Railways of the World (Mods)
Railways of the World is a board game that our local gaming group plays from time to time. It has some gameplay issues, but is still fun.
I like to tweak and mod games quite a bit, and I figure I might as well put this out there for easy reference later.
=========================================================================
Railways of the World (Eastern and Western U.S.) -- MOD 1
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Addition to play mechanic: Good(s) arriving in random cities every turn.
=========================================================================
Materials:
- A deck of ordinary playing cards (Herein referred to as CityDeck).
- Printout of CityDeck Reference Key (below).
Setup:
- Place CityDeck next to Railroad Operations cards.
- Have CityDeck Reference Key handy.
Procedure:
- At the start of every turn, reveal and discard the top card of the CityDeck.
- Look up the card in CityDeck Reference Key for what city it refers to*.
- Add 1 random good to that City, removing Empty City Marker if necessary.
- Unlikely, but should the CityDeck run out, shuffle discard pile.
*Sometimes the CityDeck card will refer to special instructions, such as
revealing extra cards. If additional special instructions are revealed in
this manner, set them aside, draw a replacement, then shuffle the set aside
cards back into the CityDeck.
Variations (mix and match as desired):
- At the start of the game, 1 less good is placed in every city (minimum 1).
- Reveal 2 cards per turn instead of 1.
- Include the jokers of the card deck for extra "Draw 2" or "Draw 3" cards.
- Game ends if CityDeck runs out. Last card is last turn.
- Delay use of CityDeck until someone upgrades their engine to 3.
- New Action during a round: "Draw 3 CityDeck cards"
Notes:
- Optimally, have the names of the cities printed on the cards.
- Eastern U.S. has 51 Cities (+1 "Draw 3" card).
- Western U.S. has 49 Cities (+1 "Draw 3" card, and 2 "Draw 2" cards).
======================
CityDeck Reference Key
======================
Eastern City
-
Draw 3 Cards
Chicago
Baltimore
Cincinnati
Jacksonville
Raleigh
New Orleans
Pittsburgh
Nashville
Toronto
Detroit
Mobile
Albany
-
Charleston
New York
Boston
Duluth
Memphis
Atlanta
Philadelphia
St. Louis
Savannah
Wheeling
Louisville
Richmond
Birmingham
-
Chattanooga
Columbia
Dallas
Dover
Jackson
Knoxville
Milwaukee
Montgomery
Norfolk
Rock Island
Tallahassee
Tulsa
Wilmington
-
Buffalo
Cleveland
Columbus
Des Moines
Indianapolis
Kansas City
Lexington
Minneapolis
New Haven
Providence
Shreveport
Toledo
Washington DC
Card
-
Heart A
Heart K
Heart Q
Heart J
Heart 10
Heart 9
Heart 8
Heart 7
Heart 6
Heart 5
Heart 4
Heart 3
Heart 2
-
Diamond A
Diamond K
Diamond Q
Diamond J
Diamond 10
Diamond 9
Diamond 8
Diamond 7
Diamond 6
Diamond 5
Diamond 4
Diamond 3
Diamond 2
-
Spade A
Spade K
Spade Q
Spade J
Spade 10
Spade 9
Spade 8
Spade 7
Spade 6
Spade 5
Spade 4
Spade 3
Spade 2
-
Club A
Club K
Club Q
Club J
Club 10
Club 9
Club 8
Club 7
Club 6
Club 5
Club 4
Club 3
Club 2
Western City
-
Draw 3 Cards
San Francisco
Amarillo
Ogden
Spokane
Cheyenne
Oklahoma City
Boise
Pueblo
Topeka
Billings
Los Angeles
Salt Lake City
-
Denver
Tacoma
Bismarck
Sacramento
Butte
Eugene
Tuscon
Fargo
Reno
Albuquerque
Fort Worth
Portland
Yreka
-
Draw 2
Abilene
Deming
Elko
Grand Junction
Las Vegas
Miles City
Omaha
Pierre
Rapid City
Richland
Santa Fe
Virginia City
-
Draw 2
Bakersfield
Dodge City
Gallup
Idaho Falls
Lubbock
North Platte
Phoenix
Promontory
Redding
San Diego
Silverton
Wichita
=================================================================
Railways of the World -- MOD 2
-----------------------------------------------------------------
New Railroad Operations Card: Expanding Markets
=================================================================
Summary:
- Permits expanding the gameplay area into useless or remote areas of the board.
