How to Play Railways of Portugal

Objective of the Game

In Railways of Portugal, you're building a railway network across Portugal, a country with a long coastline and crucial island regions like Madeira and the Açores. These islands are vital for trade, exporting luxury products and goods to the mainland. The game is an expansion map for Railways of the World, and your goal is to develop your industry by establishing shipping routes and connecting cities. The player with the highest score on the score track at the end of the game wins.

Preparation (Setup)

To set up Railways of Portugal, you'll need components from either the Railways of the World base game or the Railways of Nippon base game. Here's how to prepare the game:

• Place 3 goods cubes in the Açores.
• Place 3 goods cubes in Madeira.
• Place 2 goods cubes in each remaining city on the board.
• Baron cards are replaced by Goal Cards in this expansion. Randomly deal two Goal Cards to each player. Each player then discards one and chooses and hides the other until the end of the game.
• Although there are no black cities at the start of the game, place the black cubes randomly along with all the rest of the cube colors.
• Shuffle all 7 Service Bounties and randomly make 4 available at the start of the game. Remove the other 3 Service Bounties from the game.

Fluxo do Jogo

The game progresses in Turns, with each Turn consisting of three Rounds. Here are some key phases and events that occur during the game:

• End of each Turn (until Industrial Age): The Açores and Madeira each receive an additional, new random cube, drawn from the bag. This phase is reminded by a symbol on the Turn Phases Chart on the board.
• Industrial Age: This phase begins as soon as there is a black city tile in play. Once the Industrial Age begins, the Açores and Madeira stop receiving new cubes at the end of each Turn.

Ações e Como Jogar

Players will take actions during their turn to build their railway network and develop industry. Here are some specific actions and rules for Railways of Portugal:

Maritime Connections

• There are 10 maritime connections on the board, each counting as 1 link for all purposes.
• As a round action, a player may establish a maritime connection by paying $6 and placing a track marker on one unoccupied connection space.
• A player may never own more than one connection between Madeira and Sagres.
• Likewise, a player may never own more than one connection between the Açores and Lisboa.
• When moving a goods cube between Madeira and Sagres or the Açores and Lisboa, the acting player chooses which of the established connections to use. The owner of the chosen connection earns the income ($1).

Connecting to Lisboa

• Each player can only make one connection to Lisboa per Turn (a Turn consists of three Rounds), whether by land or by sea.
• The black-outlined hex next to Lisboa is unplayable.

Urbanizing Black Cities

• The cost for urbanizing a black city is $5.

Industrial Age Triggers

The Industrial Age begins as soon as there is a black city tile in play. This can happen in two ways:

1. A Black City is Urbanized for $5.
2. As soon as there are 3 Empty City Markers on grey cities, you immediately place a black city tile on the grey city hex that just became empty. Do not place any new cubes on this tile as you would during an Urbanizing action.

Building Crossover Tracks

• Players can build crossover track pieces as necessary, but cannot redirect another player’s track.
• The cost for building crossover tracks is the same as for regular tracks.
• These may only be built when crossing over an existing section of track, including your own.

Fim de Jogo e Pontuação

The game ends when a certain number of Empty City Markers are on the board, depending on the number of players:

• 2 Players: 9 Empty City Markers
• 3 Players: 10 Empty City Markers
• 4 Players: 11 Empty City Markers

At the end of the game, players reveal and score their hidden Goal Cards if the goal is met. Remember to reduce your score by 1 Victory Point for every bond certificate issued. The player with the high score, as indicated on the score track, is the winner.

Dicas para Vencer

• Consider carefully which Goal Card to keep at the start of the game, as meeting its objective will contribute to your final score.
• Strategically use maritime connections to expand your network, especially to the Açores and Madeira, as they provide income when other players use your connections.
• Be mindful of the Industrial Age trigger, as it changes the cube generation for the Açores and Madeira, which can impact your long-term strategy for those regions.