A roll and write game of rails across various terrain where players try to connect Cities, buy and sell goods, and complete contracts. Players are responsible for upgrading their trains to be able to develop better abilities and make their travel easier and more profitable. The Conductor and Engineer lend a hand as well as the occasional Station that can be dropped on an empty hex of the map to complete those languishing routes.
Each turn a pair of dice are rolled. All players use the same dice to complete an action: place a track, hire Conductor and Engineer, work toward a train upgrade, buy or sell a Good.
Clever placement is the order of the day in this game, players will find themselves feeling like their trains are in vain on non-connected tracks until it all comes together and Contracts start flying off the board.
Train in Vain plays 1+ players, meaning any number of players could play as long as they have access to the dice.
—description from the designer