- BGG rating
- 7.4
Rules assistance for South American Rails
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–6 players
- 120 min
- 10+
- Complexity 2.5/5
Rules assistant for South American Rails
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
South American Rails is an expansion for Empire Builder released in 2010 for 2–6 players, 120 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by David Pontier and its main mechanics are Network and Route Building, Hexagon Grid, and Pick-up and Deliver.
About the game
Explore the continent of South America, from the deepest parts of the Amazon Rain Forest, to the alpine peaks of the Andes, and the resource rich southern tip. This game is based on the popular Crayon Rails system. Players receive three demand cards which each have three possible deliveries. To complete a delivery a player must connect the demanding city with the city that supplies the good it needs. Building track costs money, and the payout for each load is always going to be slightly less than the cost to build the track to make the connection. This pricing mechanism forces players to coordinate the deliveries on all three cards to maximize the use of their track in order to turn a profit. Once one of the three deliveries on a card is made, a new card is drawn to take its place. Play continues until a player reaches $250 million and has connected all but one of the major cities. This print and play game is free to download. It requires a copy of another crayon rails game for the money and trains.
Designers
Publishers
- (Web published)
Questions and answers
South American Rails 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 South American Rails is 120 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 South American Rails 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.
South American 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.
South American Rails belongs to these categories: Print & Play, Trains, and Transportation. Its main mechanics are Network and Route Building, Hexagon Grid, and Pick-up and Deliver. 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 South American Rails are: David Pontier. 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 South American Rails as an expansion for Empire Builder. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need Empire Builder to use it. Check that your edition of Empire Builder is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.