1859: THE RAILROAD CARD GAME

Game for 2 Players

By Andrew S. Fischer+

INTRODUCTION
1859: The Railroad Card Game is a pure card game, comprised solely of 72 “protean pieces of
pasteboard.” In that year, the railroad industry in the United States was still in its infancy. Your simple
goal is to be a better railroad baron than your opponent. You do this by winning contracts to build
track which connects one USA city to another in a series of competitions. The major elements you
need are materials, labor and cash, although interesting people (contacts, investors, etc.) and effects
such as material shortages and labor unrest will come your way. Engaging in a little trickery won’t hurt
you, either.

THE CARDS
57 Action cards
14 Competition cards
1 Card Distribution card

THE GAME
A game of 1859 is played over eleven competitions (rounds). At the beginning of each competition,
one player will choose a card from two which show the possible routes to be contested. Each player
has a hand of five cards.

After a player plays a card, a replacement is drawn from the deck, replenishing his hand back to five
cards. Exception: a Trickery card can replace a Materials, Labor or Cash card, which is taken back
into a player’s hand. No card is drawn in this case.

After a number of competitions, usually eleven, the game ends. The player who earned the most
profits wins the game.
THE COMPETITIONS
During a competition, each player will place cards from his hand face-up onto the table, side-by-side
in front of him, forming a display. A player’s display is simply the resources and effects he chooses to
use during the competition. When the players have placed a combined total of 10 cards on the table
at the end of a player’s turn, the competition ends. The player with the higher value in his display wins
the competition card – and its profit. Then a new Competition card will be chosen for the next round.

LETS PLAY!
Choose a starting player randomly. This player shuffles the action cards and deals five cards face-
down to each player, who arranges them in hand. He places the remaining cards nearby, face down,
to form a draw deck.

Then the competition cards are shuffled and three cards are placed face-down into the game box;
they will not be used this game. The top two cards are then turned face up and the start player
chooses which card will be contested first. A replacement is then drawn and placed next to the card
that was not selected; one of these two cards will be the next to be contested. The start player then
takes the game’s first turn. (Keep the Distribution card nearby as a handy reference.

The 1859 Railroad Card Game - 1 - © 2018 Andrew S. Fischer. All rights reserved.
ACTIONS
On your turn, you have two possible actions: play a card or pass.

Play a Card
Simply place a card from your hand face-up in front of you, starting or extending your display in
a single row. Your final value for the competition will be the sum of the cards’ values – the
numbers in the circles at the top left– of the cards in your display. Note that some cards have
special effects which can alter the printed values of others. (See the “Special Cards” section).
After you play a card, calculate and state the new value of your display aloud.

Pass
If you wish to stop playing cards for the current competition, simply announce that fact. If your
value exceeds your opponent’s, he may continue taking turns after you have passed, until he
also passes or the competition is otherwise ended.

After taking your turn, play passes to your opponent and he takes his turn. Players alternate turns
until the current competition ends.

END OF A COMPETITION
The current competition is over when:

 a combined total of 10 cards have been placed by the players at the end of a
player’s turn, or…
 both players have passed, or…
 a player plays an Insider card.
Then determine the winner of the competition, as follows:

 The players confirm the value of their displays. If mistakes have been made during the round,
tough cookies!

 The player with the higher valued display has won the contract to lay track. He takes the
contested competition card and places it in front of him, earning its indicated profit. Cards won
must remain visible to both players.

 The winning player chooses which of the two face-up Competition cards will be contested next
round, and he will play first. Exceptions: 1) if the player who won the competition has at least
as many Contacts cards in his display as his opponent, he also chooses who goes first during
the next round. 2) If the losing player’s display contains more Contacts cards, the losing player
chooses both the next card and who goes first.

 The cards in the players’ displays are placed off to the side in a discard pile.

Important: If the players’ displays tie in value, the competition card is placed in the game box and
the next card is chosen randomly from the two available. The player to go first is also chosen
randomly.

The 1859 Railroad Card Game - 2 - © 2018 Andrew S. Fischer. All rights reserved.
WHEN THE DECK RUNS OUT
When the draw deck is exhausted, simply reshuffle the discards to form a new deck and continue
play.
END OF THE GAME
The game ends when all the cards in the competition deck have been won or removed from play. The
player with the most total profits on the cards he won is the winner. In case of tie, the player who has
the longer “chain” of cities wins. Example: if a player has won New York to Boston, New York to
Pittsburgh and New York to Baltimore, he has a chain of four cities.

SPECIAL CARDS

Contacts (6): These cards only have a value of 1, but they can determine which Competition
will be played next round and who goes first. This is often an important consideration.

Trickery (6): These cards are usually used to take back a high value Materials, Labor or
Cash card back into your hand when the current competition seems lost. Since the
number of cards in your display (and hand) stays the same, doing this will change who
plays last in a competition, which is important. You can also play a Trickery without taking
a card back, feigning weakness or just to get rid of it in hopes of drawing something better.

Investor (2): Its value of 7 and imperviousness to alteration make this a potential round-
changer.

Insider (2): Start a competition with a high card (preferably an Investor), then play this on
your next turn. Unless your opponent at least matches your card in between, it’s “round
over” and an easy win for you. You must keep track of these two cards!

Subsidy (2): All Cash cards in play get a +3 adjustment to their value. This works well if
you have two or three Cash cards in your display and your opponent has none or one.
There is no further adjustment if both Subsidy cards are in play. Note: a Theft card cancels
a Subsidy card and vice-versa. Discard both cards.

Discounts (2): All Materials cards in play get a +3 adjustment to their value. This works
well if you have two or three Materials cards in your display and your opponent has none
or one. There is no further adjustment if both Discounts cards are in play. Note: a
Shortages card cancels a Discounts card and vice-versa. Discard both cards.

Theft (2): All Cash cards in play have their value reduced to 1. This works well if your
opponent has two or three Cash cards in his display and you have none or one. There is
no further adjustment if both Theft cards are in play. Note: a Subsidy card cancels a Theft
card and vice-versa. Discard both cards.

Shortages (2): All Materials cards in play have their value reduced to 1. This works well if
your opponent has two or three Materials cards in his display and you have none or one.
There is no further adjustment if both Shortages cards are in play. Note: a Discounts card
cancels a Shortages card and vice-versa. Discard both cards.

The 1859 Railroad Card Game - 3 - © 2018 Andrew S. Fischer. All rights reserved.
 Unrest (2): All Labor cards in play have their value reduced to 1. This works well if your
opponent has two or three Labor cards in his display and you have none or one. There is
no further adjustment if both Labor cards are in play.

Strike! (1): When you play this card, you must flip one of the face-up Competition cards
face-down; it cannot be chosen for the next competition. Turn it face-up after the next
competition ends. (Note that if you play this card with only one Competition card
remaining, it will not be contested and the game will end early – which could be a good
tactic!)

The 1859 Railroad Card Game - 4 - © 2018 Andrew S. Fischer. All rights reserved.