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| 2-5 players, 45-60 minutes, 14 years and older |
| Author | Sebastian Bleasdale (SebastianB) |
| Illustrator | Viktor Csete |
| Published by | LudiCreations |
| Online since | 2021-03-20 |
| Developed by | (Stonecrusher) |
| Boardgamegeek | 322076 |
| Complexity | 2,57/5 |
| Yucata.de owns a license for the online version of this game. A big "thank you" to the copyright owners (publisher and/or author and illustrator) who make it possible to have this game for free online here! |
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If you are reading these rules for the first time, ignore the text along the right hand side. These rules serve as a summary to help you quickly familiarize yourself with the game.
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The London Underground is the world's first underground passenger railway, first opened in 1863.
Its 11 lines move about 5 million passengers a day to 270 stations, along 400 km (250 mi) of track.
The massive network of London Underground stations makes up one of the most complex transportation systems
in the world, and On the Underground challenges you to develop it. Build the most successful lines,
connect them to landmarks and attract passenger traffic!
This edition of On the Underground includes
the all-new Berlin map, comprised of the U-Bahn and S-Bahn networks. The rules are largely the same,
but includes some additional concepts, noted in these rules with Berlin,
while concepts important to the London Underground map are noted with London.
Components
55 London Destination Cards (22 Express and 33 Standard)
1 Passenger token
4 Express Destination tokens
4 Standard Destination tokens
190 Track tokens (20 each of red, black, yellow, blue, and purple, and 15 each of pink, orange, green, brown, white and grey)
8
10 Score tiles
1 Start player tile
20 Branch tiles  1 Double sided board London/Berlin
55 Berlin Destination cards (25 Express and 30 Standard)
40 Berlin Landmark tiles (8 each of 5 types: Culture, Government, Retail, Education and Sports)
Setup
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Choose whether to play London or Berlin and then place
the board in the middle of the table with the appropriate side up.
NOTE: The London side is recommended for your first game.
At Yucata.de only London and New York are implemented currently. The rules for London are explained first. Then the specific rules for New York are explained in the separate chapter Specific Rules for New York.
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Place the Passenger token on the Passenger start Station: EustonLondon
or Friedrichstraße Berlin
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Place Connection or Landmark tiles:
Berlin
Sort the Landmark tiles by type. Then, for each type. separate them in this way:
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one stack of 3 tiles
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two stacks of 2 tiles
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a single tile
Randomly place a stack of 3 tiles on each one of the five  stations.
Then, randomly place a stack of 2 tiles on each one of the ten  stations.
Finally, randomly place a single tile on the five  stations.
All Landmark tiles should be placed facing up. so that their type is visible.
London
Randomly place a Connection tile on each of the eight Connection stations.
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Take the Destination cards for the chosen city and shuffle both the Standard and the Express Destination cards together.
Place them face down as a deck next to the board, leaving space next to it for a discard pile.
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Reveal the top 4 cards of the deck and place them face up next to the board.
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Place the Destination tokens on the stations on the board that match the 4 revealed Destination cards.
These are the initial Destination stations.
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Place the Branch tiles in a pile next to the board.
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Each player takes a score tile according to the number of players and places it an the "0" position of the score track:
- In a game with 2 players, each score tile should have four line colours.
- In a game with 3 players, each score tile should have three line colours.
- In a game with 4 or 5 players, each score tile should have two line colours.
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Each player then takes the Track tokens of the colours depicted on their score tile.
Each player will thus control multiple lines, each one comprised either of 20 or 15 Track tokens.
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The player who last made use of an underground transportation system is the start player.
Alternatively, the players may choose a start player using any method they prefer.
Give that player the Start Player tile.
You are now ready to begin!
In On the Underground, players compete to build the most valuable and convenient transportation
network in London or Berlin.
Each player controls 2-4 different lines, depending on the number of players.
At the beginning of each turn, 4 Destination cards are facing up, corresponding to stations an the map.
A player's turn consists of taking four actions, followed by the Passenger's movement.
Each action is either building track by placing one Track token, or taking a Branch tile.
After the player's turn, the Passenger token is moved along built lines, avoiding empty track spaces as
much as possible, in order to reach 1 or 2 of the 4 available Destination stations.
The Destination cards corresponding to the visited stations are then replaced by new ones,
and then play passes to the next player in clockwise order.
Players score points in two ways:
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By building track and connecting their lines to various types of stations
or,
by building a circular line London.
or by collecting Landmark tiles Berlin.
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By having the Passenger use their lines when moving.
The game is over after all Destination cards have been drawn and all players have taken the same number of turns.
Each player takes four actions.
(Exception: In the first turn the start player has only 3 actions and the last player has 5).
For each of those actions, they may choose one of two options:
- Take a Branch tile, or
- Place a Track token
On their turn, a player takes four actions (Exception: the first turn, see below).