Materials:
- This card would be a replacement for other cards already in the Railroad Operations card deck.
Ideal Setup:
- Place Railroad Operations cards in card sleeves.
- Print out 3-4 copies of this mod's card text.
- Determine by committee or by random which cards will be replaced (see below).
- Insert printouts into sleeves with the cards.
Recommended Replacement sets:
- 1 City Growth, 1 New Industry, 1 Government Land Grant.
- Both Railroad Executives and 1 random
- Replace Major Lines as in Mod 3 (below).
------------------------------------------
Expanding Markets [type:Draw,single use]
------------------------------------------
Card Text:
During a single future build track action, place a "New City" for $10,000 on ANY space on the map that is at least 3 spaces away from all other cities. Add 2 random goods cubes.
Clarifications:
- "3 spaces away" means that at least 3 tiles are required to connect that city to any other.
- The New City cannot be placed in a spot that already contains a track tile.
- The New City cannot be placed so that it completes more than one link.
Variations:
- A Grey Rotor may be placed instead of a New City. Starting color is player's choice.
- Card would be played as it's own action, with no option to build track.
Notes:
- No, I'm really not set on the name. "Remote Industry", "Mining Depot", or "Frontier Town" could also work.
=================================================================
Railways of the World -- MOD 3
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Eastern U.S. Major Line Card Replacements and Other Minor Tweaks
=================================================================
A.
On the Eastern U.S. board, the southwest is a rarely used and often useless area, as there are only a few cities with few goods, too far apart to be of much value.
Dallas will be treated as a Red city that starts with 4 goods instead of 1.
B.
The rules included with Western U.S. allows major lines to be completed at any time, and this seems to be a more balanced move by taking the reliance of a lucky card draw out of the game. Adapting this to the Eastern U.S. edition would leave six useless cards in the Railroad Operations deck.
Card replacements for the Major Line cards expands on the idea described in (A) and introduces a new card type:
- Service Bounty: Dallas
- Hotel: Dallas
- Expanding Markets (4x) (see Mod 2)
C. (Optional)
One of the Baron cards relies on the completion of a major route, so it may be optionally replaced with a Baron card that scores 2 points for each Hotel in their possession at the end of the game, up to a max of 8 points (6 Hotels in the standard deck, plus the one suggested replacement above).
=========================================================================
Railways of the World (Eastern and Western U.S.) -- House Rules
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Two options for keeping a fair(er) game.
=========================================================================
Having played quite a bit of RotW lately, I've noticed that the person that does well mid-game usually finishes first, and person that opens strongly has a much better chance to do well mid-game. Strong openings are usually available only by completing an easy Service Bounty within the first turn and shooting ahead, but they are limited in number and can easily skew the game.
The trouble with having 2-3 strong opening moves in a 4-6 player game is that the First Player Auction can be brutal. If the person to your left is adamant about going first, even if you'd be happy going second, you would still have to win the auction or go last and have a potentially poor opening.
Either one of these house rulings can be used in a game. They could both be used, but the use of one reduces the need for the other significantly.
1.
The first house ruling simply defers the awarding of victory points from the starting bonus cards and the service bounties until the end of the game, like the Baron cards. This prevents any opening moves from being particularly superior. Hotels and Major Line bonuses still function as normal.
2.
The second house ruling suggests that seat order be auctioned for the first turn only. That way, you can buy your way into going second, or third, or whatever you prefer. Bidding progresses as normal, starting from the youngest player. Everyone's bid starts out at 0, and the order is determined from last to first by the players that pass on bidding. If you pass without bidding, you don't pay anything, otherwise you must pay your last bid when you pass/win.
