- BGG rating
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Railway Rivals Map II: Illinois and Indiana
- 2–6 players
- 90 min
- 1994
- BGG rank
- BGG #6,964
- BGG rating
- 6.7
Railway Rivals
1979
Rules assistance for Railway Rivals
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–6 players
- 90 min
- 10+
- Complexity 2.3/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Railway Rivals
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Railway Rivals is a board game released in 1979 for 2–6 players, 90 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by David G. Watts and its main mechanics are Line Drawing.
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About the game
This is a classic simple railway racing game, perhaps the first modern railroading game, where you draw the railway lines on hex-board. This one uses the sort of colored marker pens you can wipe off with a damp cloth after the game. The game goes through phases; initially you draw tracks and earn money for linking cities. When a number of cities are joined, you start racing, the cities being chosen randomly. The races are simple dice-rollers and the 1st & 2nd place get prize money. After a couple of races, you draw some more tracks, then race some more and so on. The railways cost more if you go over mountains etc, but this gives you shorter routes. You can run parallel to other lines at a cost, or simply link into another player's track and rent the tracks of other players when you race. The board has a UK map on one side and a US map on the other, both giving amusing challenges, and the game has good repeat value. The designer David Watts has published a lot of stand alone Railway Rivals maps, and there is another edition of this game, Dampfross published by Laurin. Re-implemented by: Dampfross
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Games Workshop Ltd.
- Rostherne Games
- Fairmount Gaming Simulations Co.
Questions and answers
Railway Rivals 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 Railway Rivals is 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 Railway Rivals 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.
Railway Rivals has a complexity rating of 2.3 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.
Railway Rivals belongs to these categories: Racing and Trains. Its main mechanics are Line Drawing. 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 Railway Rivals are: David G. Watts. 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 Railway Rivals 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.