From: shoham@ll.mit.edu (Daniel Shoham)
Subject: Re: Eurorails house rules
Organization: MIT Lincoln Laboratory
Distribution: usa
Date: Wed, 19 Aug 92 04:35:27 GMT

In article <16r9qhINN2dl@grapevine.EBay.Sun.COM> wag@georwell.EBay.Sun.COM writes:
>Has anyone posted a set of house rules or variants for
>Eurorails?  If so, could they repost or email me direct?

M.I.T. Strategic Games Society   house rules:
---------------------------------------------
Some are official variants that we adapted, and some are really clarifications;
but we list them anyway for compleatness

1. Public cards and second turn build:
   The first turn build is normal. The second turn is taken in the *same*
order as the first. Before the *second* and each subsequent player build,
a public card is played (for a total of one less public cards than players).
Public cards stay face up and are playable by any player. Once a player
executes a public card, it is replaced (so the number of public cards
never change).

2. Ferry free point:
   The point on the other side of a ferry will not count during the half-
speed movment. This extra movment allowance make it possible to reach some
cities directly from the Ferry, and to do some Ferry-to-Ferry movment in
one turn. (missing a city/ferry by one point is frustrating).

3. Scandinevia Subsidy:
   The socialists of Scandinavia would subsidize investments in their
countries. In any given player turn, the first $5 of construction in
Scandinavia are at full price, and the reminder is 1/2 priced (rounded up).
Scandinavia is defined as: All of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden; plus all inlets
in the Baltic Sea. Ferries connecting to Scandinavia *are* covered (regardless
from which side they are build). (Thats includes the $16 Ferry). We found that
with this rule, good players no longer neglect Scandinavia as before, or rash
to build multiple tracks there.

4. 16-3 Trains:
   After, and only after, you have a train of speed 12 and 3 cargos; you
may spend $20 to improve to a train of speed 16 (and 3 cargos).

5. No Hedrian Wall:
   An agressive move, is to cut off northern England from the other players
by fully building the narrow area (if you are allready connected to Newcastle,
this can be done for as little as $5). We call this a Hedrian Wall. The move 
is not specifically Illegal as opponents may theoretically use the expensive
Ferry(ies) to bypass the wall. We have found this move to be too powerfull, and
outlawed it. The rule now states that a build is deemed illegal if it forces
someone who is entitled to enter a city to do so only with the aid of a Ferry
that was not needed otherwise.

6. $350 limit:
   Victory condition is $350, and a network that connects all major cities
with one exeption at most. Income tax above $250 is charged, as usual,
at $5 for each $50.

7. One turn warning:
   This is really a tradition, not a rule. When a player is within a turn of
victory he will issue a "one turn warning" to the field. Other players may
then choose to dump their cards (however valuable) in the hope of derailing
or otherwise disastering the leader. Players in very good position (say, 2
turns from victory) must decide weather to dump cards (and set themselve
back) or rely on the dumps/deliveries of other players. Issuing a false
OTW, is considered un-playmanship-like.

8. Flood:
   The Rhein flood destroys bridges on the river on both side of that Swiss
lake, but not across the lake itself! (It is too wide to rise much, and anyway
people payed extra to build lake-bridges). It also destroys bridges across
that unnamed river that splits from the Rhein (near Holland). Bridges destroyed
by a flood can be rebuilt *only* by the original owner (Grandfathered right of
way). Cities to which access was cut by Flood are still considered part of the
player's network, and construction may be initated from them (including bridge
repair). Under no circumstances does a player pay the access fee twice for the
same city.

9. 2 Major city Builds:
   A player may build twice, at most, from a major city gridpoint. This is
different from the normal rules by counting multiple builds from the *same*
gridpoint seperately.

10. Derailment:
    If a player who still has movement left this turn is derailed, he only
loses the rest of this turn, but not the next turn.

11. Public information:
    All player information exept the cars he holds is public information. This
includes the train he has, the cargos he carries, and the cash he has.

12. Coastal Gridpoint:
    For the purpose of determining storm effects, a gridpoint is defined as 
coastal if at least one of the six gridpoints to which it could normally
connect is missing.

13. Mountain storms:
    During a storm that forbids mountain movement, movement is still allowed
to a mountain gridpoint, or from a mountain gridpoint, but not both. (i.e.,
if at a mountain gridpoint, you may still move out to the clear; and if at
the clear, you may move until you reach the first mountain but you must stop
there).


This variant was playtested well over 100 times by agressive players (mostly
in 3 and 4 players games) and found to be well balanced!





Another Variant we tried (it worked, but is not as popular as the above) is
called 'Factory-rail'

Same rules as above; plus:

1. You may build a factory in a city you connect to for $10 by circling the
symbol of the relevant cargo in that city. (i.e. to build a Cheese factory
in Bern, circle the cheese symbol next to Bern.) (Substitute the words
slauterhouse, travel office, etc for the word factory when appropriate).

2. You may not build a factory in a major city. Those factories are allready
built and are owned by the Bank.

3. Only one player may build a Factory of a given comodity in the same city.

4. To pick a cargo up, the factory must be there. If the factory is owned by
someone else (or the bank), you must pay the owner $4 for the cargo. This
charge is in addition to any track-rental fees that may be paid that turn.
There is no extra charge for multiple pickup of the *same* cargo in the same
turn.

5. If you fail to build during your turn (factory, track, or train); you get
a $1 reward from the bank.

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