For each of those actions, they may choose one of two options:
- Take a Branch tile, or
- Place a Track token
A player may take 1 Branch tile from the supply per spent action.
Two Branch tiles may be returned to the supply to allow extending a
line from somewhere other than one of its ends.
For each action spent in this way, a player may take 1 Branch tile from the supply.
The supply of Branch tiles is unlimited; if Branch tiles run out, anything else may be chosen to represent them.
Using Branch tiles
When placing a Track token, two Branch tiles may be returned to the supply to allow extending a
line from somewhere other than one of its ends. The Track token placed must still connect to the line.
WARNING! lt is possible to be blocked from placing track, even with using Branch tiles.
Starting lines in the periphery of the map may be risky!
A player may use a token of any of their line colours.
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The first Track token of each colour may be placed on any empty track space on the board.
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All further Track tokens of the same line must be used to extend the line at either of its ends.
Exception: Using Branch tiles.
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Each Track token placed on parallel track spaces must be of a different colour.
After placing each Track token a player gets:
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1 point when a line is first connected to a National Rail station
 .
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2 points and 1 Branch tile when a line is connected to a Terminus station
 .
When placing a Track token, a player may use a token of any of their line colours.
Note that Track tokens are limited in number. Players should carefully consider where to place them.
Track tokens are placed on the track spaces between stations according to these rules:
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The first Track token of each colour may be placed on any empty track space on the board.
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All further Track tokens of the same line (i.e. of the same colour) must be used to extend the line at either of its ends.
The end of a line is defined as a station with only one Track token of that line currently connecting to it.
Exception: See Using Branch tiles.
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In some parts of the board there are two or more parallel track spaces.
Each Track token placed there must be of a different colour.
After placing each Track token, points and Branch tiles may be earned:
National Rail: 1 point when a line is first connected to a National Rail station.
Terminus stations: 2 points and 1 Branch tile when a line is connected to a Terminus station.
London
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3 points when two Connection tiles showing the same symbol are joined using the same line.
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1 point for each station inside a loop created by one line.
London
Connections.
3 points when two Connection tiles showing the same symbol are joined using the same line.
Loops.
1 point for each station (of any type) inside a loop created by one line.
Stations that are connected by the line forming the loop are not counted.
Berlin
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0 points for the first + station connected to a line,
2 points for each of the second and third + stations connected to the same line,
and 4 points for the fourth + station connected to the same line.
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a Landmark tile for each Landmark station.
If taking a tile results in having a set of five different types of Landmark tiles,
those five tiles are discarded and the player discarding them scores 10 points.
At the end of the game, unscored Landmark tiles might be worth bonus points.
Berlin
+ Stations.
0 points for the first + station connected to a line,
2 points for each of the second and third + stations connected to the same line,
and 4 points for the fourth + station connected to the same line.
Landmarks.
When a line is connected to a station with Landmark tiles, the current player takes one of those tiles
and keeps it face up in front of them.
If taking a tile results in having a set of five different types of Landmark tiles,
those five tiles are discarded and the player discarding them scores 10 points.
At the end of the game, unscored Landmark tiles might be worth bonus points.
EXAMPLE: Extending a line
Without using Branch tiles, the blue line can only be extended on the spaces marked by a checkmark.
The spaces marked with an X are all extending from a station that already has more than 1 blue track connected to it.
Building a track here requires spending Branch tiles.
EXAMPLE: Scoring a Loop
The player controlling the red line created a loop and scores
1 point for each station inside the loop, i.e. 8 points total.
The Passenger will visit 1 or 2 of the stations marked with a destination token:
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Express and Standard stations: 2 movements.
First to an Express station and then to a Standard station.
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Only Express stations: 1 movement to one Express station.
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Only Standard stations: 1 movement to one Standard station.
Once a player has taken all of the actions of their turn, the Passenger must be moved.
There are 4 potential destinations marked by the Destination tokens on the board, each of which
corresponds to a face-up Destination card. The Passenger will visit 1 or 2 of those stations.
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If there are both Express and Standard stations: 2 movements. The Passenger will first move
to one Express station and then move again, to one Standard station.
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If there are only Express stations: 1 movement. The Passenger will move to one Express station.
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If there are only Standard stations: 1 movement. The Passenger will move to one Standard station.
The Passenger's Route
The Passenger moves according to the following rules:
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He travels the route that involves the least amount of empty track spaces.
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If this is true for two or more routes, he chooses the route with fewest (or no) lines.
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If this is the same too, the player moving the Passenger decides which route is taken.
When travelling, the Passenger will travel along lines which the players have built, and also move along empty track spaces,
if necessary. The Passenger will choose how to move according to the following rules:
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The Passenger will choose the route that involves the least amount of empty track spaces.
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If two or more routes involve the same amount of empty spaces, the Passenger will choose
the route with the fewest (or no) lines.
