Empire Builder is a fine game produced by Mayfair Games Inc. and deals with the design, construction, operation, and management of a major national railroad system. A second version, British Rails, covers the island kingdom of England, using basically the same rules and forms as Empire Builder. The additional rules provided here can add more variety and interest to either game and can even provide for long-running "campaign" versions. The suggested rules additions can be adopted in part or in full, but it is suggested that no given rules addition be used unless all the preceding rules additions are also used. The authors do realize that these rules are not particularly true to life, but thev work within the purview of the game and have proven much fun to play. With these suggested rules additions, the turn" requires definition. A turn is defined as one complete movement phase and building phase for an individual player; a full turn is one turn for each of the players involved in the game, from the starting player to the last player. Millions-of dollars ($) or pounds sterling (S,) are abbreviated as Meg (for megabills, the ",000,000" portion of the figure). Variant #1-MOVEMENT A mountain milepost costs two movement points, rather than one. Mountain areas are much harder for an engine and its load to traverse than are flatter areas. If a mountain grade cannot be climbed by the train on the final point of its turn, that movement point is lost, and the train cannot proceed to that milepost. Dropping off or picking up a load costs one movement point for each process. This is a distinct change from the original rules, but we have found that it adds an interesting dimension to the game. Two actions performed in the same city (i.e., dropping iron in Portland and picking up a load of wood) will require the train to spend two movement points to accomplish the transfer of goods. A train reaching its destination on its last movement point can't unload cargo or collect freight charges until its next movement phase. The same rule applies to trains picking up loads in any of the various cities. Variant #2-TRACKAGE RIGHTS Trackage rights are defined as agreements between two or more systems involving shared use of track, payment by one system for use of sections of the other systems track, or reciprocal use of each other's sections of track. These agreements are settled by the owners of the systems participating in the rights and are binding for a set duration, a number of full turns or a given number of trips. One major change from the original rules, which allowed use of any line for a simple fee per turn of use paid to the owning system, is suggested if this rules addition is adopted. No ection of track may be used by a railroad without permission of the owning system. There are several styles of trackage rights agreements which can be negotiated by the players. The systems involved set a price to be paid for use of the rail line in question- this could be a price per milepost traveQ, agreements to build track for the owning system, a flat fee per trip, or a reciprocal use agreement. For example, "I'll let you run on this line without charge if I can run on your specified line without charge." This general rules addition adds a good deal of diplomacy and wheeling-and-dealing to the game. Once a deal is struck, it must be honored. it should be noted that a system which does not allow trackage rights to its competitors is quite unlikely to receive such trackage rights itself. Variant #3-JUNCTIONS When two (or more) rail systems meet or cross at any milepost other than in a city, three options are available to the second or third system to build into a given milepost: a.) if two systems meet but do not cross, the second system may choose to ignore the first system. No connection of anv kind is established between the two systems, and no additional charges are assessed. b.) When systems cross, the second system may bridge over the first system at the same cost as for a normal bridge over a river (2Meg), plus milepost cost. Again, no connection is ablished between the two systems. A bridge is indicated on the map by a crossover symbol (] [) in the color of the constructing system. c.) The second system may construct an interlocking plant to allow interconnection of the two lines. These plants cost 5Meg plus milepost cost and allow free transfer and movement between the lines involved in the interlocking system. Interlocking plants are permanent constructions and last for the duration of the game. Such interlocking plants should be indicated by circling the particular milepost involved with the color of the constructing system. A third system may join in the interlocking at a cost of 3Meg (for additional track and controls) plus milepost cost. Another circle (in the color of the third system) should then be added to the interlocking milepost. It is assumed that all cities already contain their own interlocking plants, and therefore none need be built in such areas. If a system desires, at a later date, to add an interlocking plant to allow access to another line at a non-connecting junction, the plant may be constructed for 6Meg Meg for the plant, and IMeg for additional track to complete the junction). Interlocking systems are only required where different systems join; simple branches of any system do not require interlocking plants. OPTION TO VARIANT #3: Ferries may be built in British Rails to convey trains between certain seaport railheads in Britain. There are no points in the United States and Canada at which the use of ferries would be feasible. A ferry cost is dependent on its two termini and can handle only one train at a time; movement cost is dependent on construction cost, at 1 milepost (equivalent) for each 5Meg of construction cost. Ferries may connect Car- diff and Bristol (cost 15Meg, 3mp), Swansea and Barnstaple (cost 25Meg, 5mp), Cardiff and Barnstaple (cost 25Meg, 5mp), Barrow and Lancaster (cost 10Meg, 2mp), and Barrow and Liverpool (cost 20Meg, 4mp). There are, as it happens, actual rail ferries connecting a number of these ports. Draw a dotted line, in the color of the constructing line, between the two terminal ports to denote the existence of a rail ferry Only two ports may be connected by a given ferry line, although there may be as many ferry lines between a pair of ports as can be handled by the rail lines running into the two terminal cities. Variant #4-TRANS-SHIPMENTS Trans-shipment is