
- BGG rank
- BGG #2,363
- BGG rating
- 7.4
Napoléon: The Waterloo Campaign, 1815
- 2–3 players
- 120 min
- Complexity 2.5/5
- 1974

1976
Rules assistance for The Last Spike
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
The Last Spike is a board game released in 1976 for 2–6 players and 60 minutes per game. It was designed by Tom Dalgliesh, Lance Gutteridge, and Ron Gibson and its main mechanics are Tile Placement and Stock Holding.
Additional designer: John Gordon The game is about the building of the great trans-Canadian railway --and how to get rich from it! As play progresses, you buy land which you hope will lie along the completed railway; you also get to lay track sections. Once a complete link between the two oceans is established, the game is over and the land evaluated. Various random events spice up the flow of events, of course. A neat game, playable in a very reasonable amount of time.
The Last Spike 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 The Last Spike 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 Last Spike has a complexity rating of 1.5 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a 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.
The Last Spike belongs to these categories: Economic and Trains. Its main mechanics are Tile Placement 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 The Last Spike are: Tom Dalgliesh, Lance Gutteridge, and Ron Gibson. 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 The Last Spike 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.