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The number of Track tokens making up a line does not matter, only the number of lines.
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If two or more routes involve the same amount of empty spaces and the same number of lines,
the player moving the Passenger decides which route is taken.
Passenger Scoring
Once the route has been chosen, the Passenger token is moved.
For each line that the Passenger uses to travel, the player owning that line scores 1 point.
When the Passenger arrives at a station, the Destination token on that station is removed from the board
and the corresponding Destination card is placed on a discard pile.
Once the route has been chosen, the Passenger token is moved along that route to the appropriate Destination station.
For each line that the Passenger uses to travel, the player owning that line scores 1 point.
The number of Track tokens making up a line does not matter, only the number of lines.
Each line used generates 1 point, regardless of the number of Track tokens in it.
When the Passenger arrives at a station, the Destination token on that station is removed from the board
and the corresponding Destination card is placed on a discard pile.
The discard pile may not be inspected during the game.
At Yucata.de the stations that the passenger has already visited are indicated on the board with a checkmark
(If you want you can disable this via the sidepanel options).
After all Passenger movements are completed, new cards are drawn
and appropriate Destination tokens (Express/Standard) placed on the new stations.
After all Passenger movements are completed, new cards are drawn to replace those removed from the game
so that there are again 4 cards facing up.
The appropriate Destination tokens (Express/Standard) are then placed on the stations
corresponding to the newly revealed cards.
When there are no more cards left in the deck, the end of the game is triggered.
The round is played to the end.
Berlin
Each player counts how many Landmark tiles they have of each type.
They then earn 3 points per tile of the type with the most tiles.
When there are no more cards left in the deck, the end of the game is triggered.
If this happens at the end of the turn of the player that is last in turn order, the game ends immediately.
Otherwise, the players continue to take turns until the player that is last in turn order
has completed theirs, i.e. until all players have had the same number of turns.
Berlin
If playing on the Berlin map, each player counts how many Landmark tiles they have of each type.
They then earn 3 points per tile of the type with the most tiles.
The game is then over.
The player who has scored the most points is the winner.
If there is a tie, then the tied player with the most Branch tiles wins.
If there is still a tie, the tied players rejoice in their shared victory.
NOTE:
After the end of the game is triggered, there are no cards available to replace the ones removed.
Therefore, it is possible that the Passenger will not be moving during the last few turns.
In that case, players simply end their turns after taking 4 actions.
EXAMPLE: Berlin Spare Landmark tile scoring
A player has the following tokens at the end of the game:
4 Education Landmarks, 4 Culture Landmarks, 3 Sports Landmarks, 1 Government Landmark
The Landmarks they have the most of are Education and Culture, tied at 4 each. The player earns 12 points.
New York is more than just the most populous and dense city in the United States - it is a cultural, financial, educational, political epicenter that defines our understanding of the modern urban area.
The Subway that serves it is considered by many to be the largest in the world, with a record number of stations, services and reach. Its importance cannot be overstated, and you need to build wisely around the city's boroughs to serve its famously hurried population!
The rules for New York are the same as in the previous chapters. The specific rules are explained here.
Components
54 New York Destination Cards (all Standard - in contrast to London there are no Express stations with New York)
1 Passenger token
4
190 Track tokens (20 each of red, black, yellow, blue, and purple, and 15 each of pink, orange, green, brown, white and grey)
10 Score tiles
1 Start player tile
20 Branch tiles 1 Double sided board New York/Paris
Setup
- Place the board in the middle of the table
- Place the Passenger token on the Passenger start Station: Grand Central
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Take the Standard Destination cards, shuffle them and place them face down as a deck next to the board, leaving space next to it for a discard pile. There is 1 Destination card for each
 Station and 2 Destination cards for each  Station.
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Reveal the top 4 cards of the deck and place them face up next to the board.
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Place the Destination tokens on the stations on the board that match the 4 revealed Destination cards.
These are the initial Destination stations. Note: If two identical Destination cards are revealed, simply place 2 Destination tokens on the corresponding station.
The remaining setup steps are the same a for the London board. You are now ready to begin!
After the player's turn, the Passenger token is moved along built lines, avoiding empty track spaces as much as possible, in order to reach 2 of the 4 available Destination stations.
When placing Track tokens accross water, all Track tokens must be placed in the same turn.
After placing each Track token a player gets:
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1 point when a line is first connected to a National Rail station .
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2 points and 1 Branch tile when a line is connected to a Terminus station .
New York
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When a line is connected to a Cluster, 1 point for each Cluster that line has already reached.
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3 points when a third
 is connected to a line.
When placing Track tokens accross water, all Track tokens must be placed in the same turn, i.e. a player cannot end their turn while one of their lines end at a icon.
After placing each Track token, points and Branch tiles may be earned:
National Rail.
1 point when a line is first connected to a National Rail station.
