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Rails West! Simulation Game Short Rules --------------------------------------- Docs Written by: The Kid Edited by: Wile Coyote Note: These are the "Short Rules" provided by Strategic Simulations. It is the bare bones necessary to play the game. To really understand the game and get some hints about strategy you will need the longer docs. These will be provided in a separate file. (A color monitor is highly advisable.) Number of Players: 1-8, up to 4 can be controlled by the computer Length of Game: Long Scenario lasts 31 turns (1870-1900) Short Scenario lasts either 6 turns (1890-95) or 11 (1890-1900) Object of Game: Accumulate cash, stocks, and bonds and control viable transcontinental railroads. A transcontinental runs between one or more of he western terminals (Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, LA, or Mojave) and one or more eastern terminal (St. L MISSING TEXT The Map: There are 33 cities connected by 68 potential/actual rail lines. Potential lines are white. Other colors represent efficiency levels. Violet=low, Orange=medium, Green=high. Phases of a Turn ----------------- 1) Operations: Various economic indicators are calculated at this point. Interest on call loans is collected, bad call loans are called, some randomly selected call loans are called and companies are declared bankrupt as necessary. Action points are deter 2) Computer/Player Phase: With difficulty set at 1 or 2, the computer goes first. Difficulty set at 3, first move is randomly selected and on difficulty 4 the player(s) go first. 3) Computer Action Phase: Computer-run player moves displayed, hitting SPACE BAR will pause it (slight delay in reacting to it). Player Action Phase ------------------- There are two menus (Player Action Menu and RR ACTION Menu, reached by selecting RR ACTION). Most actions cost 1 action point. Free actions are: Read Map, Read Account, RR Statistics, and Read Account (on RR ACTION menu). A bankrupt player or one with no Player Actions -------------- BUY/SELL SECURITIES: Made in blocks of 1000 shares or bonds. Any purchase or sale results in the shock price being recalculated, bond prices are not affected. SELL STOCK: The public never buys stock at less than 3 and buys only as much as it already owns, a minimum of 1000-4000 shares. BUY STOCK: A player must buy with cash. The public never offers all its stock, it offers fewer (Minimum: 1000 shares) higher priced shares and more lower priced shares. SELL BONDS: The public won't buy bonds selling for less than 101. APPLY FOR LOAN: The maximum loan equals the net worth in cash and securities minus previous loans. START NEW RAILROAD: If less than 20 exist, players may start a new RR corporation, acquiring control and 100,000 shares of stock for a minimum payment of $300,000. The new RR must charter a line during the turn or be eliminated. READ ACCOUNT: Your cash balance, call loans, numbers of stocks and bonds. CONTROL RAILROAD: Player must own at least 10% of the RR's shares and more than any other player trying to gain control. RECALL RR LOAN: Player recalls all or part of any loan. To repay, the RR must have the cash and not owe interest on its bonds. REPAY LOAN: Obvious READ MAP: " " RR STATISTICS:" " RR ACTION: Can only be taken for a RR you control. Railroad Actions ---------------- SELL/BUY STOCKS/BONDS: Same as for Player companies except: 1) A RR may buy/sell from player's company or the market, 2) the cash a RR gets goes to paying off call loans, and 3) RRs are not allowed to own securities from other RRs. REPAY BANK LOAN: Repays call loans that result from building or from raising efficiency. RESIGN CONTROL: Do so to save action points. READ ACCOUNT: See how much cash the RR has, how much it owes in call loans, how many unissued stocks and bonds it has. Bankruptcy is shown in negative bank balances. CHARTER LINE: A RR must charter (cost: $300,000) a line segment before it can build on it. May only have one unfinished line at a time. The new line must connect to an existing one, if one exists. It must be completed within a time limit (with exceptions) RAISE EFFICIENCY: The RR does not need cash but must not be bankrupt or owe bond interest to do this. The new color is drawn, several financial operations occur. BUILD NEW LINES: RR must have an uncompleted chartered line and can only do this once per turn on any line. Do not need cash but must not be bankrupt or owe bond interest. Cost is based on economic"level with a premium for more than 15 dots (and a maximum CHANGE DIVIDEND: Set rate between 0 and 25. PAY INTEREST: If the RR passed up paying its bond interest at some point, it may pay 1 year's back interest. May be performed more than once (to pay off older interest). Must have enough cash. FLOAT SECURITIES: RR may float its own securities through an investment banker. The banker may offer free stock to encourage purchases. Banker's charge=10%. These bonds are not subject to the same market forces as stocks. MERGE: One corporation joins with another. Requires 3 action points. Various conditions exist for mergers. - End of Short Rules -