Game: HellRail - Third Perdition

Thread: Re: When are Heresy Tokens disgarded?

jdroscha — 2008-10-11T04:24:58+00:00

Do you discard a Heresy token after you use it (put it back in the pool), or do you keep it to use it again. In the later case, can you simply return it to the pool at will, like a Brimstone Tender?

When you opt to use a Heresy token, you discard it back into the general pool thereby making it available for another engineer (or yourself) to acquire.

Thread: When are Heresy Tokens disgarded?

jppe5 — 2008-10-10T18:27:11+00:00

Do you discard a Heresy token after you use it (put it back in the pool), or do you keep it to use it again. In the later case, can you simply return it to the pool at will, like a Brimstone Tender?

Thread: Fluxx on Rails

Morganza — 2007-06-25T00:11:30+00:00

I will freely admit that I bought this game sight unseen, just for the theme. Use trains to deliver the souls of sinners to the proper circles of Hell? That just seemed wrong on so many levels, just the right thing to annoy the serious train gamers.

I was not impressed by the production values of this game. The card deck is thin flimsy stock that would probably get blown around if we tried to play anywhere with some air flow. The rules book was crudely and unevenly stapled together. The wells in the box insert don't quite match the components. I'll want to get some baggies to put the cardboard bits in.

Be that as it may, I've been carrying it around in my bag o' games for a few weeks, and it finally got played...

Four 18xx players sat down to play it Saturday night while we were waiting for the Colosseum game at the other table to finish up. We played with the basic rules.

As luck would have it, the brimstone tenders (draw 3 cards a turn, losing the ability to discard-and-draw) were close and available; they went quickly and seemed to be a touch unbalanced.

There wasn't a huge amount of interaction in the game. Gluttony (pull cards from other players until you have the most) came up quite a lot, and Cerberus was played 3 or 4 times, always with the algorithm of "put him on the highest-numbered occupied circle. Nobody ever actually used the boatman (leap across voids), though one player held the chip for a long time. No train ramming happened, even though one player spent the whole game with a soul catcher.

I was looking forward to rotating a tile with another player's train on it, but a closer reading of the rules showed that not to be the way that circle worked. Oh well.

Towards the end of the game anyone who fanned the flames got quickly hit with gluttony, thus increasing the power of the brimstone tenders, which let you pull cards at the beginning of your turn instead of the end. (If I play this again I'll grab a brimstone tender as fast as possible...) The chaos reigns chip also was more annoying than fun. Maybe we need a house rule that when chaos reigns, all of the Circles not in play get placed randomly before anything in play gets reused?

The game dragged on long past its amusement value, though. Towards the end there was a clear winner and we were actively trying to end it...

Yes, it might get played again... but it's nowhere near the top of my list. I'd rate it about a 5.5

Thread: Re: Hell Rail: Review

gschloesser — 2007-05-23T11:41:55+00:00

I hope you enjoy it, Chris! We still play from time-to-time, and I always enjoy it.

Thread: L.I.B.O. (Long Island Boardgaming Organization)

slyde — 2007-05-03T19:17:30+00:00

In 1998 James Kyle and Galloglass games put out a small game called Hellrail, a fun pick-up and deliver type game where players assume the roles of train engine ferrymen in Hell, each attempting to deliver as many of the souls of the Damned as they are able. It was a fun game that won points just for its original theme alone.

Mr. Kyle then tweaked the rules somewhat when he joined up with Mayfair Games in 1999 and produced Hellrail: Second Perdition. A few more slight revisions in the rules (adding more circle powers and making circle powers random) made up Mr. Kyle’s third incarnation of the Hellrail franchise when he developed Hellrail: Third Perdition in 2001.

The first thing one notices about the game is that this is not a large game, physically. The box is quite small, smaller than a typical Hardcover book. The components of the game, while not overly produced, do a fine job of conveying all relevant information needed to play the game. I might request that in future versions both the cards, as well as the playing pieces, be a little larger than what they are, although once cards start getting played the playing area could get rather large, so maybe in this case “small” is a good thing.

Where Hellrail really shines is in its original theme. As previously stated, players play the part of train engineers, shuffling lost souls back and forth thru the 9 circles of hell. On their turn, players play cards that connect railroad tracks together, forming railway lines between the circles of Hell. Gameplay revolves around deciding what souls to pick up, and how many. Adding more cars full of souls to your Engine will generate you more points when you get all those souls to their destination, but a heavily loaded train will cost you more resources to keep moving. This is a true game of Resources vs. Reward.