I like to tweak and mod games quite a bit, and I figure I might as well put this out there for easy reference later.
=========================================================================
Railways of the World (Eastern and Western U.S.) -- MOD 1
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Addition to play mechanic: Good(s) arriving in random cities every turn.
=========================================================================
Materials:
- A deck of ordinary playing cards (Herein referred to as CityDeck).
- Printout of CityDeck Reference Key (below).
Setup:
- Place CityDeck next to Railroad Operations cards.
- Have CityDeck Reference Key handy.
Procedure:
- At the start of every turn, reveal and discard the top card of the CityDeck.
- Look up the card in CityDeck Reference Key for what city it refers to*.
- Add 1 random good to that City, removing Empty City Marker if necessary.
- Unlikely, but should the CityDeck run out, shuffle discard pile.
*Sometimes the CityDeck card will refer to special instructions, such as
revealing extra cards. If additional special instructions are revealed in
this manner, set them aside, draw a replacement, then shuffle the set aside
cards back into the CityDeck.
Variations (mix and match as desired):
- At the start of the game, 1 less good is placed in every city (minimum 1).
- Reveal 2 cards per turn instead of 1.
- Include the jokers of the card deck for extra "Draw 2" or "Draw 3" cards.
- Game ends if CityDeck runs out. Last card is last turn.
- Delay use of CityDeck until someone upgrades their engine to 3.
- New Action during a round: "Draw 3 CityDeck cards"
Notes:
- Optimally, have the names of the cities printed on the cards.
- Eastern U.S. has 51 Cities (+1 "Draw 3" card).
- Western U.S. has 49 Cities (+1 "Draw 3" card, and 2 "Draw 2" cards).
======================
CityDeck Reference Key
======================
Eastern City
-
Draw 3 Cards
Chicago
Baltimore
Cincinnati
Jacksonville
Raleigh
New Orleans
Pittsburgh
Nashville
Toronto
Detroit
Mobile
Albany
-
Charleston
New York
Boston
Duluth
Memphis
Atlanta
Philadelphia
St. Louis
Savannah
Wheeling
Louisville
Richmond
Birmingham
-
Chattanooga
Columbia
Dallas
Dover
Jackson
Knoxville
Milwaukee
Montgomery
Norfolk
Rock Island
Tallahassee
Tulsa
Wilmington
-
Buffalo
Cleveland
Columbus
Des Moines
Indianapolis
Kansas City
Lexington
Minneapolis
New Haven
Providence
Shreveport
Toledo
Washington DC
Card
-
Heart A
Heart K
Heart Q
Heart J
Heart 10
Heart 9
Heart 8
Heart 7
Heart 6
Heart 5
Heart 4
Heart 3
Heart 2
-
Diamond A
Diamond K
Diamond Q
Diamond J
Diamond 10
Diamond 9
Diamond 8
Diamond 7
Diamond 6
Diamond 5
Diamond 4
Diamond 3
Diamond 2
-
Spade A
Spade K
Spade Q
Spade J
Spade 10
Spade 9
Spade 8
Spade 7
Spade 6
Spade 5
Spade 4
Spade 3
Spade 2
-
Club A
Club K
Club Q
Club J
Club 10
Club 9
Club 8
Club 7
Club 6
Club 5
Club 4
Club 3
Club 2
Western City
-
Draw 3 Cards
San Francisco
Amarillo
Ogden
Spokane
Cheyenne
Oklahoma City
Boise
Pueblo
Topeka
Billings
Los Angeles
Salt Lake City
-
Denver
Tacoma
Bismarck
Sacramento
Butte
Eugene
Tuscon
Fargo
Reno
Albuquerque
Fort Worth
Portland
Yreka
-
Draw 2
Abilene
Deming
Elko
Grand Junction
Las Vegas
Miles City
Omaha
Pierre
Rapid City
Richland
Santa Fe
Virginia City
-
Draw 2
Bakersfield
Dodge City
Gallup
Idaho Falls
Lubbock
North Platte
Phoenix
Promontory
Redding
San Diego
Silverton
Wichita
=================================================================
Railways of the World -- MOD 2
-----------------------------------------------------------------
New Railroad Operations Card: Expanding Markets
=================================================================
Summary:
- Permits expanding the gameplay area into useless or remote areas of the board.
