bindle rails rules final

Bindle Rails Rules 05/18/2009 (Second Edition) 1

Table Of Contents

Table of Contents

SECTION ONE - BASIC RULES............................................................................................................3 ........................................................................................................................................................3Introduction......................................................................................................................................3Components......................................................................................................................................3Assembly..........................................................................................................................................3The Cards In Detail............................................................................................................................4Setting Up The Game........................................................................................................................5Object of the Game...........................................................................................................................6Game Turn........................................................................................................................................6Ending the Game............................................................................................................................12SECTION TWO - SCENARIOS, EXTRAS, TIPS AND TRICKS.................................................................14Easier Variants................................................................................................................................14Harder Variants...............................................................................................................................14Two Player Rules.............................................................................................................................14Scenarios........................................................................................................................................16

Scenario #1 - On The Banks of the Erie Canal............................................................................16Scenario #2: Appalachian Run .................................................................................................17Scenario #3: New York, New Haven and Chicago Railroad........................................................18Scenario #4: Nickel Plate Road..................................................................................................19

Hints and Tips.................................................................................................................................20Design Questions............................................................................................................................21Reference Map................................................................................................................................22Credits............................................................................................................................................23Licensing.........................................................................................................................................23Dedication.......................................................................................................................................23Help and Purchasing.......................................................................................................................23


Bindle Rails By Jack Neal

A game of building a railroad empire in the Northeastern United States.

SECTION ONE - BASIC RULESIntroduction

You are in charge of one of four mammoth railroad companies: the Pennsylvania, the New York Central, the Baltimore and Ohio or the Chesapeake and Ohio. It is up to you to build westward to Chicago while investing in new technologies, disabling your competitors and hiring the best talent possible to achieve your aim.

This manual is divided into two parts. The first section contains everything needed to assemble, set up and play a game of Bindle Rails. The second section contains scenarios and extra materials that will help the starting player and the expert player alike.

Components

27 Event Cards. 18 Goal Cards. 9 Manager Cards. 1 Company Value/Turn/Private Company Mat. 1 Technology Mat 2 Public Company Mats 48 cubes distributed as 2 blue, 2 red, 2 yellow, 2 green and two sets of 20 cubes (colors

vary, referred to as black and white cubes).

Assembly

If you have purchased the game, you already have everything you need! Unpack the box and skip ahead to the next page.

If you are printing the game out on your own, it's worth mentioning that Bindle Rails was designed to be portable and cheap to make. To that end, all game components are freely available to print and play. My personal recommendation would be to use commercial card stock for all boards and cards. Cutting out the cards is a matter of using ordinary scissors or using a heavy-duty sheet cutter. Lamination is optional, but admittedly a nice touch. A round corner punch makes the Event Cards, Manager Cards and Goal Cards easier to shuffle but adds time. Finally, for each type of card, it is recommended you use a different color of card stock for each type of card in the game. Manila, khaki, tan and white shades tend to work best for these cards.

A color printer is highly recommended for the best playing experience. However, the game can be played with the cards and mats printed on black and white if you want to try the game out before printing it on your own or buying a copy.

Finally, cubes or markers can be used from other games.

When you are satisfied with your handiwork, read on to the next page to learn how to play!


The Cards In Detail

The following picture shows the various cards in Bindle Rails and areas of interest on each card.


Setting Up The Game

1. Using the picture above as a guide, arrange the Public Company mats, Company Value/Turn/Private Company mat and Technology Mat as above.

2. Place markers on the START row on the Stock/Turn Mat for each company (blue, yellow, green and red) and place matching colored markers on the Public Company Mat.

3. Place markers on the '1' square of the Turn Square on the Stock/Turn mat. 4. Place extra cubes on or near the Technology Mat.5. Shuffle the Goal cards, Manager cards and Event cards separately.

At this point, select one of the Public Companies to manage. Once you have done this, draw 5 Goal Cards. You must keep at least 3 Cards. The large numbers on these cards are the number of Victory Points (VP) added (or subtracted) to your score at the end of the game.

You are now ready to begin.