The gameflow is straightforward, with each player playing card from their hand each turn to lay track, and pick up more souls. Also, cards can be discarded for their “Brimstone Value” at the end of a players turn (In keeping with the theme, this is called, “Fanning The Flames”). Discarded cards Thru Fanning The Flames actually net the player extra cards to be used on their next turn.

Hellrail: Third Pedition is rich in theme, and even labeling the types of souls that you can carry (Adulterers, Murderers) was a nice, humorous touch. The game suffers from the same curse of the luck of the draw that any card-driven game of this sort has: Namely, if you don’t draw the cards that you need, you will find yourself hard-pressed to win.

One of my few complaints with Hellrail: Third Perdition was that, in my play of the game, there was almost no interaction between the three players. Players have the ability to ram opposing players trains, and even run them off the game board, but with the expansive layout of tracks that soon develop during play, players rarely ever even have the need to come anywhere near each other on the gameboard. This lack of interactivity between the players was one of my few gripes with this otherwise fine game.

That small gripe aside, Hellrail: Third Perdition left me wanting to give it another go, which is the best recommendation I can give for ANY game.

Thread: Re: GG for scans of a couple cards.

rshipley — 2007-01-10T03:21:15+00:00

Thanks Rokkr!

Thread: Re: GG for scans of a couple cards.

Rokkr — 2007-01-09T20:51:40+00:00

Message sent.

Thread: GG for scans of a couple cards.

rshipley — 2007-01-09T20:20:25+00:00

I have 2 GG for a scan. We acquired a game, but it was mising some cards. A scan of the 9 and G circle cards would be very helpful. PM me and I'll reply with my email address.

Thread: Re: Heresy change

Bad News [bnw] — 2006-10-22T19:41:43+00:00

Thanks a lot!
(And appologies for the awful spelling of the original post, changed that now.)

jdroscha wrote:
Please note that these are the opinions of the designer only; any related information released by the publisher supersedes this.

Hmm, I think the designer has the final word when it comes to me. Thanks again!

Thread: Re: Heresy change

jdroscha — 2006-10-21T07:39:29+00:00

Hello Thomas,

The intent of the "Change Circle Effect" Heresy Token in question is to change the player chosen as the target of an effect. As you stated, this applies to Thievery, Lust and Gluttony.

When you play this Heresy Token, you may select any different target player(s) for the entire effect. So, in the case of Gluttony, as the glutton draws each card, you would choose the hand from which to draw.

Note that you may choose any player but the one using the circle effect. For example, if Lust is being used, you can choose a new target player that does not currently hold any cards.

For Thievery, you choose the new target player, but the thief still chooses which car loaded by that player to target.

Please note that these are the opinions of the designer only; any related information released by the publisher supersedes this.

--James

Thread: Heresy change

Bad News [bnw] — 2006-10-19T11:25:38+00:00

For the heresy change token; exactly what can it change? It says it changes the receiver of an effect from one engineer to another. But of the 15 circle effects I can only find three that effects other players than yourself; the obvious Thievery and Lust, plus Gluttony that effects several other players. Is it only for these two/three effects that heresy change is useful? Can I also change the effect of for instance Soul Catcher to not give a catcher to the current player but instead to me? And what about Gluttony? Can I change who the current player should take cards from? Only for one card or for the whole Gluttony session?

Thread: Re: check marker

Bad News [bnw] — 2006-10-18T23:02:14+00:00

The rules say nothng about it, so I assume they stay. Also there's loads of them, so there's no real danger in them running ut even if they stay.

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Walsingham — 2006-08-27T18:17:24+00:00

HellRail 3rd Perdition Close Up

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Walsingham — 2006-08-27T18:14:47+00:00

HellRail 3rd Perdition Setup

Thread: Re: Are the perditions different enough to warrant different...

Great Dane — 2006-08-04T09:02:24+00:00

There are several changes between the editions so the different entries are justified.

Thread: Are the perditions different enough to warrant different...

Bad News [bnw] — 2006-08-04T07:23:46+00:00

...database entries? Or just the same game in different editions?

Thread: check marker

kiwifirst — 2006-06-02T16:04:09+00:00

Dont have the game in front of me, but there is a token that allows you to mput a check marker on the track. When a train runs over it they have to turn a card and there is a penalty if the brimstone is equal to the cars etc. The question is does the check marker stay there for the whole game? or removed when run over.

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belial1134 — 2006-04-26T02:03:09+00:00

Thread: Re: 42 in 2005: Game #28 - Hellrail: Third Perdition

Canadian Pittbull — 2006-03-15T16:49:12+00:00

I actually enjoy this little game. It is interesting and working on a Hellrail makes for some interesting dialogue around the gaming table. My most recent game of this I have to thank the cars that had Thieves and Liars as they took the win home for me. I avoid the Lake of Fire this time.

