Ride the Rail

In Ride the Rail, two players take the role of a fledgeling railway partnership that is desperate to help the people of Middleton by building a railroad line to the towns of Eastport and Westgate. The players are in frantic race against the Rail Baron, who has been hired by the rich and powerful aristocrats of Middleton to build a railway first. The players must navigate difficult terrain, manage precious resources, and build trading posts to trade goods and hire workers. Meanwhile, the Rail Baron will use his cronies and seemingly limitless resources to try his best to derail the players’ plans. Will this new partnership succeed or will the Rail Baron emerge victorious?

Ride the Rail is a cooperative, tile-laying, resource management game for 2-players, ages 8+. In Ride the Rail, players try to connect a central hex to two other hexes (Eastport nad Westgate) by placing hexes, drawing tiles, and managing resources. Rail Baron cards provide randomness and obstacles the players must overcome.

The game is played in turns, which are divided into three phases:

Rail Baron Phase: In the Rail Baron Phase, players flip one card over from the Rail Baron card deck and follow the directions.

Player Phase: During the Player Phase, players can place new Rail Hexes, change existing Rail Hexes; build Bridges and Tunnels, move Trains, explore Rail Hexes, place Workers on Resource Tiles, remove Workers from Resource Tiles, build Trading Posts, trade with the Bank, and redistribute Resources between players.

Resource Phase: Players are awarded Resource Tokens according to the placement of Workers on Resource Tiles. Start the next turn and repeat until the game ends

Game ends when the players’ Trains reach Eastport and Westgate. If the players have more resources when the game ends than the Rail Baron, they win.