Santa Fe Rails
Santa Fe Rails is an Alan Moon design produced earlier this year by GMT Games. I believe Alan's own company (White Wind) published it in a modest way. Another company has repackaged it, with a different emphasis and theme, as 'Clipper'. This short review concentrates on the GMT game as played in a couple of recent gaming sessions.
The theme of the game is railroads across America. The routes are printed on the well mounted mapboard of the USA. The rails are smart wooden blocks in different colours to match the rail companies.
Each player - it will do from 3-6 - is competing to have the most points at the end of the game. Players score points at the rate of $1 equals 1 point. More importantly, players also score points (a) while laying track during the game and (b) at the end of the game, according to the city cards they have played.
Begin
The game starts with each player dealt a hand of four city cards. Each city on the map is worth a basic 2 to 7 points and there are between 1 and 2 cards for each city. The game turn is:
- Replace cards (not done on the first turn), then
- Play cards (done simultaneously), then
- First track building round (done in sequence), then
- Second track building round (again in sequence). This ends the turn.
The youngest player starts the game and is given a cute train piece to remind everyone. At the end of each turn this is passed on, clockwise so that every player will get a shot at going first.
Cards
Players select their card and reveal them all at the same time. The basic city card has the name of a city. At the end of the game you score that number of points (shown on the card) multiplied by the number of different rail lines running through the city on the board. For example, Billings is a 5 point city. If it has 2 rail lines through it and you have played the card you score 10 points. (Anyone struggling with the scoring should not be allowed out on their own.) What this means is that eagle eyed players can see where your scoring cities are and try to drive the track away. Or, at least, that's the theory. We found that our play did not go that deep.
As well as the basic city card there are cards you can draw (by choice) when you fill your hand allowing:- double track laying in each round and double point scoring, or
- triple track laying in each round but no point scoring, or
- quadruple track laying in one round and normal point scoring, or
- making a small (2 or 3 rated city) into a boomtown (4 or 5 rated), or
- branch line building (explained later).
Apart from the city cards - which are drawn face down from the main deck - the other cards are face up and can be seen and chosen by anyone. However, there is always one less double card than there are players so you cannot guarantee availability. The double cards, and the unique triple and quadruple cards and the boomtown are recycled. However, the branch cards are not.
Trackbuilding
This is easy. In your turn you can lay track for any of the rail lines. There are 5 major railroads. The railroads must flow in a straight line (starting from their base city) unless you play a branch line. The branch line allows you to branch off! In typical Moon fashion, there are 4 Short Lines (smaller rail line companies) whose availability is randomly introduced by the deck. Short Lines do not need branch lines and so are much more flexible.
While playing track, if you are the first to connect any rail line to a city you receive a $2 bonus. There are some cities that are colour coded (eg Salt Lake City is coded Red and White) and these offer an extra $4 for that colour. So, a player building the first rail line into Salt Lake City that is also white will receive $6. And if he has played a double card that becomes $12. But of course, if he has played the double card he has not been able to put down a scoring city for the end game. Yes, folks, balancing what you do in the turn is important. And it is even more important to get the balance right over several turns. Falling behind in cards on the table does not seem like a good idea.
The game ends when the 5 major lines are dead ended. This happens because of the limitations on building track. They are not difficult to master but it's worthwhile keeping an eagle eye on this. Our first game ended before the Short Lines appeared and was very low scoring.
The play and the package
Although the rules are simple, the package comes together quite well. There are plenty of subtleties but I suspect some will stay hidden until the game has been played several more times. For example, we found boomtown cards to be of very limited value but maybe that was our dud play.
Mechanically it is easy to handle although the rules and components do not quite get top marks. Unfortunately there is a printing error on the cards. Boomtown cards cost $1 but this has been printed, instead, on the quadruple (4 in 1) card. Also, you are restricted as to what cards you can draw and hold. Some must be played in the round you draw them. This should have been made clearer in the rules (it's there but the layout could have been better) and it certainly should have been on the cards; as should whether the card is recycled. Shame.
On the plus side, the game is fast - easily inside two hours for 4 or 5 players - and has an optional terrain rule (making you pay for laying certain track) for those who want to complicate matters. That did not appeal to us as being necessary but doubtless some will say it's the only way to play. Also, even if you are out of the hunt for the win there's still plenty for you to do. And by plugging away you might just pull out a surprise. Beware, though, the man with lots of 7 rated city cards on the table is likely to be smiling at the end of the game!
The minor (but annoying) production glitches should not stop you buying the game. It's a hefty boxed production that comes damn close to the top drawer of replayable long lasting classics like Medici and Modern Art. The components - glitches aside - are solid. The packaging is excellent. If this gets into a retail location it will not fade into the background and be forgotten. I hope it sells well.
From a player's perspective there is something very satisfying about manufacturing a win in a game like this. Mastering the scoring combinations is not easy and with good players any win will be something to celebrate. Inevitably, the random element is there. Sometimes this is because other players refuse to do what you think they should(!) or even go so far as to continually set up scoring opportunities for your other opponents. Nevertheless, the game has no obvious scoring bias. The player going first or last has advantages and disadvantages that are equal to my mind.
I know GMT are relatively new to the Euro scene and I am sure they will have learned a lot from the birth of this game. GMT support their products to the hilt which is one reason I support them. Frankly, with quality products like this, it's not a hard thing to do. It's a very good game. Recommended.
Ellis Simpson
5 June 2002
