Yardmaster
Yardmaster
Rules of the Rails
A card game by Steven Aramini
Crash Games
2-5 players
20 minutes
13+
Objective
You are in the freight yard, competing to load your train first by reaching the point goal. To score, you must collect Cargo, which can be used to buy Railcars. Each Railcar has a point value from 1 to 4. The more Railcars you add to your train, the more you score!
Contents
50 Railcar Cards
(10 Coal, 10 Livestock, 10 Oil, 10 Timber, 10 Automobile)
70 Cargo Cards
(12 Coal, 12 Livestock, 12 Oil, 12 Timber, 12 Automobile, 10 Bonus)
5 Engine Cards
6 tokens
(5 Exchange, 1 Yardmaster)
This Rule Book
Point Goal
2 & 3 players - 18 points
4 & 5 players - 16 points
Set-Up
1. Separate the Cards into three Decks: Engines, Railcars and Cargo.
2. Each player takes an engine, placing it face up in front of them. Remove any extra engines from the game.
3. Shuffle the Railcar Deck and turn the top 4 Cards face up in the center of the table to form the Arrival Yard.
4. Set the rest of the Railcar Deck face down to the left of the Arrival Yard to form the Railcar draw pile.
5. Shuffle the 5 Exchange Rate Tokens and deal one Token to each player, placing it face up in his/her play area. If playing with 2, 3, or 4 players, place the extra Exchange Rate Token(s) face up in the center of the table, beside the Arrival Yard.
6. Shuffle the Cargo Deck and deal each player 5 Cargo Cards face down.
7. Set the rest of the Cargo Deck face down to the right of the Arrival Yard to form the Cargo Draw Pile.
8. Turn over the top Card from the Cargo Draw Pile and place it face up beside the pile to form a discard pile.
9. The player who was on a train last goes first.
10. Give the Yardmaster Token to the player to the immediate right of the player that is going first (if 2 are playing, give the Yardmaster Token to the player opposite the start player), who places it face up (labelled “YARDMASTER”) in his/her play area.
11. Each player also has a Sorting Yard area underneath his/her train. To begin the game, all Sorting Yard areas are empty.
12. Players may now look at their Cards. Keep your Cards in hand secret until you are ready to play them.
You're ready to begin!
Two Player
Set-up example[Fig 1]
Player 1 has the livestock exchange rate token, an engine, and 5 cargo cards. The sorting yard for the player is empty.
Player 2 has the Yardmaster and oil exchange rate token, an engine and 5 cargo cards. The sorting yard for the player is empty.
Between them is the other 3 exchange rate tokens, the railcar draw pile, the cargo draw pile, cargo discard pile(1 card in discard to start) and 4 cars in the arrival yard.
ON YOUR TURN: You may take any TWO actions from the following three options. It may be two of the same or two different actions in any order you choose. When taking each action, announce it to your opponents. This helps in tracking how many turns you’ve taken since some actions involve several steps.
1) Draw a Cargo Card and add it to your hand. You may draw either the top face-down Card from the Cargo Draw Pile (blind draw) OR the top face-up Card from the Cargo Discard pile...unless the discard pile is empty OR the top Card is a Bonus Card (marked by an orange “X”), which may not be removed from the discard pile. There is no limit to the amount of Cargo Cards a player may have in his/her hand.
2) Buy one Railcar from the Arrival Yard. You may buy any one of the face-up Railcars in the Arrival Yard, but only if you have the right kind of Cargo. To buy a Railcar, discard Cargo from your hand corresponding to the color and number on the Railcar you want to buy. Place the Cargo face up on the Cargo Discard pile and take the Railcar. After buying a Railcar, immediately replace it by turning over a new Railcar from the Railcar draw pile so that the Arrival Yard once again has four Railcars face up. You may only buy one Railcar per action.
Example[fig 2]
3 cards are for sale in the arrival yard. timber valued 1, coal valued 3 and oil valued 2.
The player buys the "coal 3" railcar from the arrival yard by discarding three coal cargo cards from his/her hand.
