RAILROADER

A game for 2 - 4 players

This is a race between rival pioneering railway companies to lay a track, and run the first train from Junction City to Buffalo Creek.

In the country between roam bands of hostile Indians, who, in spite of the building of trading and garrison posts, attack regularly at well-known ambush points. There are many rivers in this part of the Wild West, providing swift and safe communications for small parties of palefaces.

Each company provides its engine crew with boxes of dynamite. Each lets it be understood that these are to be used to aid track construction, but in fact, they are carried in the hope they may be used to sabotage rivals’ tracks.

In addition, therefore, to facing the natural hazards of railroading in the West, company promoters must be on the alert to strike at their rivals when they can, whilst trying to avoid too damaging attacks on themselves.

If only two play, excitement is increased if each player controls two trains.

EQUIPMENT

Playing Board marked with —
Rivers, Hazards, Trading Posts, Garrison Posts, Ambush Points.

104 sections of track —
72 straights, 16 left-hand curves, 16 right-hand curves. (Although the four tracks take different routes they are all exactly the same length, and the hazards occur in exactly the same relative positions.)

Four trains, each comprising engine, one coach and caboose (guard’s van).

One pack of Chance Cards (24).

20 boxes of dynamite (red cubes).

Four “line clear” signals (green cubes).

Two dice.

THE TRACK
Each section has a peg under one sleeper, and 'fishplates' (connecting pieces) at one end. All these sections are two inches long, divided by the sleepers into four spaces of half an inch. These are the playing spaces that must be counted when moving trains.

LAYING THE TRACK
First, examine the board at Junction City. The positions of the first sections of track are shown. Note carefully that in Tracks 1 and 3 the fishplates point backwards, whilst in Tracks 2 and 4 they point forwards. When you lay your first section of track, it must be positioned as indicated on the board. Before positioning each section, make sure that it does not curve upwards like this —

and, when laying it, do not put a finger or thumb under either end, as you press the peg into the board, like this —

It is a good idea to give each section a very slight downwards curve, like this —

before placing it on the board — it helps to make the track lie flat. Be careful when adding track, to see that the fishplates are positioned properly, holding the rails perfectly in line, like this —

PREPARATION
Players decide who shall begin by, in turn, throwing both dice. The one to throw the highest total selects his train, and takes Track 1, the second takes Track 2, and so on. Distribute five boxes of dynamite to each player, and one green 'signal' cube. Place the Chance Cards on the space provided on the board.

HOW TO PLAY
Throughout the game, players will be choosing between extending their tracks, or running their trains along them. A player who has a long stretch of track in front of his train is vulnerable to attack; a player who moves his train, when he has insufficient track laid, will be derailed.

The first moves must be to acquire track.

ACQUIRING TRACK
This is controlled by the throw of one die.
If a 1 or 2 is thrown, lay 1 length of track (4 spaces).
If a 3 or 4 is thrown, lay 2 lengths of track (8 spaces).
If a 5 or 6 is thrown, lay 3 lengths of track (12 spaces).

Having acquired his track, the player lays it at once, and his turn ends. Since the length of a train is seven spaces, a player requires at least two lengths of track, before he can place his train in Junction City Station.

MOVING TRAINS
This is controlled by the throw of two dice. Trains are moved forward the same number of spaces as shown on the two dice added together. (The rail sleepers form the spaces.) Since it is possible to have a total throw of 12, it is important to make sure that there is a reasonably safe length of track ahead — or the train may be derailed.

The movement of a train is calculated from the front of the engine, which must always come to rest immediately over a sleeper — and, since the train is exactly seven spaces long, the rear of the caboose will also stop over a sleeper.

It is always the position of the engine that must be watched. When an engine — either the front or rear half of it — comes to a halt over a river, hazard or ambush space, further action must be taken — and, if, for example, a train has to move back to a trading post, it is the engine (the front half of it) that must be placed over the yellow space.

