up on my track. The track runs between the town of Indianapolis and the city of Cincinnati, and it’s a Completed Railroad Link. However, the track out of Indianapolis is still unfinished. (Ill. 9)

Putting Down New City Tiles

During the Build Track phase, if I choose the Urbanization action, I get to place one of the New City tiles on any Town hex. This doesn’t cost me anything, and I can still build 3 Track afterward. If there’s already a Track tile on the hex, I remove it before placing the New City. Also, I can’t place New Cities on top of other New Cities.

Hey there! So, here’s what I did:

I picked the Urbanization action and swapped out good ol’ Indianapolis with the shiny New City tile. As a result, John’s outdated track section in Indianapolis became useless, and he had to say goodbye to his Track Ownership Locomotive.

Then, I went on a track-building spree. I placed track K for just $2, replaced track L for $3, and dropped track M for another $3. Gorgeous purple Track Ownership Locomotives adorned my tracks, adding a pop of color.

Track Building Costs

Placing

If you want to slap a Simple Track tile down, it’ll set you back $2. But hold on! If the hex you’re working with has a river, the price jumps to $3. And if there’s a mountain in the mix, it’ll cost you $4.

Now, if you’re feeling fancy and want to place a Complex Coexist Track tile, it’ll cost you $3. Add a river into the picture, and the price becomes $4. Toss a mountain into the deal, and you’re looking at a bill of $5.

When you place a Complex Crossing Track tile, it will cost you $4. However, if the hex where you place the track tile has a river, the cost increases to $5. And if the hex has a mountain, then you’ll have to pay $6.

Note: You only incur the additional costs mentioned above when you place the first tile on the terrain, not when you replace or redirect that tile.

Placing a Track tile in a Town requires you to pay $1 for the Town itself, plus an additional $1 for each track leading to the Town. The cheapest Town tile available is the Dedicated Town tile, which only has one exit and costs $2. On the other hand, the most expensive Town tile would be a Complex track with a Town disk placed on it, which would cost you $5.

Replacing

If you want to replace a simple Track tile with a Complex Crossing Track tile, it will always cost you $3 (refer to Ill. 8). Replacing a Track tile in a Town, regardless of the added connections, will also cost you $3. All other replacements come with a cost of $2.

Hold on!

Redirecting any track tile will cost you $2.

Step 5: Moving Goods

Now it’s time for us to move our goods! We can do this in two rounds of moving, taking turns. If someone decided to go first, they will move their goods before anyone else.

There’s a rule, though. We can only move our goods along completed railroad links. This means we need to make sure that our cube ends up in a city of the same color as the goods. Also, we can only visit each city or town once. Once our goods reach a city with the same color, we have to stop moving them.

Oh, and don’t forget: you can’t move your goods more than the number of links that your player disk allows on the Engine Track. When we finish moving our goods, we put the cube back in the bag of unused goods.

Every time a train line is completed and goods are transported along it, the owner of that train line earns 1 point on the Income Track. It’s important to keep track of this income by moving your marker on the track.

It’s worth noting that your income from the train line is cumulative and carries over from previous turns. Additionally, if you use another player’s train line, they will benefit from the increased income on the Income Track. The only way a train line’s income can decrease is through insolvency or market attrition.

In one of your two opportunities to move goods, you have the option to move your marker on the Engine Track up one link. Remember, the maximum number of links on the Engine Track is still 6.

Let me tell you about a fascinating game called Ill. 12. It’s a game where people take turns making moves, and I was lucky enough to witness a really interesting move made by two players, Pete and Dave.

It was Pete’s turn to start, but Dave had a special move called the First Move action, which allowed him to go first. Dave decided to do something unexpected – instead of moving Goods like everyone else, he chose to advance his disk on the Engine track. It went from just 1 link to an impressive 2 links.

Now it was Pete’s turn, and he had a blue Goods cube in a city called Evansville. He decided to move the cube over his Completed Railroad Link to Cincinnati. As a result, his disk on the Income Track moved up by 1. Things were getting interesting!

In the second round, Dave had another surprise up his sleeve. He moved the blue cube in Cincinnati not just one, but two links. The first link took it from Cincinnati to Indianapolis, and then he moved it one more link from Indianapolis to Evansville. It was quite a journey! And with each move, Dave’s disk on the Income Track moved up by 2.

Pete, on the other hand, had no Goods left to move, and he didn’t want to increase his disk on the Engine track either. So, he decided to sit this one out and decline to do anything.