3) Swap Exchange Rate Tokens. You may spend an action to swap Exchange Rate Tokens with another player of your choice or with a Token from the center of play (NOTE: in a 5-player game, there are no Tokens in the center of play). A player may never have more or less than one Exchange Rate Token in his play area, nor can a player refuse to swap Exchange Rate Tokens.
Using your Exchange Rate Token: There are 5 Exchange Rate Tokens in the game, representing the 5 Cargo types. Whenever you buy a Railcar, the Token in your play area allows you to discard two Cargo Cards of the type shown on the Token to represent one Cargo Card of another type. Just announce that you are using the Exchange Rate and discard the two Cargo Cards matching your Token along with any other appropriate Cargo to buy the desired Railcar. You determine the order of discard. After using the Token, keep it in your play area. You may use it as many times as you wish.
Example[fig 3]
3 cards are for sale in the arrival yard. timber valued 1, coal valued 3 and oil valued 2.
Using their exchange rate token for livestock the player buys the "coal 3" railcar from the arrival yard by discarding two coal cargo cards and two livestock cards from his/her hand.
Loading your Railcar: After buying a Railcar, you MUST place it in line behind your engine to score only if it matches the color or point value of the Railcar in front of it. Because your engine has no color or point value, the first Railcar you load may be any color or point value. NOTE: As you add more Railcars, your train will get longer! If your table has space constraints, you can slightly overlap Railcars or curve your train to fit the available space.
Example[fig 4]
A player has an engine attached to a livestock 4 and a livestock 3 card. He has just purchased the oil 3 card.
The oil 3 railcar is the same point value as the last railcar in the line(livestock 3) therefore it must be loaded immediately, thus extending the player's train.
Your Sorting Yard: If you buy a Railcar that does NOT match the color or point value of the last Railcar in line, it must instead be placed face-up in your Sorting Yard, below the train.
Example[fig 5]
A player has an engine attached to a livestock 4 and a livestock 3 card. He has just purchased the oil 2 card.
The oil 2 railcard, which is both a different color and point value than the last railcar in line (livestock 3). Therefore it must be placed face-up in the player's sorting yard.
Think of your Sorting Yard as a holding area for Railcars that have been paid for but can’t be loaded yet. To move a Railcar out of your Sorting Yard and onto your train, it must match the color or point value of the last Railcar in line. Whenever you add a new Railcar to your train, check to see if any Railcars in your Sorting Yard can be moved in line as a result. If so, then you MAY move eligible Railcars from your Sorting Yard to your train to score. This is a free move (it does not cost you an action)!
You may move as many Railcars as you want from your Sorting Yard to your train on the same turn, as long as each Railcar matches the color or point value of the Railcar in front of it when loaded. Railcars that do not match the color or point value must remain in your Sorting Yard. There is no limit to the number of Railcars you may have in your Sorting Yard. IMPORTANT: If you purchase a Railcar from the Arrival Yard that can legally attach to your train, then you MUST attach it to your train.
Example[fig 6]
A player has an engine attached to a coal 2. The player also has timber 4 and a livestock 3 in the sorting yard. The player adds “timber 2” to his/her train. As a result, “timber 4” in his/her Sorting Yard is eligible for loading, because it matches the type of the last Railcar in line. The player moves it behind “green 2” to score. However, “livestock 3” is not eligible, because it is a different color and point value than the last Railcar in line (“timber 4”), and must remain in the Sorting Yard.
YARDMASTER: The role of Yardmaster changes from player to player throughout the game.
If you have the Yardmaster, Token then you get a special privilege – you are allowed to take ONE ADDITIONAL ACTION on your turn (three actions total)!
After taking your turn, pass the Yardmaster Token to the player on your right (counterclockwise), who places the Token face up in front of his/ her engine to assume the role of Yardmaster on his/her next turn. A player may not keep the Yardmaster Token longer than one turn.
EXCEPTION: In a two-player game, pass the Yardmaster Token facedown to your opponent, who does NOT assume the Yardmaster role on his/her next turn. Instead, your opponent takes the turn as normal (two actions), after which he/she flips the Yardmaster Token to activate the Yardmaster Token for his/her following turn.
