Railway Journey
Collect the cards. Join your stations.
A small railway game for two or three players: draw cards, pay for tracks, and be the first to link your two stations before the others cut you off. A game is quick, and every claim changes the map. Here is everything you need to know before you sit down.
- Free practice
- No sign-up
- Play in your browser
Join a Game Room
Railway JourneyGot a room code?
- Players
- 2 to 3
- You need
- A map, a deck of cards
- Style
- Route building
- Goal
- Join your stations
What is Railway Journey?
Draw. Pay. Join your stations.
Railway Journey is played on a small map of eight stations joined by twelve tracks. Each player has two goal stations. On your turn you draw cards, claim a track by paying cards of its suit, or pass. A track you claim is yours alone, and it scores points.
The first player whose own tracks join their two stations wins at once. If nobody does within 30 turns, the most points win. Every track you claim also closes it to the others, so each turn is a choice between building your route and getting in their way.
The practice table
Try itLearn it one track at a time.
Play against one or two bots with our Classic rules. Tap a green track to claim it, or draw cards, and the coach shows your cheapest route and what to do next.
- Easy, Normal, or Sharp bots. Sharp cuts you off when you are close to winning.
- Two players or three, and Undo takes back a turn.
- No account, no host, nothing saved.
A little history
The railway on the table.
Railway games have been a favourite on tabletops for decades: stations, tracks, and the satisfaction of a line that finally joins up. Ours is small on purpose, with eight stations, twelve tracks, and an ordinary deck of cards.
There are many ways to play a game like this, with different maps, card types and goals. These are our Classic rules, and we show them before every game.
Fun facts
- The map has 8 stations and 12 tracks, and no track is longer than 3.
- Each suit pays for exactly three tracks, so every suit matters.
- You can hold at most seven cards, so a full hand has to be spent.
Why people love it
Simple turns. Sharp choices.
Three choices, one turn.
Draw, claim or pass. That is all you can do, so every turn is easy to learn and hard to get right.
The map is shared.
Every track has one owner. When one is taken, the routes that used it close for everyone else.
Cards are a plan.
The suits in your hand decide which tracks you can afford, so you are always working out what to draw for.
Cutting someone off feels good.
Taking the one track another player needs can undo their whole plan, and send them the long way round.
How to play
Draw. Claim. Link up.
Setup
- Players: two or three: you and one or two bots. You are gold.
- Cards: a standard 52-card deck. Each player starts with four cards.
- Goals: each player has two goal stations, ringed on the map in their color.
- First turn: you go first, then play passes around the table.
Winning
Be the first to join your two stations with tracks you have claimed. If nobody does by turn 30, the most points win.
- 1
Draw cards
Take up to two cards from the deck. You can hold at most seven.
- 2
Or claim a track
Pay as many cards of the track’s suit as it is long. The track becomes yours and scores its length.
- 3
Or pass
You can pass if there is nothing worth doing. Your hand stays as it is.
- 4
Join your stations
The moment your own tracks link your two goal stations, you win. Other players’ tracks don’t count.
- 5
Cut them off
A track can have only one owner. Claiming one a rival needs can force them onto a longer route.
- 6
Don’t sit on a full hand
With seven cards you can’t draw. Spend some on a track, or you lose turns.
These are our Classic rules, taken from the Feral Game Kit's definition of the game. They will be shown in every room before the game starts. Printable rules card →
Lessons
Learn it in a few minutes.
6 quick lessons, one idea each. Make the call, see why it works, and move on. Your progress is saved in this browser.
One thing a turn
Which of these can you do in a single turn?
Scoring
Join up, or add up.
Joining your two stations wins the game on the spot. If the 30 turns run out first, every track you claimed scores its length, and the highest total wins.
| What happens | Result | |
|---|---|---|
| Claim a track that is 1 long | 1 point | |
| Claim a track that is 2 long | 2 points | |
| Claim a track that is 3 long | 3 points | |
| Join your two stations | You win at once | |
| Turn 30 arrives: the most points | You win | |
| Turn 30 arrives: a tie on points | Shared win |
The turns are counted for everyone together, so with two players you get 15 turns each, and with three players 10 each. Ties on points are shared.
Strategy
Play it smart. Then play it feral.
Tip 1
Find your cheapest route first.
Add up the track lengths between your stations. The route with the lowest total is the one to aim for.
Tip 2
Draw for the suits you need.
You can’t choose which cards you draw, but you can see which suits your route needs, and claim as soon as you can pay.
Tip 3
Watch for a rival’s last track.
If another player needs one more track to win, taking it can save you the game.
Tip 4
Claim the long ones when you can.
A 3-long track scores 3 and does a lot of your route. Short tracks are easy to get later.
Tip 5
Keep a route in reserve.
If a rival takes a track on your route, a second route means you aren’t stuck.
What would you do?
One decision. Every day.
A new Railway Journey puzzle every day, the same for everyone. Solve it, then send it to the group chat and see who gets it right.
Want more? See today's puzzles for every game →
Your path to game night
Learn it here. Play it with friends.
Finish the lessons or win a practice game and you're ready to sit down at a real Railway Journey table with your people.
The Feral Worlds community
Play-testing Railway Journey? Tell us in Discord.
Found a bug, a rule that feels off, or a house rule your family swears by? Our Discord is where we collect play-test feedback, and where game nights are starting to happen.
Glossary
Talk like a regular.
- Station
- One of the eight stops on the map. Tracks join them.
- Track
- A link between two stations. One player can claim it.
- Goal stations
- The two stations you must join with your own tracks.
- Claim
- Paying cards of a track’s suit to make it yours.
- Route
- A chain of tracks between your two stations.
- Length
- How many cards a track costs, and how many points it scores.
- Hand limit
- You can hold at most seven cards.
The Feral twist
Still under the hat.
Every game can be played Classic. In Feral mode, the host writes the house rules: the map, the track lengths, how big a hand can be, how many turns. We'll show you what Railway Journey can do when it's ready.
In the Board Games pack
Railway Journey is on the ballot.
Backers vote on which board games join the Board Games pack. Owning the pack means every one that joins is yours too.
$9.95, one time, to host every game in it. Playing is always free. Packs go on sale when the full game launches.
Railway Journey is on the ballot
Save me a seat.
Hear when the Kickstarter opens so you can vote Railway Journey into the Board Games pack, and when you can host it with friends.