PLAYED FOR YOU

German Railways

PreuSSische Ostbahn

Between 1842 and 1868 there were more than 200 different railroad companies in the German Empire. Markers for the individual companies are placed into towns; then one share per company is auctioned. The revenue, the remaining track markers and shares are the capital of the company. 

In his turn a player can resolve one of three actions; possible actions are to pass, to auction a share or build track. To auction a share you simply put up a share of your choice, but you can only auction a third share of a company when two shares of each company are circulating. The action track building can be used for the network of any company of which you own at least one share. On each of the newly “build” sections, that is board hexes, you place one locomotive; you can build up to three sections per turn. The costs are paid for with company money, a locomotive in a town hex raises the income of the company. When such track building has connected two companies for the first time, dividend payment happens, for each share owned by a player, based on the current income of the company. The company which initiated the connection pays double the dividend.

When in the game phase “determine order of play” each track is directly connected to two other tracks or players are in agreement that such connections are no longer possible, you win with most money, shares do not have any value at that point anymore.

German Railways is a new edition of Preußische Ostbahn, published at Winsome Games, featuring original rules and different components; a game well suited to fans of economics games with a railway topic.

Players: 3-5

Age: 12+

Time: 90+

Designer: Harry Wu

Art: Harald Lieske

Price: ca. 35 Euro

Publisher: Queen Games 2011

Web: www.queen-games.de

Genre: Railway game

Users: With friends

Version: multi

Rules: de en fr nl

In-game text: no

Comments:

New edition of Preußische Ostbahn

Original rules

Different components

Historic references by using real companies of the time

Compares to:

Chicago Express

Other editions:

Preußische Ostbahn, Winsome Games

Chance (pink): 1

Tactic (turquoise): 3

Strategy (blue): 2

Creativity (dark blue): 0

Knowledge (yellow): 0

Memory (orange): 0

Communication (red): 0

Interaction (brown): 3

Dexterity (green): 0

Action (dark green): 0