Materials:
- This card would be a replacement for other cards already in the Railroad Operations card deck.
Ideal Setup:
- Place Railroad Operations cards in card sleeves.
- Print out 3-4 copies of this mod's card text.
- Determine by committee or by random which cards will be replaced (see below).
- Insert printouts into sleeves with the cards.
Recommended Replacement sets:
- 1 City Growth, 1 New Industry, 1 Government Land Grant.
- Both Railroad Executives and 1 random
- Replace Major Lines as in Mod 3 (below).
------------------------------------------
Expanding Markets [type:Draw,single use]
------------------------------------------
Card Text:
During a single future build track action, place a "New City" for $10,000 on ANY space on the map that is at least 3 spaces away from all other cities. Add 2 random goods cubes.
Clarifications:
- "3 spaces away" means that at least 3 tiles are required to connect that city to any other.
- The New City cannot be placed in a spot that already contains a track tile.
- The New City cannot be placed so that it completes more than one link.
Variations:
- A Grey Rotor may be placed instead of a New City. Starting color is player's choice.
- Card would be played as it's own action, with no option to build track.
Notes:
- No, I'm really not set on the name. "Remote Industry", "Mining Depot", or "Frontier Town" could also work.
=================================================================
Railways of the World -- MOD 3
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Eastern U.S. Major Line Card Replacements and Other Minor Tweaks
=================================================================
A.
On the Eastern U.S. board, the southwest is a rarely used and often useless area, as there are only a few cities with few goods, too far apart to be of much value.
Dallas will be treated as a Red city that starts with 4 goods instead of 1.
B.
The rules included with Western U.S. allows major lines to be completed at any time, and this seems to be a more balanced move by taking the reliance of a lucky card draw out of the game. Adapting this to the Eastern U.S. edition would leave six useless cards in the Railroad Operations deck.
Card replacements for the Major Line cards expands on the idea described in (A) and introduces a new card type:
- Service Bounty: Dallas
- Hotel: Dallas
- Expanding Markets (4x) (see Mod 2)
C. (Optional)
One of the Baron cards relies on the completion of a major route, so it may be optionally replaced with a Baron card that scores 2 points for each Hotel in their possession at the end of the game, up to a max of 8 points (6 Hotels in the standard deck, plus the one suggested replacement above).
=========================================================================
Railways of the World (Eastern and Western U.S.) -- House Rules
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Two options for keeping a fair(er) game.
=========================================================================
Having played quite a bit of RotW lately, I've noticed that the person that does well mid-game usually finishes first, and person that opens strongly has a much better chance to do well mid-game. Strong openings are usually available only by completing an easy Service Bounty within the first turn and shooting ahead, but they are limited in number and can easily skew the game.
The trouble with having 2-3 strong opening moves in a 4-6 player game is that the First Player Auction can be brutal. If the person to your left is adamant about going first, even if you'd be happy going second, you would still have to win the auction or go last and have a potentially poor opening.
Either one of these house rulings can be used in a game. They could both be used, but the use of one reduces the need for the other significantly.
1.
The first house ruling simply defers the awarding of victory points from the starting bonus cards and the service bounties until the end of the game, like the Baron cards. This prevents any opening moves from being particularly superior. Hotels and Major Line bonuses still function as normal.
2.
The second house ruling suggests that seat order be auctioned for the first turn only. That way, you can buy your way into going second, or third, or whatever you prefer. Bidding progresses as normal, starting from the youngest player. Everyone's bid starts out at 0, and the order is determined from last to first by the players that pass on bidding. If you pass without bidding, you don't pay anything, otherwise you must pay your last bid when you pass/win.