- BGG rank
- BGG #5,710
- BGG rating
- 6.9
Lunar Rails
- 2–6 players
- 180–240 min
- Complexity 2.8/5
- 2003
- BGG rank
- BGG #5,507
- BGG rating
- 7.2
Martian Rails
2009
Rules assistance for Martian Rails
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–6 players
- 120–180 min
- 12+
- Complexity 3.2/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Martian Rails
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Martian Rails is a board game released in 2009 for 2–6 players, 120–180 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by M. Robert Stribula and its main mechanics are Network and Route Building, Hexagon Grid, and Commodity Speculation.
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About the game
Martian Rails is a railroad building game set on a fictional planet Mars. Simultaneously, the game allows a world of canals and noble savages, a cold high altitude desert globe, a nearly airless planet, terraforming, nanotech cyberpunk and everything in between from 100+ years of science fiction stories set on Mars. The game further captures the mood of those stories and the feel of the planet. The game uses a further refinement of the wrap-around mechanism used in Lunar Rails to simulate travel across a 3D opposed to a 2D map. Having to think in 3D wraparound mode adds additional "brain-burn" to the Empire Builder franchise... sometimes the shortest distance between two points isn't the obvious straight line. See crayon rail games for more crayon fun.
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Mayfair Games
Questions and answers
Martian 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 Martian Rails is 120–180 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 Martian Rails for ages 12 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.
Martian Rails has a complexity rating of 3.2 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-weight 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.
Martian Rails belongs to these categories: Economic, Trains, and Science Fiction. Its main mechanics are Network and Route Building, Hexagon Grid, and Commodity Speculation. 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 Martian 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 Martian 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.