Description
An empty grid on the board, twelve exits around the edge, a marker in your hand. In Railroad Ink: Deep Blue Edition you draw a network of railways and roads that should connect as many exits as possible. Everyone plays at the same time with the same dice, yet by the end every board looks completely different.
How to play Railroad Ink: Deep Blue Edition
The game lasts seven rounds. At the start of each round, four route dice are rolled. You must draw all four routes on your board, each one next to an exit or to a route you have already drawn; you may rotate and mirror them. A railway and a road can only be connected at a station. Once per round you may add one of the six special routes, but no more than three in the whole game.
At the end, your networks are scored: the more exits you connect into one network, the more points it is worth. You also get a point for each square of your longest railway and your longest road, and for each filled square in the centre of the board. Every open end of a route costs you a point.
Why you will love it
- Everyone draws at the same time, so there is no waiting, whether you play alone or with six players.
- Only three special routes in the whole game. Deciding when to use them is the hardest choice.
- Rivers expansion: the river is a third type of route, which roads and railways can only cross at a bridge. A river running from one edge of the board to the other is worth 3 extra points.
- Lakes expansion: networks you bring to the same lake with piers are connected to each other. Points come from the smallest lake on your board.
Who is Railroad Ink: Deep Blue Edition for?
The game is for 1 to 6 players aged 8 and up and takes 20 to 30 minutes. It is easy to learn, and players like it best with two. There is no text on the boards or dice; the rules are in English. It will appeal to people who enjoy drawing and solving spatial puzzles. The dice are the same for everyone, so a bad roll never puts anyone at a disadvantage compared with the others.
With an expansion, the game lasts six rounds. With several boxes you can play in a larger group: according to the publisher, the only limit is the number of boards. Our shop also has Railroad Ink: Blazing Red and Railroad Ink Challenge: Shining Yellow.
What you might not like
Everyone draws on their own board, so you cannot get in each other's way during the game. It may not suit players who like lots of head-to-head conflict at the table.
What's in the box
- 6 drawing boards and 6 dry-erase markers
- 4 route dice
- 2 Rivers expansion dice and 2 Lakes expansion dice
- rules in English