Thread: Hell Rail: Review

gschloesser — 2006-02-23T00:51:25+00:00

Designed by: James Kyle
Released by: Mayfair Games
Review by: Greg J. Schloesser
Number of Players: 2 - 4
Time: 1 - 1 1/2 hours

EDITOR'S NOTE: This review also appeared in Moves Magazine #108

Normally, I am not a big rail game fan. I must preface this, however, by saying that I haven't played very many rail games. Indeed, I have NEVER played any of the hard-core 'rail' games, such as the 18xx series of games. So, when I first heard about Hell Rail, I dismissed it as just one more in the seemingly endless line of train games. There seems to be more train games out there than there are actual trains!

However, a few years back, I began hearing some very good things about this game, so decided to part with some cash and purchase a copy. At the time, the game was being released by the tiny game company Galloglass Games, which is not a very well known name within gaming circles. When the game arrived, it was evident that it was clearly a homemade effort. The package was very basic, a thin cardboard box with a nice laminated design on the top and bottom. Most of the components were also of thin card stock with very basic artwork. The only exception was the playing pieces, tiny -- and I do mean tiny -- locomotives, which were finely crafted lead miniatures. Very cool.

The game, however, transcended this mediocre quality and was actually quite entertaining and challenging. Further, it played very well with 3 or 4 players and usually played in less than an hour. Clearly, this was a game that cried out to be released in a higher quality, professional edition by a more mainstream company.

That time has arrived. Hell Rail: The 3rd Perdition (Galloglass had released two previous editions, known as the 1st and 2nd Perditions) has been repackaged with more professional components and packaging and been re-released by Mayfair Games. Apparently, the railroad theme of the game attracted the attention of Mayfair, a game company who spends quite a bit of its time and resources on releasing and promoting rail games.

The new Mayfair version has kept all of the mechanics virtually intact. The only real thing they added was additional circle effects tokens. The effects are no longer directly printed onto the various circles of hell, but rather shuffled and distributed randomly. There are 15 circles possible circle effects, so each game should see some different ones appear. This is a nice touch. The components are generally better and a bit sturdier, with the exception of the train tokens. Gone are the really nifty lead miniatures, replaced with tiny wooden trains. They're cute and functional, but no where near as nice as the lead trains.

The Game

The theme is rather bizarre: You and your opponents are engineers in Hades delivering souls of the damned to their proper Circles of Hell. As engineers, you have a wide variety of tasks assigned to you, including the building of the actual rail lines, the loading of these damned souls and the successful delivery of your cargo to the proper circles of Hell. Players must be efficient, lest they incur the wrath of their infernal boss, who is notorious for his lack of mercy! The player who successfully delivers the most souls is spared bathing in the lakes of fire for one more day. Not much of a reward ... but I guess it's something!

Surprisingly, for a fairly mainstream company, Mayfair kept this somewhat politically incorrect theme intact. I'm sure the theme could have been changed to something less questionable and one with more widespread appeal, but, to their credit, they left it intact.

Nine Circles of Hell and one Gateway to Hell cards are set upon the table according to a diagram in the rulebook. Players begin the game with three cards apiece. These cards are multi-functional and deciding on exactly how to use each card is the tricky ... and agonizing � part of the game. Each card can be used to perform a variety of functions, including:

1) Lay track onto the table;
2) Overlay previously laid track;
3) Move your train;
4) Pick up damned souls;
5) Deliver damned souls to their proper Circle of Hell; OR
6) Discard and draw new cards (known as 'Fanning the Flames').

Each card depicts track, a passenger car with a numerical value (which is the movement allowance that the card allows OR the value of the card if successfully delivered to the proper Circle of Hell), a Pickup number (which is the Circle of Hell you must be at in order to pick up the damned souls listed on the passenger car diagram), a Setout number (which is the Circle of Hell you must be at in order to successfully deliver the damned souls) and, finally, a Brimstone number (which is the number of cards you may draw from the deck if you discard this card, thereby ending your turn). That's quite a bit of information to be included on the small, 3 x 3 cards, but they are laid out extremely well and are easy to decipher after a few minutes experience.

On a turn, a player may perform as many of the above actions as he desires, provided he possesses the cards to do so. Managing these cards properly and deciding which task to perform and which cards to use for these various tasks is the key to success in the game. A card used for one task is thereby 'used' and no longer available for another task you may have had in mind. Choosing between several possible uses for a card, all of which may be equally attractive, can be quite a tough decision. This is the real feature of the game. Somehow, this 'multi-functional' card mechanism is much more satisfying and far less taxing in Hell Rail than in db Spiele's Yukon & Company, another game which uses a similar mechanic but with far less satisfying results.