Object of the Game

To acquire 50 Victory Points (VP) in six turns. This can be done by claiming routes, investing in companies, acquiring technology, hiring managers and completing various goals.

Game Turn

The game consists of 6 Turns. Begin each turn by drawing 7 Event Cards. Each turn consists of four phases, namely:

1. Perform Competitor Adjustments2. Play Your Hand. 3. Draw Event Cards.4. Wrap Up Your Hand.

The details of each phase are explained below.

Competitor Adjustments

Before you play any Event Cards for your own company, you have to manage the other Public Companies which act as competitors during the game. On the lower left corner of each Event Card is one or more company abbreviations, i.e. B&O, C&O, PA or NYC.

For each company drawn, you must do one of the following: If a Company's Value is 0 VP or lower or if all the Company's routes are completed, move

the Company Value Marker up one slot. If a Company's value is 1 VP or greater (at START or higher), that company may build a

route. To do so, move the Company's Route Marker on the Public Company Route Mat to the right if there are any unbuilt bridges or engines. If a row for the Company Route is completely filled in, move the marker down to the beginning of the next row.

If an Event Card is drawn with two Companies on it, i.e. B&O and C&O, each competing company on the card must be adjusted based on the rules above.

If, for any reason, you have to to draw less than 7 cards for your hand, deal 7 cards for for the Competitor Adjustment round. Once this is done, reshuffle the deck and deal yourself the reduced hand.

If, for any reason, you may draw more than 7 cards, you may select which 7 cards you want to apply for the Competitor Adjustment round.


Example #1: At the start of a new game, you own the New York Central. You draw 7 cards for your hand. Two of these cards have the 'PA' abbreviation on them. Since PA's starting Company Value VP value is 1 VP, you would give them two spaces on the Public Company Route Mat. The PA's route mat would look like this:

Example #2 After a few more turns, you again draw 7 cards from your hand. PA is listed as a company on three of these cards. PA's Company Value VP value is on the lowest rung. PA's Company Value Marker is moved up three spaces. No routes are completed.

Example #3: On the next turn, PA's VP value is positive and it is drawn once. You would then add a marker to the next row which would look like this:

Playing Your Hand

Your hand represents the resources you have available to expand your empire.

Please refer to the Card diagram above.

Route Points and Structures The gray square represents the number of Route Points you can use from this card. Some cards also have ENGINE or BRIDGE image printed on them as well. Some routes need extra horsepower (engines) or need to span waterways. If a card has one of these symbols, you can use this card to help you build that structure to complete a route.

Dollar Value The upper right square is the dollar amount you can use to move company values up and down as well as buying private and public companies.

Events If an event is shown, it is resolved during the Event Turn, not during the playing of cards from your hand.

Company Abbreviation used to determine competitor company value purchases and route building

+/- - The plus or minus sign on the lower right corner of the Event Card is used to acquire Technology.

These cards have different values for each of the above with different strengths for building, investing or technology. How you play them will be crucial to your success.


Hand Order

1. Buy Technology.2. Hire/Fire Managers.3. Build Routes.4. Manipulate Public Company Values.5. Buy Private Companies.6. Buy Public Companies.7. Draw Goals.8. Invest.

You may pass any of these phases and you may play any combination of cards for any of the above events.

1. Buy Technology

Technologies allow you to make more money, complete routes more quickly and keep your railroad running effectively. Several events in the game are tied to what technologies you have acquired, so plan accordingly. Technology is defined broadly, in terms of banking and accounting in addition to the invention of air brakes, automatic couplers and electric locomotives, among others.

To buy a Technology, place an event card with a plus sign in the lower right corner to the side out of play. The number of cards required to research a technology equals the number of pluses (+1, +2 or +3). These cards are shuffled back into the deck at the end of your turn.

If a Technology has a requirement, you have to have the base technology first. For example, Modern Steam can only be acquired after you have Advanced Steam. Additionally, some Technologies and Managers allow you to add a free plus sign for acquiring new Technology.