the transferral of a load unit from one rail system to another. If two or more systems agree, the first system may procure a load of merchandise and deliver it to a city or interlocking junction accessible to the second system. The load is dropped by the first system (cost: one movement point) and picked up by the second system (again cost: one movement point). The second system may then deliver the load to its destination or to another trans-shipment point for transfer to a third system. Such trans-shipped loads must be picked up within four full turns by the retrieving system or be lost. Monetary considerations are, of course, up to the systems involved. Only the system for which the load is destined may pick it up if a trans-shipment agreement has been made; such loads are not free for pickup to any system. Dropped loads not scheduled for transshipment to a given system are available, however, to any system with a train capable of picking up the load. Such loads are available for only four full turns after they have been dropped. A system which has dropped a load may return and pick up its own load as long as this action occurs within the time limit. A simpler version of this particular rule is included in the second edition of Empire Builder and also in British Rails. Variant #5-ADDITIONAL TRAINS It is possible for players to purchase additional trains to run on their systems. if the players are using the original engine rules, additional trains may be purchased for 60Meg; these trains may be upgraded in the normal fashion. New trains may be started at any city on the purchasing system. The player receives one additional demand card for each additional train purchased. OPTION TO VARIANT #5: There are only two companies producing locomotives in the United States, ElectroMotive Division of General Motors (EMD-located in Chicago, Illinois), and General Electric (GE-situated in Buffalo, New York); in Britain, the entire system has been nationalized (although the game assumes competing rails systems), and British Rail Engineering (BRE) in Derby is the only producer of locomotives for the British isles. Derby itself is not shown on the British Rails mapboard, but is located at the foot of the mountains on the second dot NW of Nottingham, directly south of Sheffield and directly east of Stoke. BRE is assumed to be located in Nottingham. These three companies produce the locomotives listed in the table below Players mav assume British equivalents for American locomotives. If a faster game is desired (in terms of movement, as suggested in the optional rules of both editions), increase the "Speed" ratings by 1/3 each: 6 becomes 8, 9 becomes 12, and 12 becomes 16. Turns in "Delivery" means full turns. The system purchasing the new train is still limited to the 20Meg per building phase maximum, but it should be noted that the delivery time for each of the engines allows at least one turn's worth of track building before the train is actually delivered. The engine cost includes a full train (boxcars, hoppers, etc.), crew, maintenance, and fuel. New trains will be delivered in Chicago (EMD), Buffalo (GE), or Nottingham (BRE). If the system ordering the train does not have a connecting track to the proper city, the builder will deliver the train to the city nearest the builder's home city, which is connected to the purchasing systems' line, for a cost of 1 Meg per milepost (maximum cost: 10 Meg). If tracks do not exist into the given construction city (Chicago, Buffalo, or Nottingham), the starting point for delivery of the train will he the nearest city with any track (even that of a competing system) constructed into it. It is assumed that there are some tracks between all cities--they're just not usable by the participants in the game. The cost of the new train is to he paid at the time of ordering. A system may upgrade current rolling stock by trading in an older engine. The money amount allowed for the trade-in is 1/2 of the original cost of the particular train being traded-in. A broken-down engine may he traded in without repairs at 1/4 of its Original cost. The engines are exchanged when the new engine is delivered. Broken down engines are traded-in immediately; the older train is simply removed from the board (any cargo loads on it are dumped at railside where the older engine was last situated and are available to any system for trans-shipment). To keep track of the assorted engines, a number of silhouette engine counters have been provided. These counters represent each of the train types in the chart above and include information for speed and load capacity for each train. it is suggested that sufficient photocopies be made and glued onto posterboard or a heavy cardstock before cutting out, and that counters he colored to match the line colors of the assorted systems in the game. Starting Possibility Allow each player $100 Meg (and 120 Meg in Britain) to start the game. With this money he must, of course, purchase at least one engine/train, but the player has no spending limits on track construction. Using this option, it is possible for a player to start with two small slow trains (EMD GP-7s or equivalent) and $60Meg (80 Meg in Britain) for track. Players are still limited to spending 20Meg per turn for building. One train (EMD GP-40 or equivalent) and only $20Meg for track (SAOMeg in Britain). In Britain, a third possibility is either a GE U-36 equivalent or a EMD SD-35 equivalent, and 30Meg for track. Demand cards are drawn at a rate of two (base) plus one per two loads (or part thereof) per engine owned. A 1- or 2-load engine draws one demand card, a 3- or 4-load engine draws two cards. Starting arrangements must be individually specified by each player before that piayers initial demand cards are drawn. Type Speed Capacity Cost Delivery EMD GP-7 6mp 1 load 20,000,000 2 turns GE U-25 6mp 2 loads 40,000,000 3 turns EMD GP-35 9mp 2 loads 60,000,000 4 turns EMD SD-35 9mp 3 loads 90,000,000 6 turns GE U-36 9mp 3 loads 90,000,000 6 turns EMD GP-40 12mp 2 loads 80,000,000 5 turns EMD SD-40-2 12mp 3 loads 120,000,000 8 turns EMD DDA40X 12mp 4 loads 160,000,000 10 turns GE U-50 12mp 4 loads 160,000,000 10 turns Kerry Lloyd is the author of the Thieves' Guild role-playing system and Vice President of Gamelords, Ltd. Back to Table of Contents -- Game News #3 To Game News List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 2000 by Dana Lombardy. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com