Bonus Cards: Within the Cargo Draw Pile are ten Bonus Cards. If you draw a Bonus Card, add it to your hand just as you would a normal Cargo Card. A Bonus Card does not cost you an action to play it, and you may choose to play it on the same turn you drew it OR keep it in your hand to play on a later turn. If you drew the Bonus Card as your last action, you must wait until your next turn to play it.
You may play multiple Bonus Cards on the same turn.
When you are ready to play a Bonus Card, place it face up on the Cargo Discard pile and take the Bonus listed on the Card. You may not play a Bonus Card on an opponent’s turn. Bonus Cards may not be removed from the discard pile. After playing a Bonus Card, if you have not yet taken all of your actions, you may still do so.
The 5 Bonus cards (2 of each)
DRAW 2 CARGO CARDS
Discard this Bonus Card to draw two Cargo Cards and add them to your hand. You may draw these cards in any combination from the Cargo Draw Pile or the Cargo Discard Pile and add them to your hand.
PAY 1 LESS
Discard this Bonus Card to pay one Cargo Card less to buy a single Railcar from the Arrival Yard. If the point value of the Railcar is “1”, you pay nothing. Buying the Railcar Card still costs you one action.
TAKE 1 DISCARDED
Discard this Bonus Card to search and take any 1 Cargo Card from the Cargo Discard Pile including Bonus Cards.
PLUS 1 ACTION
Discard this Bonus Card to take an additional action on your turn.
EXCHANGE 1:1
Discard this Bonus Card to pay 1:1 with your current Exchange Rate Token for one purchase. For example, if you have the Livestock Exchange Rate Token and you play the 1:1 Exchange Bonus Card all of your Livestock Cargo Cards in your hand are essentially “wild” for one purchase only.
AT THE END OF YOUR TURN, CHECK THE FOLLOWING:
· If you just played the role of Yardmaster, don’t forget to pass it to the player on your right (or in a two-player game, if the Yardmaster Token is face down, don’t forget to flip it over to activate the role).
· If the Cargo Draw Pile is empty, leave the top discard Card in the discard pile, reshuffle the rest of the Deck to form a new Cargo Draw Pile, and continue play.
Announce “Go” and your turn is over. Play moves left (clockwise) to the next player.
WINNING
The first player to reach the point goal wins! An exact number is not needed. Only Railcars that have been added to your train are scored. Railcars in your Sorting Yard are not scored.
GAME CREDITS GAME DESIGN: Steven Aramini
GAME DEVELOPMENT: Patrick Nickell, David Short, Spencer Munoz
ART: Dan Thompson
GRAPHIC DESIGN: Darrell Louder
Steven would like to thank his wife, Teresa, and his family, Patrick Nickell, Dan Thompson, Janice Baker, Anne White, Chris Aynesworth, Mark Carey, Steve Janecka at Games Galore in Reno, Amy Carlson, Joe Kisenwether, RenoAreaGamers2, and everyone else who supported me. I can’t express my gratitude enough!
Patrick Nickell would like to thank Steven Aramini, Dan Thompson, Dan Naylor, The SaltCon Crew, Darrell Louder, David Short, Spencer Munoz, Richard Ham and my amazing wife Jess. Making games is truly a team effort and without all of them Yardmaster wouldn’t be what it is.
I’ve never thanked all the people that have influenced me and my creativity and helped me grow into who I am today so here goes: Thank you to Tikki Tikki Tembo..., Ping, the true VW Bumblebee, Falcor, Joelle Tonkovich, The O.B. Gang, Amy Grant, Tony Gwynn, Agent Mulder & Scully, Rogue, Calvin & Hobbes, Reel Big Fish, Sublime, Third Day, Gordon Wohlers, Jack Bauer, W.W., Wolfgang Kramer, and the many more that I’m surely forgetting.
Thank you to all the play testers across the world!