Place a black or white cube on a researched technology. 2. Hire Managers

If you have researched Warehouses, you have the option of hiring a manager. Managers may give you advantages in certain game situations and harm you in others. If you want the chance to hire one, the cost is one card from your hand. Now, simply draw two cards from the Manager deck. If one of the managers is worth hiring, simply set aside the dollar amount of cards to hire him. Any managers not hired (or fired ones) are removed from play for the remainder of the game.

Manager effects override both the game's usual rules AND technologies that are in effect.

Finally, you may only have one manager at a time. If you already have a manager and want to hire another one, you must discard your current manager. If you do not choose to change your managers, your current manager is retained.

Once the Manager deck is exhausted, it is not reused.


3. Build Routes

If you want to build a route, look at the next route available on your card. The number there indicates the total Build Values and any Structures (bridges or engines) needed to complete it.

The following restrictions apply: You must build in order down the Company Route Mat even if the purchase of another

company would create a shorter route. All routes must be connected to your already built existing public company routes. You may complete multiple routes in a single turn. You must build the route with all structures at the same time. You may not build routes if you have 0 VP or less on the Company Value Mat for your

company. If a route requires an Engine, a card with an 'ENGINE' structure on it must be used

separately to build your route. Likewise, if a route requires a Bridge, a card with a 'BRIDGE' structure on it must be used separately to build the route as well.

You may also rebuild Bridges or Engines that have been destroyed as well. Use one Event Card to rebuild one structure. You may rebuild more than one structure in a turn.

Example #1: You are the owner of the Chesapeake and Ohio and you want to build from Richmond to Charleston. The route requires 8 Build Points and an Engine. You have the following cards in your hand 3, 3, 2 ENGINE, 1, 0, 1, 0. The only combination of cards that can complete this route involve the 3, 3, 1, 1, and 2 ENGINE cards, since 3 + 3 + 1 + 1 = 8 and the Engine card must be used separately. When played, your route mat would look like this:

Place a cube of any color on any Bridge or Engine built during a turn to indicate that it has been built. Otherwise, move the Route Marker down one space for each route completed. VP are earned at the end of the game for each Engine or Bridge card standing at the end of the game.

If for any reason you need to remove bridges or engines, remove black markers from any Engine or Bridge spaces on the card. For example, if your bridges had been Washed Out in an Event and a Maintenance Card is also drawn, your Company Route Mat would look like this:


If you decide to rebuild your routes, you may do so without replacing any destroyed structures. If you continue to build your next route, it would look like the following:

4. Manipulate Public Company Values

You always have the option to invest in your own company. Once you have acquired Accounting, you may raise or lower the value of competing public companies (PA/NYC/C&O and B&O). You may place any cards (with their dollar amounts) off to the side for any companies you wish to manipulate.

You may only move a company's value up or down by the full amount of each step on the Company Value Mat.

You may manipulate the worth of more than one company in a single turn (provided you have Accounting technology).

You may not move a Company's value off the Company Value Mat in either direction.

5. Buy Private Companies

You may need to purchase a Private Company as part of a goal to a destination (for example, Toronto is not reachable by any of the Public Companies on the board). You may dedicate a combination of Dollar Values on your cards and/or move down Company Value to foot the bill for a Private Company.

You must have Banking Technology to buy a company. The Private Company has to share a destination with a route you have built already. For

example, if you are trying to build to Toronto, you will need to hook up to it in Buffalo or Detroit. If you own the Baltimore and Ohio, you won't be able to use this railroad without buying another one to connect there first.

Companies cannot be sold once purchased. Unless you have the Influence Technology, you must have all of your routes completed

before buying a Private Company.

You may use your company value to help pay for a Company. Simply add up all the Dollar Values on the Company Value Mat starting from the current rung of your company and moving downward to determine how much money you can transfer from your company value to pay for the Company.

Example #1: You own the Pennsylvania Railroad and you want to expand to Albany. You have built your track to Reading which connects to the Delaware and Hudson at that city. Your Company Value is currently at the START rung and you have acquired Influence Technology. You have 4 Event Cards in your hand with Dollar Values of $6, $4, $2 and $1.

The D&H costs $16. You can drop your company value either $3, $5 or $7 (and risk being bought out) towards purchasing the D&H. You elect to lower your company value 2 rungs and collect $5.


