- BGG rank
- BGG #654
- BGG rating
- 7.3
Wabash Cannonball
- 2–6 players
- 30–60 min
- Complexity 2.8/5
- 2007
- BGG rank
- BGG #11,323
- BGG rating
- 7.0
Southern Pacific
2018
Rules assistance for Southern Pacific
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 3–5 players
- 60–90 min
- Complexity 3.0/5
For 3 players
Rules assistant for Southern Pacific
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Southern Pacific is a board game released in 2018 for 3–5 players and 60–90 minutes per game. It was designed by John Bohrer and its main mechanics are Auction / Bidding, Network and Route Building, and Stock Holding.
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About the game
The Civil War is over, and it's time to get back to America's business: making money. The railroads are the place to do it, and the American Southwest is booming, with robber barons starting and funding railroads across Texas and beyond. Savvy investments will pay off handsomely, others not so much. What sort of dividends should be paid versus how much should be kept by the railroad for further expansion? Each railroad president must decide for themselves, keeping the shareholders happy or being forced out in a hostile takeover. In the luck-free game Southern Pacific, six railroads vie for dominance in Texas as they approach from Louisiana, Arkansas, and Oklahoma in the 1800s. The selling of shares finances these railroads, with the president of each railroad auctioning stock, building new track, acquiring existing track from other companies, or paying dividends. "Bull market" auctions at the end of each round can unexpectedly disrupt a president's control of a company. The game ends when one railroad has built all of its track or all stocks have been acquired. A stock earns dividends during the game, but has no value in the final scoring. In the end, whoever has the most cash in hand wins.
Categories
Designers
Publishers
- Rio Grande Games
- Winsome Games
Questions and answers
Southern Pacific 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 Southern Pacific is 60–90 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.
Southern Pacific has a complexity rating of 3.0 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.
Southern Pacific belongs to these categories: Economic, Trains, and Transportation. Its main mechanics are Auction / Bidding, Network and Route Building, and Stock Holding. 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 Southern Pacific are: John Bohrer. 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 Southern Pacific 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.