Last week on Thanksgiving eve we started a game of Rails of New England. The name implies that it’s a train game. While it does have tracks and train depots it is really more a business management game where location is key. Players build businesses in various cities to generate money. Each round the game has an economic condition (Prosperity, Normal, & Depression) which affects how much money is generated. Building depots on the cities where your business are helps “connect†them. Connected cities earn you more money. If you haven’t figured it out yet, the key to winning the game is money. There are also special actions, state subsidies, and special routes that players may claim during the game. Most of these generate even more money. Money, money, money.
In a couple hours we got about half way through the game. (This includes going over the rules.) Like many games we play, the rules and bits of this game make it appear complicated. It’s really not. Once you get a few simple concepts down, you’re soon on your way to building a business and railroad empire.
We stopped the game on a high note—a year of prosperity where we all earned lots of money. We’ll pick the game back up where we left off in about two weeks. Until then we’ll be planning and strategizing our next moves.
Who am I kidding? When we get back together, we’ll spend the first 30 minutes remembering how to play the game. Then it’s all luck and bickering for the rest of the evening.
Chaos Steve