You now need $11 to purchase the D&H. You elect to use the $6, $4 and $2 Event Cards to complete the purchase of the Delaware and Hudson.

Example #2: You own the Baltimore and Ohio. You have built to Columbus. Your company value is on the highest rung and you have Influence Technology. You want to purchase the Wheeling and Lake Erie, however, the railroads do not share a common city yet. You may not purchase LE&W.

6. Buy Public Companies

You may also want to purchase an existing competing Public Company. The rules are the same as Private Companies with the following exceptions:

The value of a Public Railroad is its current Company Value plus the Route Points for every completed Route divided by two, rounding down.

A Public Company can ONLY be purchased if it is on the bottom rung of the Company Value Mat.

The Public Company has to share a destination with a route you have built already.

The Company Value marker of the purchased competitor is removed from the Company Value/Turn mat. The purchased company no longer exists.

Example #1: You are owner of the Baltimore and Ohio and you want to take over the New York Central. The New York Central has built routes to Cleveland and you have a completed route to Cleveland as well. Their company value marker is currently at the START rung. Your company value is also on the START rung and you have three Event Cards with Dollar Values of $3, $1 and $0. It would cost $7 (+3 + $2 + $2) to reduce New York Central's company value to the lowest rung. From there, the value of this company would be the Build Points of its routes plus its company value price (5+2+5+4+4 + $1 = 21 / 2 = 10, rounded down). Therefore, the total cost to buy the New York Central would be $17.

The value of your own company is also $5. The total value of Event Cards in your hand is $4. You do not have enough money to purchase the New York Central on this turn.

7. Draw Goals

You may decide that you need more goals for more Victory Points or find yourself in a jam where it is impossible for you to meet the goals you had set out to accomplish at the start of the game. You may draw one Goal Card for each card you set aside.

You must keep at least one card that you draw. Discarded goals are placed at the end of the Goal Card deck. You must draw all Goal cards at once.

Example #1: You have two cards remaining in your hand. You set one card aside for Goals. You must keep the drawn Goal card. No Goal Cards are discarded. You may not use your final card to draw another goal.

Example #2: You have three cards remaining in your hand. You decide to use all of your remaining cards to draw new Goals. You keep one of the Goal Cards. The other two are placed on the bottom of the Goal Card deck.


8. Invest

If you have researched Investment Technology, you may set aside an unused card to remind yourself to deal another one on your next turn. Only one card may be used in this capacity per turn.

Once you have completed the steps above, you're ready to see what the world does to your best laid plans.

Draw Event Cards

You will now draw from the remaining cards in the deck. This is where the Events listed in the center of each card will come into play.

You must draw for at least 5 events to occur or until the deck runs out of cards to draw. Upon drawing a card, instructions provide any further directions for additional draws, company value movements, etc. If you draw a card without any text for the event, it still counts for your draw total but nothing happens.

The directions on the card override the regular game rules. For example, a card may direct your competitors to build additional routes. They are permitted to do so even if they have 0 VP on the Company Value Mat.

When playing your Event Cards, it often helps to place them down left to right for each Event. If there are additional draws that need made, placing the cards below (almost in Solitaire style) is helpful to keep track of where you are in this part of the round.

If an event calls for a Company to receive company value adjustments (or other effect) and there are multiple companies listed on the card, each competitor on the card is adjusted.

All the Event Card have directions on how they should be handled printed on them.

Wrapping Up The Hand

Once all the cards have been dealt, reshuffle all the Event Cards and get ready for the next round.

If your company value is on the lowest rung at the end of the hand, you may have lost the game. Please see the Game End/Losing section below to see if you retain control of your company.

Ending the Game

Winning and Scoring

The game typically ends at the end of 6 hands. Scoring is then done at the end of the game based on what you have accomplished. You get points for the following:

1. Add 1 VP for every route you have build for any railroads you control.2. Add 1 VP for each operational Bridge serviced by your railroads.3. Add 1 VP for each operational Engine serviced by your railroads.4. Add the amount of VP (shown in the top block of the Company's section on the Company

Route Map) for each owned Public Company route that connects to Chicago.5. Add or subtract VP for each Public Company on the Company Value Mat.


