- BGG rating
- 6.2
Yardmaster Express: Caboose Expansion
- 2–5 players
- 10 min
- Complexity 1.1/5
- 2014
- BGG rank
- BGG #10,798
- BGG rating
- 5.7
Yardmaster Express
2014
Rules assistance for Yardmaster Express
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–5 players
- 5–10 min
- 6+
- Complexity 1.1/5
Rules assistant for Yardmaster Express
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Yardmaster Express is a board game released in 2014 for 2–5 players, 5–10 minutes per game, and ages 6 and up. It was designed by David Short and its main mechanics are Set Collection and Open Drafting.
Expansions
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About the game
In Yardmaster Express, two to five players compete to have the highest valued train after a set number of rounds. The game starts with the first player drafting a Railcar card from his hand, attaching it to his train, then passing the rest of his hand to the player to his left. This draft continues until all players have added one Railcar to their train for each round of the game. The trick is, while each new Railcar must match the resource type or value of the one previously played, players always have the option to play any card face down as a Wild Railcar; the Wild Railcars don't have much value, but they can be used to save a player in a bind or to thwart your opponents by "hiding" a card they need. Yardmaster Express plays in ten minutes and consists of just 32 cards (no tokens, no cargo cards).
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- (Web published)
- IELLO
- Nasza Księgarnia
- Mancalamaro
- Crash Games
Questions and answers
Yardmaster Express 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 Yardmaster Express is 5–10 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 Yardmaster Express for ages 6 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.
Yardmaster Express has a complexity rating of 1.1 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.
Yardmaster Express belongs to these categories: Card Game, Print & Play, and Trains. Its main mechanics are Set Collection 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 Yardmaster Express are: David Short. 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 Yardmaster Express 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.