Board Games 🇦🇹Austria21st century

Russian Railroads

2013 GERMAN-STYLE EURO STRATEGY WORKER-PLACEMENT GAME by HELMUT OHLEY + LEONHARD 'LOOKOUT' ORGLER (18xx railroad designer) — published by HANS IM GLÜCK. 2-4 players compete as INDUSTRIALISTS in 19TH CENTURY IMPERIAL RUSSIA building THREE PARALLEL RAILROAD LINES: MOSCOW-VLADIVOSTOK (main line), MOSCOW-ST. PETERSBURG, and KIEV. Uses PLAYER BOARD PROGRESSION SYSTEM with rails, trains, engineers, factory bonuses accumulating VP in complex chain reactions. 7 ROUNDS + strong ENGINE BUILDING makes it a HEAVY EURO with satisfying compound growth. Winner of MULTIPLE INTERNATIONAL AWARDS 2013-14. Ranked in BGG Top 100 for years. Expansions: GERMAN RAILROADS + AMERICAN RAILROADS (2014).

📐Central game board + 4 player boards⏱~105 min🌤indoor

What is Russian Railroads?

RUSSIAN RAILROADS is a 2013 GERMAN-STYLE EURO STRATEGY WORKER-PLACEMENT GAME designed by HELMUT OHLEY (Austrian designer, primarily known for his 18xx games like 1817) + LEONHARD 'LOOKOUT' ORGLER (prolific 18xx designer, also 1849 SICILY, 1867 TERRITORY, 18USA, etc.). Published by HANS IM GLÜCK — the German publisher of CARCASSONNE. NOTABLE for combining 18xx-designer sensibility with HEAVY EURO worker-placement + engine-building. WINNER of Deutscher Spiele Preis 2014 + International Gamers Award 2013 + shortlisted for Kennerspiel des Jahres. Widely regarded as one of the FINEST HEAVY EUROS OF THE 2010s. OVERVIEW: 2-4 players compete as INDUSTRIALISTS in 19TH CENTURY IMPERIAL RUSSIA seeking to build the BEST RAILROAD NETWORK + accumulate the most VP. GAME LENGTH: 7 ROUNDS. CORE MECHANIC: WORKER-PLACEMENT + PLAYER-BOARD PROGRESSION. Each round players take turns PLACING WORKERS on ACTION SPACES on the main game board — spaces let players ADVANCE various trains + tracks on their PERSONAL PLAYER BOARDS. THREE RAILROAD LINES on each player's board: (1) MOSCOW-VLADIVOSTOK (main line, longest, most VP) — advanced by placing black/gray/brown/natural/white/pearl train tokens progressively along the track spaces; each track space passed = increasing VP. (2) MOSCOW-ST. PETERSBURG (secondary line). (3) KIEV LINE (third line). Each line has multiple 'CLASSES' of trains — a player who advances a track color must have unlocked that train class via prior progression. FACTORIES + ENGINEERS: Additional player-board tracks: FACTORY LEVELS (multipliers), ENGINEER CARDS (permanent bonuses), INDUSTRIALIZATION progress. ENGINE BUILDING: Signature RR mechanic — early advances create compound VP over subsequent rounds. Trains advanced early yield ongoing bonuses; late advances yield less compound value. Careful sequencing is crucial. WORKER TYPES: Standard workers + special colored workers unlocked through certain spaces. FINAL SCORING: End-of-game VP from rail line positions + engineer cards + factories + industrialization + Moscow track landmark bonuses (Moscow star spots unlock large bonuses). GAME LENGTH: 90-120 min. WEIGHT: BGG weight ~3.9/5 — HEAVY EURO. Engine-building heavy focus but requires INTERACTION via limited worker-placement spaces. RANKINGS: BGG Top 100 (peaked ~#50-90); universally praised. EXPANSIONS: GERMAN RAILROADS + AMERICAN RAILROADS (2014, sold together) — adds new game boards + rules variations for German + American railroad settings. Companion expansions provide fresh strategic challenges without needing a new game.

Quick facts

How it works

Objective

Score most Victory Points via railroad progression + factories + engineers + landmarks after 7 rounds.