Terminus stations.
2 points and 1 Branch tile when a line is connected to a Terminus station.
New York
Clusters.
When a line is connected to a Cluster (a high traffic area noted by pink color around the stations it contains), its owner scores 1 point for each Cluster that line has already reached. This means that when a line is connected to a Cluster for the first time, no points are scored. When it is connected to a second (different) Cluster, 1 point is scored, etc. Multiple lines can score for the same Cluster, but lines do not score points for connecting to a Cluster more than once.
Water Crossings.
3 points when a third is connected to a line. Note that the connection between Whitehall St and Borough Hall has two icons.
EXAMPLE: Cluster scoring
The blue line starts between Chamber St - World Trade Center and Canal St, scoring 0 points as this is the first Cluster it reaches.
Then it extends northward to:
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Wash Sq (scoring 1 point since this is the second reached Cluster)
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14 St - 6 Av (scoring 1 point since it is a National Rail station)
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Bryant Park (scoring 2 points since this is the third reached Cluster)
The Passenger will always visit 2 of the stations marked with a destination token.
Once a player has taken all of the actions of their turn, the Passenger must be moved.
There are 4 potential destinations marked by the Destination tokens on the board, each of which
corresponds to a face-up Destination card. The Passenger will always visit 2 of those stations.
When the Passenger arrives at a station with 2 Destination tokens, one of the tokens is removed and one of the corresponding Destination cards is discarded. The Passenger's next movement will be staying still (because doing so involves moving through fewest lines and empty spaces) and removing the other Destination token and card.
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For their first turns only, the player first in turn order takes three actions, and the player last in turn order takes five actions. (Previously, everyone other than the start player had a few points added to their score as a balancing mechanism.)
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The passenger is no longer removed from the board immediately when the draw deck is empty.
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There is a new Berlin map, along with its corresponding cards and tiles.
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On the London map, these single connections have been made double connections: Paddington-Shepherd's Bush, Shepherd's Bush-Goldhawk Road, Goldhawk Road-Hammersmith, Waterloo-Borough, London Bridge-Bank, Stratford-West Ham, and West Ham-Canning Town.
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On the London map, this double connection has been made a triple connection: Borough-London Bridge
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On the London map, the New Cross station has been removed, as has the connection between Aldgate and Canada Water.
The board:
- At the top in
the player's area the number of lines and the amount of Branch
tiles in the personal supply are shown. The points the player has
already earned are displayed here too. The starting player is marked with an "S".
- In the upper right corner of the game board is the counter
of the still available actions. When you have performed all your
actions, the counter will disappear.
- On the left side of the counter is the draw pile
with the number of cards left in it. The current
targets of the drawn cards are automatically marked on the game
board.
- At the bottom on the London map (on the left on the New York map)
is the pile of Branch tiles. If you can
take one, the stack is marked. To take a Branch tile, you click on
the stack.
Handling:
- To select the line for which you want to lay track, click
on the corresponding line color in the player area. The possible
spaces on where you can lay your track are highlighted. If you have
enough Branch tiles, the routes that require Branch tiles are also
highlighted.
- To deselect a line, click on it again, or
click on another line.
- After you have performed all actions, the path and the
lines that the passenger will take to the destinations, are
animated. By clicking on the passenger, he is set in motion and he
will travel to his first destination. The generated points are
displayed. If a second destination can be reached, the passenger
will go there after clicking him again. The stations to which the
passenger has traveled to are marked with a checkmark, if this is
turned on in the settings.
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If there are several destinations with the same distance from the passenger, these are marked with a question mark ("?"). If it is the 1st destination of the passenger, it's marked with 1 question mark ("?", big), if it is the 2nd destination of the passenger, it's marked with 2 question marks ("??", a bit smaller). In case there are several destinaions in the same distance from passenger when the passenger needs to travel, the player is asked to select the destination by clicking on the desired one. When moving the mouse over the possible destinations, the route the passenger will take is displayed. Destinations that will be reached in this turn in any case are marked with an exclamation mark ("!"). The first destination of the passenger is marked with 1 exclamation mark ("!", big), the second destination is marked with 2 exclamation marks ("!!", a bit smaller).
- If the passenger can reach his destination via different
lines, the lines in question are highlighted and the player
selects the desired line by clicking on it on the game board.
Alternatively, the desired line can also be selected in the player
area.
- If you move the mouse over the individual actions in the
gamelog, the corresponding action is displayed on the game board.
- If you move the mouse over the draw pile, all targets that
are still in the draw pile are highlighted. If you mark the checkbox on the draw pile, the highlighting becomes permanent.
- When you move the mouse over the score tile of a player, the
corresponding lines are marked on the game board.
Settings:
- You can set, that the stations that the passenger has
already visited will be marked with a checkmark.
- For color vision impairment, additional marking of the
lines can be selected.
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