The basic idea of the game is to move your train to various Circles of Hell and pick up damned souls, delivering them to the proper Circles of Hell listed on that card. Once you successfully arrive at a Circle which is the destination of one of your cargo cards, that card is then considered 'delivered' and will score its point value (the number listed in the passenger train picture) at the end of the game. The player who has the highest point value of 'delivered souls' wins the game. The game ends when there are no further cards in the draw or discard piles.

The Strategies

Before a player can begin the process of transporting these lost souls, the actual rail lines must be constructed. Each card depicts various tracks and the card can be rotated to properly fit and align with previously laid tracks. The idea here is to analyze your hand of cards and formulate a plan based on the cards you hold. What you desire to accomplish is the establishment of a route wherein you can pick up souls and deliver them quickly to their destination Circle. Constructing long, time-consuming routes is extremely wasteful, not only in terms of time, but in cards as well. You want to waste as few cards as possible to build track and move your locomotive. The cards are far better utilized as human (well, perhaps deceased human) cargo.

Movement is from track tie to track tie. In a clever and somewhat gruesome touch, the track ties are actually tiny bones. As mentioned, it is wise to create short routes so that you don�t spend too many of your cards on movement. Another tip is to avoid ending a turn on open track as opposed to in a Circle. Why? Well, it is possible for other players to ram your train and force it onto a section of track you did not intend to travel. This could cause you severe headaches, as well as an abundance of cards, as you try to "get back on the right track", so to speak. Worse still is the possibility of being shoved completely off a track section which had not yet been completed. This is known as �derailing� and has devastating consequences. If you suffer this dire fate, you must:

1) Discard your entire hand of cards;
2) Discard all of your loaded, but not yet delivered train cars;
3) Move your engine piece back to the Gates of Hell Circle; and
4) End your turn.

Ouch! Such an event can easily knock a player out of contention. At the very best, it will take him numerous turns to accumulate more cards and pick up new passengers. The lesson bears repeating: if at all possible, end your turn in a Circle, not on open, especially incomplete, track.

Keeping a steady and abundant supply of cards in your hand is also critical. Each player has the option of ending their turn by "fanning the flames". This is accomplished by discarding a card and drawing a number of cards equal to the "brimstone" value of the card you discarded. Thus, it is wise to discard a card with a high brimstone value; i.e., a 4 or a 5. Of course, you usually want to use this card in some other fashion during the course of your turn, but it is best to resist this temptation as it is far wiser to use it to draw new cards. Besides, from the fate of the doomed passengers you are transporting, you can see the dangers of temptation!

The Spice

There are some additional features which add more spice to the game. As mentioned, in the Galloglass version, each Circle of Hell had a special power which, if evoked, could wreak havoc upon your opponents ... or yourself. In the Mayfair version, these special powers are not directly printed on the Circle tiles. Rather, the game includes 15 special powers, each on a separate circular token. These tokens are mixed prior to the beginning of the game and nine of them are placed randomly on the various Circles. Thus, each game will be a bit different.

Upon entering a Circle, a player has the opportunity to evoke the special power conveyed. These powers vary from causing a player to derail (with the same effects as mentioned above) to the removal or rotation of track tiles. Most of these Circle powers require a random resolution, usually involving the drawing of a card and comparing a value on the card drawn with some other factor. The potential effect may be beneficial or harmful to you, or perhaps an opponent. Sure, it's a chance, but one which can pay off handsomely if successful.

Lest the game grow stale, there are several variants included to keep things fresh. These involve the placing of the special Circle Effects face-down so that there powers remain a mystery until a player moves onto the Circle, as well as various starting layouts.

The Verdict

Hell Rail is quite simple to both learn and play. It packs quite a bit of challenge and fun into a small package. I don't fully believe it is terribly deep, but there is enough card management responsibilities to keep me interested and move the game beyond mere luck. Increased familiarity with the Circle powers will certainly alter strategies and help players keep the lead player in check.

The rules and the components are quite satisfactory, with the only real confusion arising over which symbol was the delivery circle and which was the pickup circle. Strangely, the cards don't line up properly with the player aid/locomotive card. It would seem that the transport cards should partially slide under the locomotive card, revealing the delivery circle but keeping the information on the player aid card un-obscured. However, if you arrange them in this fashion, the only visible 'circle' is the pick-up circle. The best method we could discern was to set the transport cards off to the right of the pickup circle and then overlap them. I don't think this is how you are supposed to do it, but a PhD and a bunch of college graduates sure couldn't figure out how the cards were supposed to align properly!

