Overview
At a glance
Is this game right for my group?
ABG editorial scores on a 1–5 scale.
Harder to teach
High replayability
Highly interactive
Scales well
Deep strategy
How it plays
How does it play?
In Penny Rails, you are a potention shareholder in three Train Lines – the Lincoln Line, the Jefferson Line, and the Roosevelt Line – all expanding westward across the United States.
Core mechanisms
Key systems that shape the decisions players make.
Stock Holding
Acquire shares whose value depends on companies, assets, or player actions.
Investment
Commit resources now to improve income, control, or value later.
Hand Management
Time and sequence a limited hand of cards to preserve future options.
Network and Route Building
Create connected routes that improve reach, delivery, control, or scoring.
Tile Placement
Place tiles to build a shared or personal spatial arrangement.
Read the full game description
In Penny Rails, you are a potention shareholder in three Train Lines – the Lincoln Line, the Jefferson Line, and the Roosevelt Line – all expanding westward across the United States. Through trading shares, increasing the Income of the Train Lines, and encouraging Expansion in the areas around them, you attempt to make it from New York to St. Louis with the most money. Expansion and money, they go hand in hand. The great railways are expanding west which means there are fortunes to be made! Get ready to ride the rails as we wheel and deal shares of the Lincoln, Jefferson, and Roosevelt lines. If we play our cards right all the way from New York to St. Louis, we'll become rail barons overnight. Rest assured folks, this is the real McCoy! In Penny Rails, players are stock holders in expanding rail lines reaching across the US. Using only 18 cards and some loose change, you can relive the excitement of westward expansion right on your tabletop. Every turn you’ll get a chance to gain stocks or lay cards to build routes and increase your stock value! Each move counts as players vie for shares of the most profitable lines. When the first train pulls into the rail yard of St. Louis the player with the most profits wins. Will it be you?