RIVERS
Since rivers provide the only safe means of moving from one rail track to another, when an engine comes to a halt over a river, a saboteur may, in the same turn, move swiftly to a rival’s track, and place a box of dynamite on it (between the rails).

Throughout the game, whether a train moves forward or backwards, whenever an engine (front half or rear half) comes to rest over a river, its owner, in that same turn, may place one box of dynamite on any rival’s track ahead of his train (provided there is not already a box of dynamite on that track).

EXPLOSIVES

Dynamite may be used in two ways —

1. To slow a train down.
If explosives are planted on the track ahead of a train, that train may proceed at only half speed, i.e., its owner may throw only one die, until it is able to reach the space next to the dynamite, where it must halt.

As soon as a train reaches this point, the owner may remove the explosives, and put his “line clear” signal in its place — this prevents any further sabotage at that point. (Players will see that the further ahead of a train explosives can be placed, the more effective they will be.) At his next turn he may either leave the green signal there, and acquire more track, or remove (and retain) the signal, and move his train — using both dice as usual, unless in the meantime more explosives have been laid further ahead, in which case he will have to continue at half speed.

2. To cause a train to move back.
If explosives are planted immediately in front of an engine (i.e. on the space next to it), the train must, at once, move back four spaces. If, in moving back, the engine comes to rest over a river, its owner, although it is not his normal turn, may immediately attack his rivals. When it is his normal turn to move his train, it must proceed at half speed until the dynamite is reached — as in 1.

Dynamite may be placed (between the rails) only on a bridge (blue space) or a hazard (red space).

Each box of dynamite can be used only once. When it can be legitimately removed from the track, it must be put back in the box, out of reach! A player is not allowed to add to his track whilst there are explosives on it.

Only one box of dynamite may be left on any one track. If a box is already lying on a track, no more may be laid until the first has been removed.

AMBUSH
When either the front or rear half of an engine comes to a halt on an ambush space, word must be sent to the nearest garrison post, and a 'light engine' (an engine on its own) with a 'relief party' will be sent. The procedure is as follows.

As soon as the engine stops in the ambush space, the player must disconnect it, and move it back to the nearest garrison post. At his next turn he throws both dice (even if explosives are still ahead of his train), and moves the light engine forward. He continues doing this, in each of his turns, until the engine is able to reach the rear of the train. In the same turn in which he achieves this, he moves the engine to the front of the train, and reconnects it, ready to move off on his next turn. Whilst bringing up a light engine, all river and hazard spaces are ignored — the engine must speed on without interruption!

After reconnecting, an engine cannot be ambushed again until it has left the area, but, if the train is sent back, and then, in moving forward again, it stops in the same ambush, it is once more attacked — and help must be sought, as before.

Indians assume that trains move forwards. Any that move backwards into an ambush area always find them unprepared — and are never attacked.

RED HAZARD SPACES
When an engine (either the front or rear half) comes to a halt over a red space, the owner must take a Chance Card, and follow the instructions given. Having complied with the instructions, he returns the card to the bottom of the pile. Only one Chance Card can be taken in one turn. If, as a result of following the instructions of a Chance Card, an engine moves on to another red space, no further action is taken.

DERAILING
A train that is compelled to move beyond its railhead (end of the line), is derailed. In a disaster of this kind it is assumed that the track occupied by the train, as it plunges off, is damaged. Since a train is seven spaces in length, a train that is derailed must move back seven spaces from the rallhead.

BUFFALO CREEK
The ground in this area is liable to subsidence, and trains approaching the town must observe the “Slow Down” sign. After passing this sign, on all subsequent turns, trains must proceed at half speed (i.e., using one die) to the finish.

There are no natural hazards in Buffalo Creek itself, but there are three points where saboteurs may operate. These are marked in orange. Players, whose engines stop over the river, may place dynamite on any of these points in last-minute efforts to overtake their rivals.

If a player’s engine comes to a halt on one of these points, he does not take a Chance Card.

WINNING THE GAME
The winning train is the first one to reach the buffers in Buffalo Creek. An exact throw is not required.

© Waddingtons Games Ltd 1963.