- BGG rank
- BGG #20,961
- BGG rating
- 6.5
West Riding
- 3–6 players
- 180 min
- Complexity 3.5/5
- 2000
- BGG rank
- BGG #20,178
- BGG rating
- 7.1
Santa Claus Takes the Intercity
1997
Rules assistance for Santa Claus Takes the Intercity
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 3–5 players
- 20 min
- Complexity 2.0/5
Rules assistant for Santa Claus Takes the Intercity
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Santa Claus Takes the Intercity is a board game released in 1997 for 3–5 players and 20 minutes per game. It was designed by Han Heidema and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Auction / Bidding, and Open Drafting.
Similar games
- BGG rank
- BGG #7,404
- BGG rating
- 7.0
Dutch InterCity
- 2–6 players
- 45 min
- Complexity 2.4/5
- 1999
- BGG rank
- BGG #10,988
- BGG rating
- 7.0
West Riding Revisited
- 3–5 players
- 120 min
- Complexity 3.4/5
- 2010
- BGG rank
- BGG #4,775
- BGG rating
- 6.3
Yardmaster
- 2–5 players
- 20 min
- Complexity 1.2/5
- 2014
- BGG rank
- BGG #21,962
- BGG rating
- 6.1
Bindle Rails
- 1–4 players
- 30 min
- Complexity 2.4/5
- 2008
- BGG rank
- BGG #2,709
- BGG rating
- 6.9
Isle of Trains: All Aboard
- 1–4 players
- 60 min
- Complexity 2.3/5
- 2023
- BGG rank
- BGG #28,624
- BGG rating
- 5.2
Carmarace
- 2–6 players
- 90 min
- Complexity 2.6/5
- 2014
- BGG rank
- BGG #7,731
- BGG rating
- 7.1
Pampas Railroads
- 3–6 players
- 120 min
- Complexity 3.3/5
- 2001
- BGG rank
- BGG #16,405
- BGG rating
- 7.0
Veld Railroads
- 3–6 players
- 120 min
- Complexity 3.4/5
- 2003
- BGG rank
- BGG #7,797
- BGG rating
- 8.1
18Korea
- 2–5 players
- 120–180 min
- Complexity 3.6/5
- 2021
- BGG rank
- BGG #27,249
- BGG rating
- 5.5
Cleopatra's Caboose
- 3–5 players
- 90–120 min
- Complexity 2.3/5
- 2010
- BGG rank
- BGG #2,829
- BGG rating
- 7.0
Iron Dragon
- 2–6 players
- 240 min
- Complexity 2.9/5
- 1994
About the game
A simple game of bidding for 25 intercity railway routes on a map of the Netherlands, self-published and sent to Han Heidema's gaming contacts as a Christmas gift in 1997. Players needed to supply their own crayons or felt pens for colouring routes on the map, and each player needs a suit of 13 cards from a standard card deck. Each turn, one card from a deck of 25 route cards is revealed. Players bid to win the route by each simultaneously playing a card from their hands. Highest untied card wins the route. The highest cards, winning cards, court cards and low cards (whose definition varies depending on number of players) are discarded after each bid. As each route is won it is coloured on the map to show its ownership, a la crayon rail games. Each route is worth between 1 and 5 distance points. The winner is the player with the longest continuous route on the map when the 25 routes have all been won (or when all players are out of cards). Simple but fun. The blue cardstock of the laminated map is the only downside, as it makes darker pen colours hard to differentiate.
Categories
Designers
Publishers
- Ducosim
- Han Heidema
Questions and answers
Santa Claus Takes the Intercity supports 3–5 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 Santa Claus Takes the Intercity 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.
Santa Claus Takes the Intercity 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.
Santa Claus Takes the Intercity belongs to these categories: Card Game, Trains, and Transportation. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Auction / Bidding, and Open Drafting. 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 Santa Claus Takes the Intercity are: Han Heidema. 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 Santa Claus Takes the Intercity 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.