Rules

Basic rules

7 rounds of worker placement on central board
Fixed round count.
Each action space advances something on your player board
Board is the engine.
Trains advance progressively through track spaces earning VP
Signature RR scoring.
3 railroad lines: Moscow-Vladivostok (main), St. Petersburg, Kiev
Multiple parallel tracks.
Factory levels + engineer cards + industrialization provide bonuses
Multiple VP sources.
Early advances compound over subsequent rounds
Engine-building rewards patience.

Scoring

VP from track advancement + factories + engineers + Moscow landmarks + industrialization.

Action	Points
Advance train along Moscow-Vladivostok track (main)	Progressive VP per space
Complete St. Petersburg + Kiev lines	Bonus VP
Factory levels	Multipliers for other tracks
Engineer cards (permanent bonuses)	Ongoing VP through rounds
Moscow star landmarks	Large one-time bonuses

Win condition · Highest total VP after Round 7 final scoring.

Playing area

Called

Central game board + 4 player boards

Dimensions

Large central board with action spaces + 4 personal railroad player boards

Central board with placement spaces; each player has their own 3-line railroad board.

Equipment

Central game board (action spaces + phase indicator)
Shared worker placement
4 player boards (3 railroad lines each + factory + engineer)
Personal engine tracking
Colored train tokens (black, gray, brown, natural, white, pearl)
Track progression
Worker meeples (per player color)
Placement tokens
Engineer cards (permanent bonuses)
Progression rewards
Money + VP markers
Currency + scoring
Round marker + first-player token
Round tracking

Strategies

Early Moscow-Vladivostok advances compound heavily
Main line priority.
Balance track advancement with factory + engineer growth
Multi-source scoring.
Race for premium worker spaces
Worker placement is limited.
Industrialization + Moscow landmarks provide late-game bonuses
Endgame optimization.

Terminology

Russian Railroads: The game name.
Moscow-Vladivostok: The main (longest) railroad line — highest VP potential.
Trains (black, gray, brown, natural, white, pearl): Progressive train classes advanced along tracks.
Factory: Player-board scoring multiplier track.
Engineer: Permanent-bonus cards.
Industrialization: Progression track providing endgame VP.
Moscow star: Landmark spot on Moscow-Vladivostok line for large bonuses.
Worker placement: Core action mechanic — place workers on limited spaces.

Major competitions

Spiel Essen convention play
annual · Germany · since 2013
BGG community tournaments
periodic · Global · since 2014
Online Board Game Arena
ongoing · Online · since 2015

Where it is played

Governing bodies

Hans im Glück (publisher)
Founded 1983 · Munich, Germany
Z-Man Games (English distribution)
Founded 1999 · USA/Canada
BoardGameGeek community
Founded 2000 · Online

Famous names & records

Famous athletes

Helmut Ohley (Austrian designer, 1817 + Russian Railroads co-designer)
Leonhard 'Lookout' Orgler (prolific 18xx designer)
Hans im Glück publishing team

Learn this sport

beginner

1
Play with 3 players + experienced teacher
Complex engine-building rules.
2
Focus on Moscow-Vladivostok main line first game
Primary scoring path.

intermediate

1
Explore all 3 railroad lines + engineer strategies
Deeper play.

advanced

1
German + American railroads expansions; 4-player games
Full engagement.

Frequently asked

What is Russian Railroads?+

Russian Railroads vs Age of Steam vs 1830 — differences?+

All 3 are HEAVY RAILROAD strategy games but differ significantly. RUSSIAN RAILROADS (2013): WORKER PLACEMENT + PLAYER BOARD ENGINE BUILDING; no map; 3 parallel personal railroad lines advance progressively; 90-120 min. AGE OF STEAM (2002, Wallace): CUBE DELIVERY on shared HEX MAP + role selection + brutal loan system; 2-4 hours. 1830 (1986, Tresham): STOCK MARKET + shared corporations + train rusting + BANKRUPTCY elimination; 4-6 hours. RR is MOST EURO-STYLE + ENGINE-DRIVEN with no direct combat/interference; AoS is MID-HEAVY EURO WITH MAP-BASED DELIVERY; 1830 is FINANCIAL SIMULATION WITH BRUTAL PVP. Each teaches different strategic thinking; RR is the most CLEANLY EURO + most accessible for first-time heavy Euro players.

Sources & provenance

BoardGameGeek — Russian Railroads— BGG
Hans im Glück— Hans im Glück

Last verified 2026-08-28.verified