6. Add 1 VP for each Technology Card researched.7. Add VP for each Goal Card accomplished.8. Add VP for each Private Company purchased.9. Subtract VP for each incomplete Goal Card.10. Add any VP listed on any Technology Cards (Warehouses and Stations) if applicable.11. Add or subtract any VP listed on any Manager Cards if applicable.

You have won if you get 50 VP or higher.

Losing

You may have lost the game if your company is taken over. At the end of a hand, if your company value is on the lowest rung, each competitor has an opportunity to purchase your railroad. If the value of all your routes (excluding Bridges or Engines) is less than or equal to the total company value of a competitor, your company is taken over and the game is over. VP are not tallied.

Example #1: You own the Pennsylvania Railroad. Your company value is on the lowest rung at the end of your hand. Each of your competitors is on the top rung. You have built to Chicago so your company value is (3 + 3 + 5 + 7 + 9 = $27). The value of each of your competitors is $23. Because the value of your routes is higher than the value of each competitor, you remain in control of your company.

Example #2: You own the Baltimore and Ohio railroad. On the first turn you elect not to build any routes. During the Event Phase, you draw a Sell Off Event Card and your company value is now on the lowest rung. Each competitor's company value is still on the starting rung. Your company's value is $0. Therefore, it is bought out by any competitor with any positive company value.

Example #3: You own the Baltimore and Ohio railroad. On the first turn you built your first three routes for a total of 11 BP. Due to a Sell Off Event Card, your company value is now on the lowest rung. After manipulation, C&O is on the third rung ($5 total), NYC is on the fourth rung ($8), and PRR is on the fifth rung ($11). PRR has enough money to take over your company.


SECTION TWO - SCENARIOS, EXTRAS, TIPS AND TRICKS

Easier Variants

Longer Game: If you find that you are doing better in general but feel like you need another turn or two to get yourself a win, go ahead and give yourself eight turns instead of the usual six. The bulk of Victory Points are earned in the final stages of the game and this should give you a good idea of strategies you may want to try in the regular length game without adding more than 10 minutes of time to the game.

Easier Goals: If you are finding your score at or below zero, you may want to make your life a little easier and simply not subtract Victory Points if you do not achieve a goal. It's worth noting that Goal Cards with higher VP's are harder to complete and involve higher risk than smaller goals. Start small; you can always earn VP's in other ways and draw cards later if you take care of your initial set of goals.

Start with a Manager: Every railroad had them and you don't have to go it alone in this game if you don't want to. Simply choose a manager that matches the general strategy you want to try and see if things pan out the way that you think.

No Events Until Turn #2: If you want a decent chance of starting the game out with a strong foundation, drop the Event Draw on the first turn. This should give you enough breathing room to build up your Company Value and research a technology or two to get off to a good start.

Harder Variants

Relaxed Turn Order: Instead of playing a hand in the strict order of buying technology, building routes, company value manipulations and the like, you may play any action in any order. This was the way Bindle Rails was originally played. This variant works particularly well with two seasoned players

Harder Goal Selection: Sort the Goal Cards into each category at the top of the card (Engineering, Financial, First and Destination). Shuffle each category and draw one from each stack. Keep three and continue to play as normal.

Dueling Hobos: For even more interaction on the 2-player game, shuffle 10 cards instead of 7 cards for each player. You may play an event on a card either against your opponent or for yourself at any point during the hand. A limit of three Event Cards may be played in this manner. The Event draw at the end of each hand is skipped.

Two Player Rules

Bindle Rails was originally designed for solitaire play. However, this version of the games now has multi-player rules. All of the rules for the solitaire version apply with the following noteworthy additions and/or exceptions:

Played cards are left face-up in the center of the table.

The Competitor Build round is still run for the unowned company. Before dealing cards to each player, draw 7 cards and resolve normally. Add the cards back in, shuffle, and deal to all players.


The player who has the highest company value value goes first. In case of a tie, the player with the most routes built goes first. In case of another tie, the player with the most technology goes first. In case of this last tie, the company that is closer to the beginning of the alphabet goes first.

