199 lines
5.2 KiB
Plaintext
199 lines
5.2 KiB
Plaintext
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Rails West! Simulation Game Short Rules
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Docs Written by: The Kid
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Edited by: Wile Coyote
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Note: These are the "Short Rules" provided by Strategic Simulations. It
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is the bare bones necessary to play the game. To really understand the
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game and get some hints about strategy you will need the longer docs.
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These will be provided in a separate file.
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(A color monitor is highly advisable.)
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Number of Players: 1-8, up to 4 can be controlled by the computer
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Length of Game: Long Scenario lasts 31 turns (1870-1900) Short Scenario
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lasts either 6 turns (1890-95) or 11 (1890-1900)
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Object of Game: Accumulate cash, stocks, and bonds and control viable
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transcontinental railroads. A transcontinental runs between one or more
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of he western terminals (Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, LA, or
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Mojave) and one or more eastern terminal (St. L MISSING TEXT
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The Map: There are 33 cities connected by 68 potential/actual rail
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lines. Potential lines are white. Other colors represent efficiency
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levels. Violet=low, Orange=medium, Green=high.
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Phases of a Turn
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-----------------
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1) Operations: Various economic indicators are calculated at this point.
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Interest on call loans is collected, bad call loans are called, some
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randomly selected call loans are called and companies are declared
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bankrupt as necessary. Action points are deter
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2) Computer/Player Phase: With difficulty set at 1 or 2, the computer
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goes first. Difficulty set at 3, first move is randomly selected and on
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difficulty 4 the player(s) go first.
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3) Computer Action Phase: Computer-run player moves displayed, hitting
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SPACE BAR will pause it (slight delay in reacting to it).
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Player Action Phase
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-------------------
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There are two menus (Player Action Menu and RR ACTION Menu, reached by
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selecting RR ACTION). Most actions cost 1 action point. Free actions
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are: Read Map, Read Account, RR Statistics, and Read Account (on RR
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ACTION menu). A bankrupt player or one with no
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Player Actions
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--------------
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BUY/SELL SECURITIES: Made in blocks of 1000 shares or bonds. Any
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purchase or sale results in the shock price being recalculated, bond
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prices are not affected.
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SELL STOCK: The public never buys stock at less than 3 and buys only as
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much as it already owns, a minimum of 1000-4000 shares.
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BUY STOCK: A player must buy with cash. The public never offers all its
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stock, it offers fewer (Minimum: 1000 shares) higher priced shares and
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more lower priced shares.
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SELL BONDS: The public won't buy bonds selling for less than 101.
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APPLY FOR LOAN: The maximum loan equals the net worth in cash and
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securities minus previous loans.
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START NEW RAILROAD: If less than 20 exist, players may start a new RR
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corporation, acquiring control and 100,000 shares of stock for a minimum
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payment of $300,000. The new RR must charter a line during the turn or
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be eliminated.
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READ ACCOUNT: Your cash balance, call loans, numbers of stocks and
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bonds.
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CONTROL RAILROAD: Player must own at least 10% of the RR's shares and
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more than any other player trying to gain control.
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RECALL RR LOAN: Player recalls all or part of any loan. To repay, the RR
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must have the cash and not owe interest on its bonds.
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REPAY LOAN: Obvious
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READ MAP: " "
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RR STATISTICS:" "
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RR ACTION: Can only be taken for a RR you control.
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Railroad Actions
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----------------
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SELL/BUY STOCKS/BONDS: Same as for Player companies except: 1) A RR
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may buy/sell from player's company or the market, 2) the cash a RR gets
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goes to paying off call loans, and 3) RRs are not allowed to own
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securities from other RRs.
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REPAY BANK LOAN: Repays call loans that result from building or from
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raising efficiency.
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RESIGN CONTROL: Do so to save action points.
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READ ACCOUNT: See how much cash the RR has, how much it owes in call
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loans, how many unissued stocks and bonds it has. Bankruptcy is shown
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in negative bank balances.
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CHARTER LINE: A RR must charter (cost: $300,000) a line segment before
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it can build on it. May only have one unfinished line at a time. The new
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line must connect to an existing one, if one exists. It must be
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completed within a time limit (with exceptions)
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RAISE EFFICIENCY: The RR does not need cash but must not be bankrupt or
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owe bond interest to do this. The new color is drawn, several financial
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operations occur.
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BUILD NEW LINES: RR must have an uncompleted chartered line and can only
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do this once per turn on any line. Do not need cash but must not be
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bankrupt or owe bond interest. Cost is based on economic"level with a
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premium for more than 15 dots (and a maximum
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CHANGE DIVIDEND: Set rate between 0 and 25.
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PAY INTEREST: If the RR passed up paying its bond interest at some
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point, it may pay 1 year's back interest. May be performed more than
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once (to pay off older interest). Must have enough cash.
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FLOAT SECURITIES: RR may float its own securities through an investment
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banker. The banker may offer free stock to encourage purchases. Banker's
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charge=10%. These bonds are not subject to the same market forces as
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stocks.
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MERGE: One corporation joins with another. Requires 3 action points.
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Various conditions exist for mergers.
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- End of Short Rules -
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