The Soo Line

About this board game

The Soo Line is a railroad investment and operations game for 3–5 players, with games lasting about 45 minutes. Set in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, it challenges players to invest in three railroads, build track, deliver goods, and finish with the most valuable portfolio.

When a railroad operates, its majority shareholder makes all of the company’s decisions. With four or five players, that means some players may not run a company themselves. Instead, they must rely on savvy investments and careful portfolio management to remain competitive.

Building railways is not straightforward. Track-leasing and cooperation are needed to overcome high build costs, strict hex limits, and tight cube supplies. As companies expand their routes and increase their income, shareholders must weigh the value of paying dividends against the risks of withholding money.

• Invest in three railroads and compete for majority control.
• Build track, deliver goods, and increase company income.
• Use cooperation and track-leasing to manage difficult construction constraints.
• Acquire one of five Private Companies, each seeded with goods and paying a fixed income.

Private Companies pay their owner each round and whenever a railroad delivers goods. Once their goods are gone, the Private closes and provides no further benefit, making their limited usefulness an important part of investment timing.

If a railroad withholds money instead of paying dividends, its share value drops, sometimes drastically. Given enough time, all three railroad stock values will decline, so the key is to end the game before that happens while your holdings are still worth the most.

In The Soo Line, victory goes to the player with the most money: cash on hand plus the value of their stocks. No play money is included, so poker chips—or even greenbacks—can stand in. And the priority deal card features a cat.