That’s just a taste of the exciting action that can happen in Ill. 12. Every move counts, and players have to think strategically to come out on top. I hope you enjoyed this little glimpse into the game!

Step 6: Get Paid

Now it’s time to collect your earnings! Take a look at the number on your disk located on the Income Track (see Illustration 13) to see how much money you’ve made.

Step 7: Pay Your Expenses

Now it’s time to pay your expenses. You have to pay $1 for each share you’ve issued and $1 for each link your locomotives can travel.

You need to use your cash to pay your expenses. If you still owe money after paying with your cash, your income will be reduced by one dollar for each dollar you owe. Remember to update your income track accordingly.

If you end up with a negative income after reducing it, you’re out of the game. This is called insolvency. All of your track ownership and locomotives on unfinished railroad links will be removed. Additionally, you won’t receive any payment if other players move goods over your completed railroad links. Finally, all of your tokens will be taken off the displays.

Step 8: Reduce Your Income

When a player has a railroad that earns more than 50 in income, I reduce that income by 10. If the railroad’s income falls in between 41 and 50, I reduce it by 8. For incomes between 31 and 40, the reduction is 6. When the income is in the range of 21 to 30, I reduce it by 4. And if the income is between 11 and 20, I reduce it by 2. (Illustration 14)

IX. The Marvelous Journey of Goods

Once upon a time, I helped bring the Goods Growth phase to life. This enchanting phase is responsible for transporting Goods from the Goods Display (Ill. 15) and delivering them to the Cities on our magnificent game board. Imagine the Goods Display as a magical portal, divided into two marvelous parts that work their charm in sequence.

So, here’s the deal. If you pick the Production action, you get to do something cool. You can reach into the bag and grab two Goods cubes, totally random. Then, you can plop those cubes onto any two empty boxes on the Goods Display. One cube goes in each box. And you can do all of this before the Goods Growth dice do their thing.

Now, let’s talk about those dice. You’re gonna roll as many as there were players when the game started. Simple enough, right? All you gotta do is put any 1’s you roll on top of the ‘1’ column. Same goes for 2’s, right above the ‘2’ column. You get the idea. Here’s the cool part – for each die you roll, you snag one Goods cube from the column it matches. Like, if you roll a 3, you take a cube from the ‘3’ column and stick it in a City on the map. Easy, right? Just keep in mind, you can only place Goods in cities that already exist on the map, not the newbies. Got it? Good.

I’m in the middle of a game with friends and it’s my turn. We roll three dice and get a 3, 3, and 4. Now let’s see what that means for the game.

In the city column labeled ‘3,’ we have boxes for the first and second dice. These boxes are used to place cubes on the Kansas City tile. The third dice doesn’t have a corresponding box, so it’s not used.

Now, there’s a new city called City ‘A’ that was added to the game earlier. It’s located in the Indianapolis hex on the map. We had placed cubes in the first and second boxes of the ‘A’ column on the City ‘A’ tile. This was done during the Urbanization action. So, this city is already on the map.

In the ‘4’ column, the first box is empty because we had already used the cube in a previous Goods Growth action. So, we place the cube from the second box in the city of Des Moines. There’s another new city called City ‘B,’ but it hasn’t been added to the map yet. So, we don’t move any cubes to it.

If we roll more dice for a city than the number of Goods in that city’s column, the extra dice are not used.

Here’s Something New!

When you’re playing a game, one of the important things is to keep track of the turns. You do this by moving the Turn Marker on the Turn Track. It’s like a little token that shows whose turn it is. Once you reach the last turn, which might be the 7th turn in a game with five players, it’s time to do something called Victory Point Computations. This is when you figure out how many points everyone has earned so far. But if it’s not the last turn yet, then you go back to the Issue Shares phase and start a new turn.

Calculating Victory Points

Hey there! Let’s talk about victory points in the game. So, here’s how it works: for every dollar you earn from your income track, you get 3 victory points. That’s a pretty sweet deal, right?

But it’s not just about the money. You also get 1 victory point for each section of track that forms a completed railroad link. How do you know if it’s a section of track? Well, those separations between track tiles and between cities and towns count as sections. So, keep an eye out for those!

Now, here’s where things get a little tricky. If you issued any shares and they’re shown on the issued share track, you lose 3 victory points for each share. Ouch, losing points is never fun.

At the end of the game, the player with the most victory points wins. Pretty straightforward, right? Just remember, ties are possible, so it’s not always about getting ahead by a mile. Good luck!