Accessible rules transcribed by Richard Gibbs for 64 Oz. Games accessibility kit in accordance with copyright law, 17 U.S.C. § 121:
Rules of the Rails
A card game by Steven Aramini
Crash Games
2-5 players
20 minutes
13+
Objective
You are in the freight yard, competing to load your train first by reaching the point goal. To score, you must collect Cargo, which can be used to buy Railcars. Each Railcar has a point value from 1 to 4. The more Railcars you add to your train, the more you score!
Contents
50 Railcar Cards
(10 Coal, 10 Livestock, 10 Oil, 10 Timber, 10 Automobile)
70 Cargo Cards
(12 Coal, 12 Livestock, 12 Oil, 12 Timber, 12 Automobile, 10 Bonus)
5 Engine Cards
6 tokens
(5 Exchange, 1 Yardmaster)
This Rule Book
Point Goal
2 & 3 players - 18 points
4 & 5 players - 16 points
Set-Up
1. Separate the Cards into three Decks: Engines, Railcars and Cargo.
2. Each player takes an engine, placing it face up in front of them. Remove any extra engines from the game.
3. Shuffle the Railcar Deck and turn the top 4 Cards face up in the center of the table to form the Arrival Yard.
4. Set the rest of the Railcar Deck face down to the left of the Arrival Yard to form the Railcar draw pile.
5. Shuffle the 5 Exchange Rate Tokens and deal one Token to each player, placing it face up in his/her play area. If playing with 2, 3, or 4 players, place the extra Exchange Rate Token(s) face up in the center of the table, beside the Arrival Yard.
6. Shuffle the Cargo Deck and deal each player 5 Cargo Cards face down.
7. Set the rest of the Cargo Deck face down to the right of the Arrival Yard to form the Cargo Draw Pile.
8. Turn over the top Card from the Cargo Draw Pile and place it face up beside the pile to form a discard pile.
9. The player who was on a train last goes first.
10. Give the Yardmaster Token to the player to the immediate right of the player that is going first (if 2 are playing, give the Yardmaster Token to the player opposite the start player), who places it face up (labelled “YARDMASTER”) in his/her play area.
11. Each player also has a Sorting Yard area underneath his/her train. To begin the game, all Sorting Yard areas are empty.
12. Players may now look at their Cards. Keep your Cards in hand secret until you are ready to play them.
You're ready to begin!
Two Player
Set-up example[Fig 1]
Player 1 has the livestock exchange rate token, an engine, and 5 cargo cards. The sorting yard for the player is empty.
Player 2 has the Yardmaster and oil exchange rate token, an engine and 5 cargo cards. The sorting yard for the player is empty.
Between them is the other 3 exchange rate tokens, the railcar draw pile, the cargo draw pile, cargo discard pile(1 card in discard to start) and 4 cars in the arrival yard.
ON YOUR TURN: You may take any TWO actions from the following three options. It may be two of the same or two different actions in any order you choose. When taking each action, announce it to your opponents. This helps in tracking how many turns you’ve taken since some actions involve several steps.
1) Draw a Cargo Card and add it to your hand. You may draw either the top face-down Card from the Cargo Draw Pile (blind draw) OR the top face-up Card from the Cargo Discard pile...unless the discard pile is empty OR the top Card is a Bonus Card (marked by an orange “X”), which may not be removed from the discard pile. There is no limit to the amount of Cargo Cards a player may have in his/her hand.
2) Buy one Railcar from the Arrival Yard. You may buy any one of the face-up Railcars in the Arrival Yard, but only if you have the right kind of Cargo. To buy a Railcar, discard Cargo from your hand corresponding to the color and number on the Railcar you want to buy. Place the Cargo face up on the Cargo Discard pile and take the Railcar. After buying a Railcar, immediately replace it by turning over a new Railcar from the Railcar draw pile so that the Arrival Yard once again has four Railcars face up. You may only buy one Railcar per action.
Example[fig 2]
3 cards are for sale in the arrival yard. timber valued 1, coal valued 3 and oil valued 2.
The player buys the "coal 3" railcar from the arrival yard by discarding three coal cargo cards from his/her hand.
