Eurorails rules question

[Robert K Brunner]

I have a question concerning the Rail Tax card in any of the crayon rails
games. When the rail tax comes up, is money public knowledge for the
rest of the game, or just at the time the card takes effect? The only
reference I've found is in the Empire Builder rules, which strictly
interpreted would imply the former, but I prefer the latter, which seems
to keep more suspense in the end game.

Thanks for your expert interpretation.
Robert Brunner
rbru...@uiuc.edu

[Mark A Biggar]

In article <5dsvr2$m...@vixen.cso.uiuc.edu> bru...@cs.uiuc.edu writes:
>I have a question concerning the Rail Tax card in any of the crayon rails
>games. When the rail tax comes up, is money public knowledge for the
>rest of the game, or just at the time the card takes effect? The only
>reference I've found is in the Empire Builder rules, which strictly
>interpreted would imply the former, but I prefer the latter, which seems
>to keep more suspense in the end game.

GIven that no transaction in the game is secret, it is obviously possible to
track other player cash flow, but that's alot of work. In all games I have
played, we just ask each other how much money we have and also answer
truthfully. Actually most of our games end in a consession, as it quickly
becomes obvious in the end game who the winner is.

--
Mark Biggar
m...@wdl.lmco.com

[Michael.Schneider]

In article <5dt3ou$g...@wdl1.wdl.lmco.com>, m...@dst17.wdl.loral.com (Mark A
Biggar) wrote:

Wow. Most of our games are bite-yer-knuckles down to the wire.

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[Jay at MG]

The question:

> >I have a question concerning the Rail Tax card in any of the crayon
rails
> >games. When the rail tax comes up, is money public knowledge for the
> >rest of the game, or just at the time the card takes effect?

Answer: Money is then public for the rest of the game. We usually play
that is public anyway, but the "official" rules say not until the tax
card.

Jay

[Klaus Ole Kristiansen]

mi...@visi.com (Michael.Schneider) writes:

>In article <5dt3ou$g...@wdl1.wdl.lmco.com>, m...@dst17.wdl.loral.com (Mark A
>Biggar) wrote:

>> GIven that no transaction in the game is secret, it is obviously possible to
>> track other player cash flow, but that's alot of work. In all games I have
>> played, we just ask each other how much money we have and also answer
>> truthfully. Actually most of our games end in a consession, as it quickly
>> becomes obvious in the end game who the winner is.

> Wow. Most of our games are bite-yer-knuckles down to the wire.

In our Empire Builder games, it is not unusual that one or sometimes
even two players are just one or two turns from victory from somebody
else wins.

Klaus O K

[Ima B5 Fan]

<<I have a question concerning the Rail Tax card in any of the crayon
rails games. When the rail tax comes up, is money public knowledge for

the rest of the game, or just at the time the card takes effect? The only

reference I've found is in the Empire Builder rules, which strictly
interpreted would imply the former, but I prefer the latter, which seems
to keep more suspense in the end game.>>

Mayfair has confirmed to me that after the taxcard has come out, money is
public knowledge...

[Michael.Schneider]

In article <5dsvr2$m...@vixen.cso.uiuc.edu>, bru...@cs.uiuc.edu wrote:

> I have a question concerning the Rail Tax card in any of the crayon rails
> games. When the rail tax comes up, is money public knowledge for the
> rest of the game, or just at the time the card takes effect? The only
> reference I've found is in the Empire Builder rules, which strictly
> interpreted would imply the former, but I prefer the latter, which seems
> to keep more suspense in the end game.
>

> Thanks for your expert interpretation.
> Robert Brunner
> rbru...@uiuc.edu

Yes.

A common house-rule is that this obligation ends if an optionally
inserted "reshuffle" card appears, until such time as the tax card is
drawn again.

Other house rules allow players to keep their money secret, but that
they must announce when they have exceeded a certain amount, such as $200.

[Michael.Schneider]

In article <5e1dd7$m...@vidar.diku.dk>, kl...@diku.dk (Klaus Ole
Kristiansen) wrote:

> mi...@visi.com (Michael.Schneider) writes:
> > Wow. Most of our games are bite-yer-knuckles down to the wire.
>
> In our Empire Builder games, it is not unusual that one or sometimes
> even two players are just one or two turns from victory from somebody
> else wins.
>
> Klaus O K

I have personally been in several "tie" games (i.e., one player pays
another to deliver a load). According to rule, there can be no tie games,
but for non-tourny purposes we like to call them that.

I've even been in a triple "tie" (one person rode two players' track to
deliver, and all "ended" the game with $253).