I applaud Mayfair's decision to add this fine little game to their ever-growing line of train games. Well, I guess it is not really a train game, but more of a tile laying and hand management game. Sigh. I guess I still haven't played a REAL train game!

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Jimzik — 2006-02-17T19:00:16+00:00

The Hellrail ran from Pittsburgh to Detroit right through Cleveland

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chitshappen — 2005-12-08T21:52:30+00:00

Puffing Billy, I don't think we're in Kansas any more.

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chitshappen — 2005-12-08T21:52:30+00:00

I THINK I can swallow your souls, I THINK I can swallow your souls...

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absent handed — 2005-10-04T15:49:47+00:00

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absent handed — 2005-10-04T15:49:47+00:00

The train bits used in the game.

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absent handed — 2005-10-04T15:49:47+00:00

All of the numbered cirlces of hell.

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absent handed — 2005-10-04T15:49:47+00:00

The 6th circle of hell is for gamers.

Thread: 42 in 2005: Game #28 - Hellrail: Third Perdition

daw65 — 2005-09-28T04:29:08+00:00

At the beginning of this year I decided I was going to make an effort to get as many games in my collection as I could onto the gaming table. I initially set out 41 games (and added a 42nd almost immediately). Here's the lin to that initial article:
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/geekforum.php3?action=viewthrea...

# 28 for this year is Hellrail: Third Perdition. I got it to the table today at lunchtime, with one other player who had played before, and two newbies. And boy, was it a weird, and ultimately unsatisfying, session. A couple of us got non-useful starting hands, and ended up doing nothing or almost nothing but fanning the flames for more cards. However, one player was able to do stuff, and at the end of his second turn (he was start player,as it turns out), landed in the third circle, with the Gluttony power. Since two of us had six cards in our hands, he wound up getting 7 cards and wound up being able to ship some three or four cars right off the bat.

The remainder of the game kind of trudged on, except the two slow starters were kind of slow continuers, though part of it was my own fault, as I loaded up four cars (to avoid the gluttony hit a second time), and then didn't have cards with sufficient brimstone to move my train. But as we kept a bunch of cards, the draw deck got seriously depleted, and the game ended kind of abruptly. Final scores were 26, 17, 15, 12.

I can't help thinking that this session was particularly odd. It seems like a confluence of specific conditions: poor hands and therefore the need to hoard more cards for two of us, along with the proximity of the gluttony circle and the start player's ability to empty his hand just as he was moving into that circle. Yeah, we perhaps should have seen that coming. I was sleeping, I guess. The other player was a newcomer to the game. But as I said...this session really was an "ugh".

I enjoy working out the logistic puzzles of a pick up and deliver game, and I keep trying to find the game that will work for me, factoring in interesting problems, player interaction, and playing time. I thought that HellRail might be one. At this point, though, I'm seriously doubting it.

I need to look into FrachtExpress.

Thread: Re:2-Player Variant

Dinky_Gnatbane — 2005-03-23T06:03:44+00:00

voynix (#451555),

I got this game a week or so ago, and I just got around to reading the rules. The funny thing is that I was thinking pretty much exactly the same thing about 2 player modifications, but I wasn't sure if they would make the game work as a 2 player. I didn't think about the Heretic change though. I'll definitely have to try it out as a 2 player game now!

Thread: 2-Player Variant

voynix — 2005-03-12T04:16:15+00:00

Though this game is supposed to be played with 3 or 4 players, the following simple change can make this game a lot more fun for 2 players:

Remove the following counters:

1 Boatman (which leaves only 1)
1 Brimstone Tender (which leaves only 1)
1 Soul Catcher (which leaves only 1)
Heresy-Change Circle Effect (which leaves the 1 Heresy-Cancel Circle Effect counter)

Thread: User Review

voynix — 2005-03-08T21:07:53+00:00

After reading about this game, I could not pass it up. Forget Age of Steam, forget Ticket to Ride. I wanted to be in charge of Hell Trains delivering damned souls to their fiery desinations!! Unfortunately gameplay does not quite live up to its awesome theme. Having said that, it is not a bad game overall.

Gameplay is as follows: The nine circles of hell, which act as train stations are laid out in a set pattern. These are represented by small square cards. Each player has a wooden train token on the tracks to represent their current position. Each player also has a Train card, which is placed off to the side. Each player starts with 4 cards (same shape as the circles of hell cards). Each card depicts several things: 1) a layout of track. 2) a train car with a value and the type of sinners on board (the latter being irrelevant to gameplay) 2)a pickup number (corresponding to the hell gate number) 3) a delivery number (also corresponding to a hell gate number) and 4) a brimstone value.