3) Swap Exchange Rate Tokens. You may spend an action to swap Exchange Rate Tokens with another player of your choice or with a Token from the center of play (NOTE: in a 5-player game, there are no Tokens in the center of play). A player may never have more or less than one Exchange Rate Token in his play area, nor can a player refuse to swap Exchange Rate Tokens.
Using your Exchange Rate Token: There are 5 Exchange Rate Tokens in the game, representing the 5 Cargo types. Whenever you buy a Railcar, the Token in your play area allows you to discard two Cargo Cards of the type shown on the Token to represent one Cargo Card of another type. Just announce that you are using the Exchange Rate and discard the two Cargo Cards matching your Token along with any other appropriate Cargo to buy the desired Railcar. You determine the order of discard. After using the Token, keep it in your play area. You may use it as many times as you wish.
Example[fig 3]
3 cards are for sale in the arrival yard. timber valued 1, coal valued 3 and oil valued 2.
Using their exchange rate token for livestock the player buys the "coal 3" railcar from the arrival yard by discarding two coal cargo cards and two livestock cards from his/her hand.
Loading your Railcar: After buying a Railcar, you MUST place it in line behind your engine to score only if it matches the color or point value of the Railcar in front of it. Because your engine has no color or point value, the first Railcar you load may be any color or point value. NOTE: As you add more Railcars, your train will get longer! If your table has space constraints, you can slightly overlap Railcars or curve your train to fit the available space.
Example[fig 4]
A player has an engine attached to a livestock 4 and a livestock 3 card. He has just purchased the oil 3 card.
The oil 3 railcar is the same point value as the last railcar in the line(livestock 3) therefore it must be loaded immediately, thus extending the player's train.
Your Sorting Yard: If you buy a Railcar that does NOT match the color or point value of the last Railcar in line, it must instead be placed face-up in your Sorting Yard, below the train.
Example[fig 5]
A player has an engine attached to a livestock 4 and a livestock 3 card. He has just purchased the oil 2 card.
The oil 2 railcard, which is both a different color and point value than the last railcar in line (livestock 3). Therefore it must be placed face-up in the player's sorting yard.
Think of your Sorting Yard as a holding area for Railcars that have been paid for but can’t be loaded yet. To move a Railcar out of your Sorting Yard and onto your train, it must match the color or point value of the last Railcar in line. Whenever you add a new Railcar to your train, check to see if any Railcars in your Sorting Yard can be moved in line as a result. If so, then you MAY move eligible Railcars from your Sorting Yard to your train to score. This is a free move (it does not cost you an action)!
You may move as many Railcars as you want from your Sorting Yard to your train on the same turn, as long as each Railcar matches the color or point value of the Railcar in front of it when loaded. Railcars that do not match the color or point value must remain in your Sorting Yard. There is no limit to the number of Railcars you may have in your Sorting Yard. IMPORTANT: If you purchase a Railcar from the Arrival Yard that can legally attach to your train, then you MUST attach it to your train.
Example[fig 6]
A player has an engine attached to a coal 2. The player also has timber 4 and a livestock 3 in the sorting yard. The player adds “timber 2” to his/her train. As a result, “timber 4” in his/her Sorting Yard is eligible for loading, because it matches the type of the last Railcar in line. The player moves it behind “green 2” to score. However, “livestock 3” is not eligible, because it is a different color and point value than the last Railcar in line (“timber 4”), and must remain in the Sorting Yard.
YARDMASTER: The role of Yardmaster changes from player to player throughout the game.
If you have the Yardmaster, Token then you get a special privilege – you are allowed to take ONE ADDITIONAL ACTION on your turn (three actions total)!
After taking your turn, pass the Yardmaster Token to the player on your right (counterclockwise), who places the Token face up in front of his/ her engine to assume the role of Yardmaster on his/her next turn. A player may not keep the Yardmaster Token longer than one turn.
EXCEPTION: In a two-player game, pass the Yardmaster Token facedown to your opponent, who does NOT assume the Yardmaster role on his/her next turn. Instead, your opponent takes the turn as normal (two actions), after which he/she flips the Yardmaster Token to activate the Yardmaster Token for his/her following turn.