Technology: If a technology has already been researched by an opponent AND the technology costs

2 or more plus signs, the cost for all other players is reduced by 1 plus sign.

Managers: If one manager is wanted by more than one player, an open auction is performed with

the starting bid at the manager's hire dollar amount. Players can bid freely, in any increments, until no more bids can be made.

Build Routes: One route OR one repair may be built each turn until all have passed. Routes may be built in any order as long as they are part of your completed Company

Route. In other words, you are permitted to go to St. Louis or Detroit before building to Chicago.

If building points are left over from building a route, those points are lost. For example, if you want to build the B&O from Baltimore to Washington and you spend a 5 BP card on this action, you do not receive change for doing so; the card has been completely spent.

When both players pass, the Build Route turn is over.

Manipulating Public Company Values: Company Value may be increased or decreased one rung each turn. If money is left over from manipulating a Company's Value, that money is lost. For

example, if you want to move a player down to the bottom rung of the Company Value Mat, if you play a $6 card, you do not receive change for doing so. The card is completely spent on this action.

When both players pass, this turn is over.

Private Companies: If a Private Company is wanted by more than one player, an open auction (See

Managers above is performed with the starting bid at the railroad's dollar amount. When both players pass, this turn is completed.

Public Companies may never be purchased.

Event Phase: From the cards remaining, each player must take turns drawing 3 Event Cards. If an

Event is drawn, resolve normally.

Once all Event Cards are played or the deck is exhausted, the turn is completed.

The game continues for 6 turns. The winner at the end of the game is the player with the most VPs. In the event of a tie, the game is won by the player who has the most pocket change; what is in your wallet or coin purse does not count. If the amount of pocket change is the same, a fist fight and/or other mutually agreed upon tiebreaker may be applied.


Scenarios

As requested from Board Game Geek, I am including scenarios in this edition of the rules. All rules are the same except as noted in the scenario description. The first two are intended to get you going while the final one is intended to challenge you after you get comfortable with the game system.

Scenario #1 - On The Banks of the Erie Canal(Beginner's Scenario)

As owner of the New York Central (NYC)...

Three or More Goals You Must Complete:

- Acquire 7 Technologies (5 VP).- Acquire all Business Technologies (3 VP)- Continuous track to Boston (3 VP)- Continuous track to Detroit (5 VP)- Connect two Private Companies (6 VP)

Two Technologies You May Start With:

- Reinforced Bridges- Accounting- Advanced Steam- Water Towers

Events You Can Ignore:

- Inefficiency- Loss- Accidents

Additional Changes:

In an effort to make the game easier, do NOT remove points for failed goals.

Additional Notes:

You will find that while the game is easier with this scenario, you will probably still need to cobble together more VPs than can be achieved by accomplishing the above. Expect to completely research portions of the technology tree or take on the challenge of an extra Goal Card or two to get yourself over the 50 VP hurdle.


Scenario #2: Appalachian Run (Beginner's Scenario)

As owner of the Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O)...

Three or More Goals You Must Complete:

- Acquire 7 Technologies (5 VP).- Acquire all Business Technologies (3 VP)- All Stocks with at least 1 VP (3 VP) [NOT IN THE GAME].- Continuous track to Detroit (5 VP)- Own Two Private Companies (5 VP)

Two Technologies You May Start With:

- Reinforced Bridges- Accounting- Advanced Steam- Water Towers

Events You Can Ignore:

- Inefficiency- Loss- Accidents

You may start with one of the following managers:

- Colonel John Sanders (+1 technology per turn).- Jay Gould (Move any combination of stocks a total of two spaces).- George Minot (Bridges and Engines not required to initially build routes).

Additional Changes:

- In an effort to make the game easier, do NOT remove points for failed goals.- Richmond to Washington is already built.

Additional Notes:

This scenario is slightly harder to beat than the first scenario, but not by much as the Managers selected for this game really play to the C&O's strengths. Odds are that you will still need to hustle a little bit to get your 50 VPs, but you should be able to get there.


