Iberian Railways

About this board game

Iberian Railways is a railway-building board game for 3–5 players that plays in about 60 minutes. Set across Spain and Portugal, it challenges players to connect towns and cities while managing construction costs, loans, income, and business interests.

The map uses a hex-based layout filled with color-coded urban hexes: towns, minor cities, major cities, Lisbon, and Madrid. Every player begins on the expand action. On each turn, you must move your action marker to a different action, then either take that action or pass.

• Start: Create a new railway connecting at least two urban hexes, increasing your income for each one connected.
• Expand: Add track to an existing railway, connecting further urban hexes and increasing income.
• Merge: Combine two or more of your railways into one continuous railway.
• Purchase: Buy an available business interest card, which can add its cost to your income when connected to its urban hex.

Construction costs depend on how many cubes you place, with extra costs for rivers, hills, and hexes already occupied by another player. Since you begin with no money, loans may be essential: each provides $5, but interest must be paid after every action. You can also repay one loan for $6 when able.

The game ends when the final cube is placed. Points reward cash, highest income, longest continuous track, business interests, and the most towns, minor cities, and major cities in an overall network. In Iberian Railways, careful expansion and financial management are central to building a successful railway empire.