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Ticket to Ride: Nordic Countries
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- 2007
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Santa Fe Rails
2001
Rules assistance for Santa Fe Rails
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–5 players
- 60 min
- 12+
- Complexity 2.5/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Santa Fe Rails
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Santa Fe Rails is a board game released in 2001 for 2–5 players, 60 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Alan R. Moon and its main mechanics are Simultaneous Action Selection, Network and Route Building, and Open Drafting.
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About the game
On a map showing the western portion of the United States, each player takes turns building track to extend any of five major railroad lines westward from their originating cities. Players often want the lines to extend in different directions toward the cities that they have a stake in. Some branching is allowed, but each line has a limited number of track pieces. Stakes for specific cities are accumulated throughout the game by drawing blind from a deck of city cards. The more different lines arriving at a city, the higher the score will be for that city. Later in the game, four short lines also become available. An updated version of Alan R. Moon's White Wind game Santa Fe. Game Summary The deck is composed of city cards (with some short lines shuffled into the middle third). Players have a hand of 4 city cards to start the game. Each round, players simultaneously select a card to play, then reveal. City cards are added to your personal display -- essentially, you have a share in that city. There are also several special cards (2x, 3x, 4-in-one, Branch Line, Boomtown) that modify the basic game turn. These specials are on public display, and can be acquired at the end of each round (some cost $1; the 2x may be held, but the rest must be played immediately after acquiring them). Then, in turn order, going twice around, players add a single track to any of the railheads (each of the 5 lines has specific starting locations on the board). If the link is to a previously unconnected city, collect $2. In addition, if the city is one of the goal cities of that train line, collect $4. After all players have gone (twice), pass the start player marker to the left. THEN, in turn order, players bring their hand total back to 4 (draw from deck and/or from cards on display). If a Short Line card is revealed, discard the card and draw again; that Short Line is now in play. They choose a card to play, and repeat above. The game ends when tracks for 3 lines are completely used. Each city's value is equal to its base value, printed on board, multiplied by the number of different train lines connected to it. The player with the most cash and city value wins!
Categories
Designers
Publishers
- GMT Games
Questions and answers
Santa Fe Rails supports 2–5 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 Fe Rails is 60 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 Santa Fe 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.
Santa Fe Rails has a complexity rating of 2.5 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 Fe Rails belongs to these categories: Trains. Its main mechanics are Simultaneous Action Selection, Network and Route Building, 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 Fe Rails are: Alan R. Moon. 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 Fe 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.