Scenario #3: New York, New Haven and Chicago Railroad(Expert Scenario)

This scenario fictitiously sets you to running an aggressive railroad company running out of Boston as a fifth Public Company. The B&O, C&O, NYC and PRR are now competitors. You start your game running on the NYNH&H Private Track.

NYNH&H Company Route Chart

Boston to Hartford 4 BP

Hartford to New York 5 BP

Additional Rules:

Your reward for building to Chicago is 15 VP. You must expand by purchasing Private Companies westward or the outright hostile takeover of a rival. Mark your Company Value with either a Black or White Cube on the Company Value Mat. You can keep track of your own Company Routes using Black or White Cubes on the companies that you acquire.

Additional Notes:

Of interest, I had planned on the NYNH&H being one of the original Public Companies in the game. I ended up phasing it out due to the fact that it doesn't come close to Chicago in real life and that often was boxed in relatively quickly.


Scenario #4: Nickel Plate Road(Expert Scenario)

This scenario also creates a fifth Public Company, the Erie and Lackawanna Railroad also known as the Nickel Plate Road. It was a railroad competing against major competitors in the lower Great Lakes and was often used as a weapon between dueling rail barons.

NKP Company Route Chart

Buffalo to Cleveland 6 BP

Cleveland to Ft. Wayne 8 BP

Ft. Wayne to Chicago 4 BP

Toledo to Indianapolis 4 BP and $1 +1 VP

Indianapolis to Peoria 5 BP and $2 +1 VP

Indianapolis to St. Louis 10 BP and $4 +1 VP

Cleveland to Wheeling 5 BP and $1

Toledo to Wheeling 4 BP and $1 +2 VP

Additional Rules:

Your reward for building to Chicago is 2 VP. You begin on Turn #2 after a full Competitor Build Phase and Event Card Phase. Your company value is manipulated any time the NYC (Green) or Pennsylvania (Red) railroads are drawn. Certain routes require building points and additional outlay of capital (Dollar Value) cards to complete. These routes usually grant extra Victory Points if you are able to complete them. As in Scenario #3, keep track of your route building using extra Black or White cubes on the chart above.

Additionally, Wheeling and Lake Erie Railroad is not available as a Private Company as it is included in the Nickel Plate's track.

Additional Notes:

My great uncle on my father's side was an engineer on the E&L and worked for the railroad as an engineer. He drove an engine to its final stop at a railroad museum in Conneaut, Ohio that you can still look at today. This is a minor tribute to his role in local history.


Hints and Tips

As alluded to earlier, the game is all about making the most of what you have. All the small decisions in the game add up. Although not every game is winnable, here are some tips that may make the difference between a narrow win and a humbling defeat.

The greatest equalizer in the game is having more cards in your hand. The way to get more cards in your hand is to invest in technologies that help you out, namely the Business Technologies. Spending a few turns researching Investment and Laboratories may pay off in the later turns. Preventative technologies often help immensely.

Goal selection is another area that can make or break your score. Generally speaking, the larger the reward, the more work it will take to cash in on it. Gravitate toward lower VP goals and try to get combinations of goals that complement each other (i.e. 'Connect to Detroit' and 'First to Detroit'). When in doubt, take smaller rewards. You can always draw different goals later.

Don't be afraid to shift strategies mid-hand. If you do not draw enough to purchase the technology you were hoping to get, odds are your hand is cash heavy or build heavy. By mid game you usually have several options that can help you (putting money into different companies, building an extra route, buying a private company) that can give you points here and there.

Keep track of the Events drawn before the Event Phase comes up. If you draw an Accident and a Loss card early in the hand, more favorable cards may appear in the Event Phase.

Some technologies are more important than others. Concentrate on getting technologies that give you benefits that go from hand to hand. From there, concentrate on acquiring technologies that grant you VP bonuses that complement your company's geography and strengths.

From a beginner standpoint, try not to focus on acquiring a Manager as they are relatively expensive cost money to hire, extra cards to draw and you're not really sure what you're going to get for your troubles. Stick to solid returns on your investment.

You are not obligated to finish your route to Chicago. Almost every goal in the game is worth more simply because it costs more if you fail. Weigh your options carefully.

