- BGG rating
- 8.2
Railroad Revolution: Railroad Evolution
- 2–4 players
- 45–90 min
- Complexity 3.6/5
- 2019
- BGG rank
- BGG #1,386
- BGG rating
- 7.3
Railroad Revolution
2016
Rules assistance for Railroad Revolution
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–4 players
- 45–90 min
- 12+
- Complexity 3.2/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Railroad Revolution
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Railroad Revolution is a board game released in 2016 for 2–4 players, 45–90 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Marco Canetta and Stefania Niccolini and its main mechanics are Variable Set-up, Network and Route Building, and Contracts.
Expansions
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About the game
Ambition and a thirst for wealth have driven humanity to strive for ever greater progress. In America, during the 19th century, battles were waged between huge railway corporations that sought to connect state to state and coast with coast… making themselves filthy rich in the process. Railroad Revolution drops you straight into the middle of these tempestuous years; a time that changed America forever. In Railroad Revolution, you will manage your own railroad company, ruthlessly competing to be the most powerful railroad tycoon across all America. You will build railroads, establish stations in your connected cities, expand the network of telegraph lines, and chase your objectives, increasing the value of your company with every action you take. You start with mainly a team of non-specialized workers, but during the game you can hire additional ones with specific skill sets. The cost or effect of an action is determined by the type of worker that does it. To complete your company objectives, you will have to remove some of your workers from your active pool, promoting them to managerial positions. You must carefully assign each of your workers to perform the right action at the right time in order to exploit their specializations in the best way. You need to decide which ones to promote and which are instead still needed to take actions, as your priorities will change from turn to turn. Railroad Revolution is a fast paced game with relatively simple rules, and it provides you with interesting and challenging decisions. Having a good strategy and finding the correct timing to implement it, is the key to winning the game.
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Pegasus Spiele
- Red Glove
- hobbity.eu
- What's Your Game?
Questions and answers
Railroad Revolution supports 2–4 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 Railroad Revolution is 45–90 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 Railroad Revolution 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.
Railroad Revolution 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.
Railroad Revolution belongs to these categories: Economic and Trains. Its main mechanics are Variable Set-up, Network and Route Building, and Contracts. 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 Railroad Revolution are: Marco Canetta and Stefania Niccolini. 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 Railroad Revolution 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.