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Penny Rails
2019
Rules assistance for Penny Rails
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2 players
- 20 min
- 8+
- Complexity 2.0/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Penny Rails
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Penny Rails is a board game released in 2019 for 2 players, 20 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Travis D. Hill and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Tile Placement, and Network and Route Building.
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About the game
In Penny Rails, you are a potention shareholder in three Train Lines – the Lincoln Line, the Jefferson Line, and the Roosevelt Line – all expanding westward across the United States. Through trading shares, increasing the Income of the Train Lines, and encouraging Expansion in the areas around them, you attempt to make it from New York to St. Louis with the most money. Expansion and money, they go hand in hand. The great railways are expanding west which means there are fortunes to be made! Get ready to ride the rails as we wheel and deal shares of the Lincoln, Jefferson, and Roosevelt lines. If we play our cards right all the way from New York to St. Louis, we'll become rail barons overnight. Rest assured folks, this is the real McCoy! In Penny Rails, players are stock holders in expanding rail lines reaching across the US. Using only 18 cards and some loose change, you can relive the excitement of westward expansion right on your tabletop. Every turn you’ll get a chance to gain stocks or lay cards to build routes and increase your stock value! Each move counts as players vie for shares of the most profitable lines. When the first train pulls into the rail yard of St. Louis the player with the most profits wins. Will it be you?
Categories
Designers
Publishers
- Button Shy
Questions and answers
Penny Rails supports 2 players according to the catalogue. This is the publisher’s listed player count, so the game is designed for exactly that number of participants. Variants for other group sizes, if any, are described in the rulebook of your edition, so check it before setting up a different configuration.
The listed playing time for Penny Rails is 20 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 Penny Rails for ages 8 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.
Penny Rails has a complexity rating of 2.0 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.
Penny Rails belongs to these categories: Card Game, Print & Play, and American West. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Tile Placement, and Network and Route Building. 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 Penny Rails are: Travis D. Hill. 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 Penny 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.