
- BGG rank
- BGG #5,507
- BGG rating
- 7.2
Martian Rails
- 2–6 players
- 120–180 min
- Complexity 3.2/5
- 2009

2003
Rules assistance for Lunar Rails
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 2 players

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Lunar Rails is a board game released in 2003 for 2–6 players, 180–240 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by M. Robert Stribula and its main mechanics are Network and Route Building, Hexagon Grid, and Pick-up and Deliver.
Part of Mayfair's line of train crayon-rail games. Here you can make deliveries to any part of the moon, which is why they used the double-hemisphere map. You can connect from the edge of one map to the corresponding point on the other hemisphere's map. One addition to the events are meteors. When they strike, any rail connect to the point they strike or connecting to any of the 6 dots around that are destroyed. Other events include Decompression, Solar Flares, and Cosmic Rays.
Lunar Rails supports 2–6 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Lunar Rails is 180–240 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Lunar Rails for ages 10 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Lunar Rails has a complexity rating of 2.8 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Lunar Rails belongs to these categories: Economic, Trains, and Science Fiction. Its main mechanics are Network and Route Building, Hexagon Grid, and Pick-up and Deliver. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Lunar Rails are: M. Robert Stribula. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Lunar Rails as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.