Each turn, a player draws 1 card into his hand. After a card is drawn any number of the following actions can be performed by playing cards out of your hand: 1) lay down new track (or upgrading pre-exising track), connecting the gates of hell circle cards 2) move the train by playing a card with a brimstone value equal to or in excess of the number of cars attached to your engine. The number on the car of that card played equals the number of spaces that can be moved (spaces are represented by black railroad ties). 3) Pick up a passenger car. This is done if your train is on a circle card, and you have a card in your hand with a matching pick up number. This card is then placed on your train card off the "board". 4) Deliver a passenger car to its alloted circle. This is done when your train arrives in a circle, and you have a car(s) with a matching delivery number. These passenger car cards are then placed under the engine card for victory point purposes (the passenger car number is used in calculating VP's). At the very end of a turn, a player may "Fan the Flames" by discarding a card out of his hand and drawing a number of cards into his hand equal to the brimstone value of the card discarded. That is the jist of the game.

Other rules: Each circle card has a unique special action token, each of which are randomly placed at the beginning of the game. These special actions may be used by any player at the time they enter the circle cards. One example is "Boatmen" Entering this circle allows a player to obtain 1 of the 2 boatmen tokens. This token allows a train to cross empty spaces in a straight line (ie areas where no cards have been laid) by playing a card with a brimstone value equal to or greater than the number of empty spaces crossed. A lot of other such special actions exist. Also, trains can ram other engines from behind, causing the rammed train to lose the last car if the ramming engine has a "soul catcher" token. Trains cannot turn around on the track; they can only changes directions in a circle.

My ratings are as follows:

Theme: 9.5 Very morbid, twisted, yet humorous. I like the fact that all the train cars are labelled by sinner type (ie, liars, murdurers, suicides etc).

Mechanics/Gameplay: 7 The multipurpose uses of the cards are quite clever. I also enjoy the tile-laying aspect, slowly constructing the rail line as the game progresses (something analogous to carcassonne). However, actual gameplay seems somewhat mechanical and repetitive.

Rules: 8.5 Easy to follow.

Strategy: 7.5 Not an in-depth game for sure, though some strategy is required in deciding how to maximize your pick-ups and deliveries.

Asthetics: 6.5 Cards are thin and kind of functional appearing, yet the gate cards have some nice artwork. The train "meeples" are nice, the counters are all of decent card stock. The quality of the rulebook could be better.

Overall Fun Factor: 7 Normally I would say a 6.5, but the neat concept of the game gives it an extra 1/2 point. The mechanics of the game are interesting, but when it comes down to actually playing the game, it seems a bit dry, mechanical and repetitive. This play best with 3 or 4 players, but can be played with 2. Because of its low price, I would recommend to anyone interested in this type of game. Cheers.

Thread: Session Report

warlock — 2005-01-11T14:52:19+00:00

This ranked as Tel's highest average rated game of all time, largely due to a single 9/10 a few years ago. We figured it was about time we saw if it still lived up to such a lofty height.

It didn't. Though to be fair this was probably as much our fault as that of the game. We had a big problem with the circle tower that allows the user to take cards from an opponent until they have as many cards as anybody else. Being the kind of people we are, none of us were prepared to hold any cards so as to stop anybody else from taking advantage and stealing them. Because also being the kind of people we are, we would have taken advantage and stolen them. This turned out to be a big problem, because it dramatically slowed the game down. We were using cards just to get rid of them. None of us were really spending long taking a turn but most of the turns weren't particularly productive so we were getting nowhere fast. Tel and Paul managed to grab a brimstone tender each which allowed them to take three new cards at the start of each turn. Andy didn't have such an advantage and thus found himself even more starved of cards.

The game dragged on for more than two hours, until Paul finally decided that enough was enough and started playing cards as track just to get the game finished. When all the fun disappears from a game, what's the point of prolonging it just to chase a win?

If and when we play again, we'll probably do so without that power. Of course, this introduces the risk of people hording cards and then taking ages to work out an optimal 10 card move. We'll have to see if that happens.

Scores : Tel 34, Paul 30, Andy 19
Ratings: Tel 6, Paul 6, Andy 4
Winner(s): Tel

Thread: Session Report

cyberkev63 — 2004-07-16T23:21:50+00:00

We moved from racing hedgehogs to transporting damned souls to their appropriate levels of Hell. This is probably my favorite train game, because of its interesting theme and the cool mechanic of multi-use cards.