Start out with the beginner scenarios and work your way through them to get an idea of how the cards play out and what the general probabilities of cards are before trying to tackle the big game. Expect to get beaten regularly, but by the same token, expect to improve. As in most Solitaire games, each game is not in itself winnable, but you should get to a point where you are in a position to win by the last turn more often than not.


Design Questions

Q: Why isn't there a stock market in this game?

A: A number of railroad games simulate a stock market by having multiple shares for each company available. There is usually a fair amount of bookkeeping involved in these games for better or worse. In this game, the complexity of the stock market is reduced to a single dollar amount and a VP total. There is no notion of a stock market, however, the net effect of buying and selling stocks in the game is represented more abstractly by raising and lowering company value.

Q: Why can Competitors create routes by adding bridges and engines separately?

A: The odds of a company getting two cards or more to complete a route are roughly 1 in 5. The C&O in Kentucky would need three cards to get over the mountains and the rivers. This also balances out the initial PA run to Chicago, among other things that have irked me for a while.

Q: Why is it easier for your Public Company to buy out competitors than it is for your competitors to buy you out?

A: Playability. It would be very difficult to get past the first turn if it was easier for companies to buy you out. Conversely, it would be very difficult to buy any company (B&O past Chicago, C&O to Indianapolis, NYC to Toledo and PRR to Chicago). However, in the games I have played, I think I've bought out a competitor maybe twice. The cost of buying out a company typically outweighs the benefits of buying technologies that complement your company's routes, hiring a manager or manipulating a company's value. I have even considered removing this option from the solitaire version of the game as well, however, some players are resistant to the change and I have left this in place.

Q: Why is this game so hard?

A: Solitaire games by their nature are usually designed to be hard. After all, once you beat the game, why come back to it? :-)

In all seriousness, Bindle Rails is a game that mirrors to some extent the uncertainty of railroading. Railroads were a speculative business throughout their colorful history and I wanted to capture some of that with this game, hence the wild swings in company values and fortunes that you are apt to notice from your first play. As with life, adapting to the conditions on the ground is paramount to winning the game and usually if you are flexible with how you play your hand, the more likely you are to win.

Q: How well do you do playing the game?

A: I can typically get 50 points about one every three plays with the majority of my scores in the 30-50 range. My highest score was around 71 or so and I had everything go my way. On the other end of the scale I have lost games on the first turn due to very unfortunate turns in events. I find that my bad games are few and far between and I am usually competitive right to the end.


Reference Map


CreditsInitial Design

Jack Neal

Playtesting and FeedbackJack Neal Sr.Justin Neal

John W. (Omega2064 at BoardGameGeek)Jeremiah WrightFelbrigg Herriot

Derek HohlsJustus PendeltonRavindra Prasad

First Printing Supporters (As of 3/4/09)Richard Pardoe

Ray SmithChad KrizanJohn KeenerJeremiah LeeJeff Glasson

Matthew GrayLarry Levy

GraphicsImages are public domain courtesy of WikiCommons and the Library of Congress.

Programs UsedOpen Office, Nandeck, Paint.NET and Inkscape

LicensingThis game is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial United States License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/us/). In short, you may distribute and modify freely for non-commercial purposes in any medium. All copyright must be respected and attributed to the author.

All rules, mats, aids and game materials Copyright 2008, 2009 Jack Neal All Rights Reserved.

DedicationThis game is dedicated my father and brothers. My mom let me win card games a lot when I was little, so I can thank her, too. I am also very grateful for the support and feedback provided by people contributing at BoardGameGeek. Many tidbits have been added to the game that make it much richer than I could have done on my own.

I'm also dedicating the game to Betsy who deals with my fits of invention and my daughters, Breanna and Jackie, who have inventions of their own. Each of them had suggestions that made the game more appealing and vibrant.

Help and PurchasingWebsite: http://www.jkntech.comEmail: [email protected]

Postal Address: 520 W. Parkway Drive, Madison OH, 44057

http://www.jkntech.com/bindlerails/mailto:[email protected]

bindle rails rules final

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