Bonus Cards: Within the Cargo Draw Pile are ten Bonus Cards. If you draw a Bonus Card, add it to your hand just as you would a normal Cargo Card. A Bonus Card does not cost you an action to play it, and you may choose to play it on the same turn you drew it OR keep it in your hand to play on a later turn. If you drew the Bonus Card as your last action, you must wait until your next turn to play it.
You may play multiple Bonus Cards on the same turn.
When you are ready to play a Bonus Card, place it face up on the Cargo Discard pile and take the Bonus listed on the Card. You may not play a Bonus Card on an opponent’s turn. Bonus Cards may not be removed from the discard pile. After playing a Bonus Card, if you have not yet taken all of your actions, you may still do so.
The 5 Bonus cards (2 of each)
DRAW 2 CARGO CARDS
Discard this Bonus Card to draw two Cargo Cards and add them to your hand. You may draw these cards in any combination from the Cargo Draw Pile or the Cargo Discard Pile and add them to your hand.
PAY 1 LESS
Discard this Bonus Card to pay one Cargo Card less to buy a single Railcar from the Arrival Yard. If the point value of the Railcar is “1”, you pay nothing. Buying the Railcar Card still costs you one action.
TAKE 1 DISCARDED
Discard this Bonus Card to search and take any 1 Cargo Card from the Cargo Discard Pile including Bonus Cards.
PLUS 1 ACTION
Discard this Bonus Card to take an additional action on your turn.
EXCHANGE 1:1
Discard this Bonus Card to pay 1:1 with your current Exchange Rate Token for one purchase. For example, if you have the Livestock Exchange Rate Token and you play the 1:1 Exchange Bonus Card all of your Livestock Cargo Cards in your hand are essentially “wild” for one purchase only.
AT THE END OF YOUR TURN, CHECK THE FOLLOWING:
· If you just played the role of Yardmaster, don’t forget to pass it to the player on your right (or in a two-player game, if the Yardmaster Token is face down, don’t forget to flip it over to activate the role).
· If the Cargo Draw Pile is empty, leave the top discard Card in the discard pile, reshuffle the rest of the Deck to form a new Cargo Draw Pile, and continue play.
Announce “Go” and your turn is over. Play moves left (clockwise) to the next player.
WINNING
The first player to reach the point goal wins! An exact number is not needed. Only Railcars that have been added to your train are scored. Railcars in your Sorting Yard are not scored.
GAME CREDITS GAME DESIGN: Steven Aramini
GAME DEVELOPMENT: Patrick Nickell, David Short, Spencer Munoz
ART: Dan Thompson
GRAPHIC DESIGN: Darrell Louder
Steven would like to thank his wife, Teresa, and his family, Patrick Nickell, Dan Thompson, Janice Baker, Anne White, Chris Aynesworth, Mark Carey, Steve Janecka at Games Galore in Reno, Amy Carlson, Joe Kisenwether, RenoAreaGamers2, and everyone else who supported me. I can’t express my gratitude enough!
Patrick Nickell would like to thank Steven Aramini, Dan Thompson, Dan Naylor, The SaltCon Crew, Darrell Louder, David Short, Spencer Munoz, Richard Ham and my amazing wife Jess. Making games is truly a team effort and without all of them Yardmaster wouldn’t be what it is.
I’ve never thanked all the people that have influenced me and my creativity and helped me grow into who I am today so here goes: Thank you to Tikki Tikki Tembo..., Ping, the true VW Bumblebee, Falcor, Joelle Tonkovich, The O.B. Gang, Amy Grant, Tony Gwynn, Agent Mulder & Scully, Rogue, Calvin & Hobbes, Reel Big Fish, Sublime, Third Day, Gordon Wohlers, Jack Bauer, W.W., Wolfgang Kramer, and the many more that I’m surely forgetting.
Thank you to all the play testers across the world!
Accessible rules transcribed by Richard Gibbs for 64 Oz. Games accessibility kit in accordance with copyright law, 17 U.S.C. § 121: