In the multiplayer puzzle game Railroad Ink, your goal is to connect as many exits on your board as possible. Each round, a set of dice are rolled in the middle of the table, determining which kind of road and railway routes are available to all players. You have to draw these routes on your erasable boards to create transport lines and connect your exits, trying to optimize the available symbols better than your opponents.
The more exits you connect, the more points you score at the end of the game, but you lose points for each incomplete route, so plan carefully! Will you press your luck and try to stretch your transportation network to the next exit, or will you play it safe and start a new, simpler to manage route?
Railroad Ink comes in two versions, each one including two expansions with additional dice sets that add new special rules to your games. The Deep Blue Edition includes the Rivers and Lakes expansions. Increase the difficulty by adding the River route into the mix, or use the Lakes to connect your networks by ferry. These special rules can spice up things and make each game play and feel different. Each box allows you to play from 1 to 6 players, and if you combine more boxes, you can play with up to 12 players (or more). The only limit to the number of players is the number of boards you have!
- Super simple to learn
- Great family game with quick rounds
- Drawing element adds a tactile, rewarding feel
- Depth is lighter; best as a quick filler or family game
- railroads and routes
- Rail network planning for a stylized world
- abstract / puzzle-like
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- dice drafting — Roll dice and use results to plan routes on a personal map.
- drawing / pattern building — Draw routes on your board to connect exits efficiently.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
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