- BGG rating
- 7.3
Tramways: Denver
- 2–5 players
- 90–150 min
- 2017
- BGG rank
- BGG #2,023
- BGG rating
- 7.3
Tramways
2016
Rules assistance for Tramways
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 1–5 players
- 120 min
- 12+
- Complexity 3.8/5
For 1 player
Rules assistant for Tramways
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Tramways is a board game released in 2016 for 1–5 players, 120 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Alban Viard and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Auction / Bidding, and Income.
Expansions
- BGG rating
- 7.5
Tramways: Grand Station
- 1–5 players
- 30–180 min
- Complexity 3.0/5
- 2017
- BGG rating
- 7.4
Tramways: Paris / New York
- 2–5 players
- 90–150 min
- 2017
- BGG rating
- 7.6
Tramways: the Heart of Commerce
- 1–5 players
- 30–180 min
- Complexity 3.5/5
- 2017
- BGG rating
- 6.7
Tramways Conductor's Manual
- 1–5 players
- 30–120 min
- Complexity 3.0/5
- 2018
- BGG rating
- 7.5
Tramways: Exclusive Residences
- 1–5 players
- 30–150 min
- Complexity 3.0/5
- 2018
- BGG rating
- 7.4
Tramways: Home of Industry
- 1–5 players
- 30–150 min
- Complexity 3.0/5
- 2018
- BGG rating
- 7.7
Tramways: Busan/Halle Merseburg
- 1–5 players
- 2019
- BGG rating
- 7.6
Tramways: Dystopian Expansions
- 1–5 players
- 60–180 min
- 2019
- BGG rating
- 7.0
Tramways: The Leisure Expansion
- 1–5 players
- Complexity 3.0/5
- 2019
- BGG rating
- 7.3
Tramways: Adelaide / Shanghai
- 1–5 players
- 2020
- BGG rating
- 7.1
Tramways: Tile Expansion Packs
- 1–5 players
- 30–180 min
- 2020
- BGG rating
- 7.5
Tramways: Monaco / Chicago
- 2–5 players
- 90–150 min
- 2021
- BGG rating
- 7.0
Tramways: Crisis/Los Angeles
- 1–5 players
- 2024
- BGG rating
- 7.7
Tramways: Tokyo 1954/Pittsburgh
- 1–5 players
- 60–150 min
- 2025
- BGG rating
- 10.0
Tramways: London / Washington
- 1–5 players
- 60–150 min
- 2026
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About the game
The 1920s: Small City was founded just a few years ago and is still a fledgling town at this stage. Nonetheless, the Town Center is prosperous, and the managers of the weird CliniC have been duly incarcerated for years by this point. Now it is time to reach a new step: Building a new map transit. In Tramways, you take the role of one of the managers of the local CliniC who were fired last month when it was discovered that you had acquired wealth on the backs of patients and their poor health. You are now at the head of a team of engineers, ready to build the best and most effective network possible for Small City. Your aim is to find the best places between buildings and citizens so that they can use your networks (and not those of your opponents, who are always ready to buy the most interesting development areas). Be assured that a happy citizen who is able to move where and when he wants will thank the best transport companies. There is nothing that satisfies a chief manager more than seeing citizens happy... The game is divided into six rounds, each of which is divided into two halves: During the first half of a round, players compete to acquire the best development cards to create their most efficient deck. An original auction phase also determines turn order — and being the first player increases your stress level. During the second half, they play a train game, using their deck to try to build a great network between the different buildings of Small City. They try to move passengers without stressing them during the transit, in the end obtaining happiness points, which is the aim of the game. The more that players use the symbols on their cards, the more actions they can do, but they also increase their stress level at the same time, which leads to negative victory points...
Categories
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Fractal Juegos
- Delight
- AVStudioGames
Questions and answers
Tramways supports 1–5 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 Tramways 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 Tramways 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.
Tramways has a complexity rating of 3.8 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a heavy 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.
Tramways belongs to these categories: Trains, City Building, and Transportation. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Auction / Bidding, and Income. 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 Tramways are: Alban Viard. 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 Tramways 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.