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Rules assistance for Madrid Connection
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 3–6 players
- 30–45 min
- 21+
Rules assistant for Madrid Connection
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Madrid Connection is an expansion for SNCF: France & Germany released in 2023 for 3–6 players, 30–45 minutes per game, and ages 21 and up. It was designed by John Bohrer and its main mechanics are Network and Route Building and Stock Holding.
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About the game
Madrid Connection is a fast network-/portfolio-building train game with the objective of having the most valuable stock portfolio at the end of the game. Players must start new railroads, they may expand existing railroads and they are able to trade stocks in the railroads. There are 6 colors of wooden locomotives, each color representing a railroad. Players are dealt random hands of 5-10 (depending on number of players) locomotives, which are essentially a stock portfolio; the rest of each color are placed in a pool. On your turn, you can start a railroad or increase the value of a single railroad by placing 1-5 locomotives from the remaining pool of that company or you can trade one locomotive in your portfolio for one or two locomotives from the remaining pool in a railroad. The game board is a map of Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar and Andorra, with cities worth anywhere from 1-4 points. Connecting to a city adds to a company's value. The game provides a bonus for crossing national borders. The game holds 3-6 players for about 30 minutes. The game ends when 5 railroads are devoid of cubes or when a railroad has built into Lisboa. Players' scores are determined by the value of each railroad at the end of the game, multiplied by the number of stocks the player has for that railroad. Madrid Connection uses the components found in Queen Games’ Paris Connection game. The Madrid Connection game comes with 2 11x17 maps of Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar & Andorra that require trimming and the rules necessary to play Madrid Connection. You must own Paris Connection to play this game. It is possible to play Madrid Connection using the original Winsome SNCF game, but it is not convenient.
Editions
- Madrid ConnectionenWinsome Games2023
Designers
Publishers
- Winsome Games
Questions and answers
Madrid Connection supports 3–6 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 Madrid Connection is 30–45 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 Madrid Connection for ages 21 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.
Madrid Connection belongs to these categories: Economic and Trains. Its main mechanics are Network and Route Building and Stock Holding. 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 Madrid Connection are: John Bohrer. 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 Madrid Connection as an expansion for SNCF: France & Germany. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need SNCF: France & Germany to use it. Check that your edition of SNCF: France & Germany is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.