How to play:

Each player is the engineer of a train trying to transport the greatest number of souls to and from the various circles of Hell. Cards representing these "circles" are laid out on the table, with empty spaces between them. Players are then dealt a hand of three Rail cards.

These Rail cards are diamond shaped, with information in each of the four corners: (1) the number of souls and their sin (including some interesting ones, like Profligates - those who are recklessly wasteful and wildly extravagant - and Edacious - devouring or craving food in great quantities), (2) the circle of Hell where one can pick up the car and add it to one's train, (3) the circle where it needs to be dropped off to be scored, and (4) a Brimstone Value that can be used to move the train or to draw cards. In addition, each card has rail tracks and can be played to expand the rail system and connect the different circles of Hell.

On a player's turn, he draws a card and can then perform any number of actions, each of which involves playing a card. If he is in the appropriate circle to pick up a train car of souls (a card from his hand), he can add that card to his train. Similarly, if he's in the appropriate circle to drop off one of his train's cars, he can remove that particular car/card, thus adding those souls to his score. He can also move his engine along laid tracks (using a card from his hand for the "fuel") or play a card from his hand to either lay new rail or upgrade existing rail. After completing all chosen actions, the player may "Fan the Flames" by discarding a card from his hand and drawing a number of cards equal to the Brimstone Value on the discarded card.

Each of the circles of Hell has a random Circle Effect Token placed on it at the beginning of the game. Whenever a player's engine enters a circle space, that person has the option of activating the Circle Effect. These usually provide some small benefit for the player or a way of hurting another player.

Note that whenever a player drops off a car of souls, the number is announced and then the card is placed face-down under that player's engine card, where no one may look at it until the end of the game. Thus, the scoring is hidden, but someone who is willing to exert the mental effort could keep track of everyone's scores.

Finally, the game ends when a player needs to draw a card and there are none left in the draw pile or the discard pile (which is reshuffled to replenish the draw pile).

Our game:

I got off to a rocky start by making a bad play - I used all of the cards in my hand, which meant that I could not Fan the Flames for more cards. Having played the game before, I knew it was a bad play; but I was just too taken with the combination that would allow me to quickly score some points, so I failed to listen to the small voice of reason in my head. This mania lasted another turn, as I used the single card I drew to move my engine to a scoring circle rather than Fan the Flames. So on my *third* turn I really had to Fan the Flames - and I drew a card with a Brimstone Value of 2! Can we say "slow growth"? Later in the game, I finally had a fistful of cards, but all of the pick-ups were on the far side of Hell (from where I was).

Meanwhile, Mike and Nate were playing much smarter and dropping off souls left and right using the many cards in their hands. I quickly lost track of the scores, so I wasn't sure who was winning. Nate The Builder was doing us all a favor by being the main layer of rail. The Circle Effect Tokens largely did very little, with the exception of Cerberus, who was activated when Nate entered the 7th circle. This three-headed guardian forces you to discard one or more cards before you can leave his circle. Nate placed him on the 6th circle, which slowed down both Mike and me.

With all the rail being laid and souls being delivered, the draw and discard piles began to be perilously close to being empty. Both Nate and Mike managed to make it to the 9th circle - which took quite a bit of traveling! - and they were on their way back into the bowels of Hell. (One disadvantage of the 9th circle is that, since all cars are delivered to a higher-numbered circle than where they are picked up, there are no cars to be picked up at 9, and only one each possible for the 8th and 7th circles.) But Mike had to Fan the Flames to replenish his hand and that made it impossible for Nate to draw a card at the beginning of his turn. So we tallied up our totals of delivered souls:

Mike - 37, Nate - 34, Kevin - 25

(Despite my really bad start, I did have the good fortune of mostly dropping off cars with high numbers of souls, and not having to travel too far to do so. At the end of the game, Mike and Nate were on their way back from the 9th circle with empty trains and I was about to drop off a car with 8 souls. So it turned out to be a reasonably close game.)

Comments:

As I said earlier, I think this game is pretty nifty. The multi-function card mechanic is interesting and leads to some tough choices. The theme is amusing.

Although I've always played with the Circle Effect Tokens and I'm generally a big fan of "special event cards," I'm thinking the next time I play this I'll try it without the Circle Effects. It seems they don't usually have too much effect and are therefore not entirely worth the (small) "fiddle factor" they create. It will be interesting to see how the game plays when the process is more streamlined.

I'm also thinking that I may play with open scoring. It will remove the guesswork (or the advantage of those who actually keep an accurate tally in their heads) and allow the players to make more exact tactical choices, especially in the endgame.

