Rules for Trains

[Ilmarainen]

I have posted a set of trains rules for RWNN on the BoardGameGeek page for the game.  I wrote these many years ago but Bryan didn't want them included (in retrospect I agree, as it is a lot of material and the rulebook has enough in it for the base game).  However, they still are a good addition, and I'm not sure any other rule set does trains (I possess about 30 sets and haven't seen it yet).

There is a lot of material, but you only need small amounts for any scenario.  Things covered are train movement, obstacles, gradients, acceleration & deceleration, brakemen and train crews; movement on a train (yes, including jumping on, and running over the roof); accessing the Express Car, and what you will find in the safes if you manage to blow them; reaction of passengers; firing from and at trains; hazardous movement etc etc.

I did a bunch of research to come up with statistically accurate values for the loot in the Through Safe, the Local Safe, the Mail Car and passengers' valuables.

These could easily be used in another game using your favourite rule set.

I would be interested in having a bit of dialogue here.  Comments on the rules are always appreciated, but also your views on good train scenarios (I have posted 5, and there is one more to come; I include historic references for each), experiences playing scenarios with trains, other good ideas etc.  Don't just be silent, let's share some thoughts    Thank you


https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/10307/the-rules-with-no-name

[SteveBurt]

Both Legends of the Old West and Dead Mans Hand have rules for trains. The former in one of the supplements, the latter in the 'redux' version of the rules published last year. We had a train game just a couple of weeks ago using DMH.

[Silent Invader]

IRRC one of the FfoL supplements had rules for trains, I think it was for Mexican revolutionary wars

[Patrice]

Very interesting!

I intend to do Mexican Revolution games including a train; and I recently ran a 1920 Manchuria game where there was a train too, the train was only crossing the table and no fighting was planned with it but it could happen in next games.
https://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=148076.msg1897205#msg1897205

An interesting point that appeared in this game is an effect of the track ballast in a skirmish. Figures crouching just behind can have some protection.
After a quick research I found a text (in French) by general Foch explaining it was the case of the Nieuport-Dixmude railway line in 1914.
https://www.mediterranee-antique.fr/Auteurs/Fichiers/DEF/Foch/Memoires/Mem_302.htm

[Silent Invader]

Similarly during the FPW there are references to using the railway banks etc for cover

[Silent Invader]

IRRC one of the FfoL supplements had rules for trains, I think it was for Mexican revolutionary wars

I remembered right! This supplement had a short section headed Trains, Planes and Automobiles

[terrement]

I have added a ?Trial Resolution? procedure on BGG (under the RWNN site, but useable by any system) that you can use at the end of a gunfight to determine what happens to any captured protagonists.

https://boardgamegeek.com/filepage/296648/trial-procedure

In these here parts, we don't need no Trial Resolution procedure.  We have our own, as so kindly provided by Willie, the red headed stranger:

Grandpappy told my pappy, back in my day, son
A man had to answer for the wicked that he done
Take all the rope in Texas find a tall oak tree
Round up all them bad boys, hang them high in the street
For all the people to see
That justice is the one thing you should always find
You got to saddle up your boys, you got to draw a hard line
When the gun smoke settles we'll sing a victory tune
And we'll all meet back at the local saloon
We'll raise up our glasses against evil forces singing
Whiskey for my men, beer for my horses.

We got too many gangsters doing dirty deeds
Too much corruption, and crime in the streets
It's time the long arm of the law put a few more in the ground
Send 'em all to their maker and he'll settle 'em down
You can bet he'll set 'em down. 

Seems to work pretty well, whether it's a case of Option A in the first verse, or Option B in the second one.

[Ilmarainen]

Thanks for the prompts.  I had missed Dead Man’s Hand new version, so that is on order.

I hope folks will see that the material I posted is in a lot more detail than the other train info which is out there.  Not aiming to compete, just give you some extra things which aren’t available elsewhere, in a coherent form.

[Patrice]

I hope folks will see that the material I posted is in a lot more detail than the other train info which is out there.  Not aiming to compete, just give you some extra things which aren’t available elsewhere, in a coherent form.

Thanks for pointing this, I am not used to BGG and at first sight I didn't see where your pages were amongst all others. There's a lot of work indeed.

[SteveBurt]

You rules are indeed extremely detailed; thanks for all the work, but personally I prefer something much simpler (I have the same issue with Rules with No Name; too much detail for me).

[terrement]

Do you have some simple rules you'd like to share?

[SteveBurt]

Legends of the Old West are very simple, and pretty good.
Dead Man’s Hand are slightly more complex but give a great cinematic feel. A game with a dozen figures plays out in about 90 minutes.
We have also tried What a Cowboy but found it a bit fiddly; hard to have more than a couple of figures per player

[FifteensAway]

Not sure on the rules front but I've found when including trains in a game they can be an Extreme obstacle to both shooting and movement.  So, where you place a train in a game is very important.  Gaming in 15 mm, I have a much greater opportunity for movement.

And, definitely, simple rules, as simple as possible, since - unless a train robbery - the train is incidental terrain that just can move.  And if it is a train robbery, the FOL rules have a great set of train templates for both a coach and a baggage car (where the safe would be).  And easy enough to modify to other car types I suppose, I am scratch building (very slowly) both stock cars for cattle and a specialized horse car (for the Who Are Those Guys posse).

Hmm, thinking of a fight inside a stock car it'd probably be knife fight since gun fire might cause a very close space 'stampede' that'd likely get all participants either killed or horribly gored.

In my games, we've just moved trains by a die roll.

[Ilmarainen]

Legends of the Old West are very simple, and pretty good.
Dead Man’s Hand are slightly more complex but give a great cinematic feel. A game with a dozen figures plays out in about 90 minutes.
We have also tried What a Cowboy but found it a bit fiddly; hard to have more than a couple of figures per player

Each to their own, but Legends of the Old West come bottom of all my WW rules.  I am writing reviews of all the rulesets I own and have played.  Watch this space for a link in due course, but they are coming up on BoardGameGeek… I am trying to do one a day.

[Ilmarainen]

Do you have some simple rules you'd like to share?

Ruthless are free and simple (just two pages) but they achieve what they set out to really well. They have some free and some paid for scenario packs (see Wargame Vault).

https://www.littlewarstv.com/ruthless.html