Finally, I've noticed that this game sometimes ends just as it really gets moving. That wasn't the really the case tonight, as we had both a lot of rail laid and a lot of transport. But sometimes the players are sufficiently hoarding cards and the draw and discard piles seem to empty prematurely. This is mainly a difficulty with the four-player game. Most of the three-player games I've played have run about the right length. To address this, I've purchased a second set and I'll see about adding cards (half the deck? a quarter?) when I'm playing with four players. Of course, that also opens the possibility of multiples of the circles of Hell....

Rating: 8 - Very good game. I like to play. Probably I'll suggest it and will never turn down a game.

Thread: Session Report

daw65 — 2004-05-13T23:25:07+00:00

We had time for a second game, so we brought out Hellrail: Third Perdition. This is a train game, where the players run trains from the Gates of Hell through the nine Circles and back, transporting various sinners from one spot to another.

Three of us picked up early cars at the Gates-- only Jeff did not. But Jeff did head over to the first Circle, and picked up three cars. Dave landed a nice sequence, moving from the Gates to Circles 2, 4, 5, 7, and then 8, setting out five quick cars of sinners. Rich seemed to struggle a bit, as he made a couple of deliveries and found himself deep in Hell with many pickup orders back towards the top.

Sterling then decided he'd have some fun. He used Gluttony to take cards from everyone (Dave had eight cards in hand at the time, so he got a lot of them), and started playing them out. During that time, he picked up and set out a couple cars, and then used Gluttony to take more cards from the rest of us, and picked up three more cars. He then started toward the ninth Circle in the hopes of delivering them. But Gluttony is feast-then-famine sort of ability, and he had a hard time getting moving again afterwards. Meanwhile, Dave was able to head back to Circles 5, 6, 7, and 8, picking up and setting out three more cars, and in the process leaving only one card left. Rich had the option to try to go lean and extend the game, but he chose to end it there. When we added up our deliveries, Dave came out on top, having carried 39 sinners to Sterling's 25, Jeff's 18, and Rich's 12.

Thread: Session Report

jdroscha — 2002-12-11T22:16:17+00:00

MORE LIKE PURGATORAIL

Upright behavior from Hell's conductors made for a fairly brief endeavor. Cerberus saw some action and moved several times, though he mostly guarded circles close to the gate, and so demanded only light soul-snacks.

In the final round, however, Joe's posting of Cerberus to the eighth circle proved to be the act that spared him from a sponge-bath in the lake of fire. For as James fumbled through his final deliveries, he chose to forgo the invocation of Gluttony and instead end the day. Cerberus prevented him from making the one extra delivery needed for salvation.

THE DAMNEDGINEERS

19 Joe
15 James
05 Jessica [1st play]
05 Chris

A sounding of the sulphorous steam whistle for Joe, who hath delayed his fate for one more day.

Thread: Session Report

PBrennan — 2002-04-03T10:05:54+00:00

First playing for all except Rick. The first time we played with an accidental variant where you move using the brimstone number. Second time was the official way. The first game ended fast when us rookies fanned the fans too rapidly, allowing me to finish the game quickly after some early scores (I had good close cards). The second game went a fuller distance as players managed their card play so it always seemed we were just 5 minutes from ending, but the other table played a full Klunker after we said 5 minutes to go.

Anyway, good game, but with fair downtime as you ponder optimal routing, optimal card sacrifices and optimal plays. You need a card holder to hold all your cards so you can see each corner of EVERY card at all times. It seems obvious to never lay track if you can help it, hold back and rely on other’s builds if you can. But you are somewhat in the lap of gods as to what you get dealt.

Scores:
Pat 13, Rick 6, Lindsay & Iain -
Lindsay 34, Pat 30, Iain 21, Rick 20

A rating of 6 after 2 plays; ok game for the occasional play.

Thread: User Review

BoardGameGeek — 2002-01-24T17:15:31+00:00

This is an intersting game about a hell railway network. The contral mechanic is that your cards can be used in several ways. These are... to pick up damned souls from a particular circle of hell, to deliver them to another, to move the train, to pick up more cards and finally actually as track. This multiple choice is interesting. Finally it plays surpsisingly quickly ( about 1 hour). Good buy.

Thread: Session Report

hinj — 2001-12-03T19:11:24+00:00

Hell Rail 3rd Perdition: Jen L, Mike L, Randy, Chris

While we were nuclear warheads, others were delivering souls to their proper circle of hell. They said the game was interesting, once you got the hang of it. Fun, even.

Results:
Randy Minion of Evil and Chief Engineer
Jen, Mike and Randy: Minor Delivery Minions