Rails Across America is a strategy game from Flying Lab Software and Strategy First. It places the player in the role of a rail baron trying to build an empire of steam and steel across North America. We had the chance to interview Paul Canniff, the executive producer for the game.

GT: Please tell us a little about the game - how would you describe Rails Across America?

Paul: It is a game of big, big railroads. An experienced player can build a rail network to rival any of the modern giants, like Union Pacific or Norfolk Southern, and do so in a few hours. Most railroads were built in a more free-wheeling period, and our game reflects that: players make decisions about where to expand, and use influence to make sure their plans succeed and their competitors' fail. Besides laying and managing tracks, typical actions include stock raids, sabotage, blocking access to a city, or forcing a track to the auction block. It is a rail-building game, but it can also be a more direct struggle for power than what players are used to seeing in rail sims.

GT: It looks like Rails Across America will have a detailed financial model - please tell us a little about the financial aspect of the game.

Paul: Our financial model is in some ways a lot simpler than it looks. For example, once we decided that money wasn't going to be our victory condition, constant stock market manipulations became a distraction. So in Rails Across America the stock market is simpler. It is something you can use to raise cash, sometimes at the expense of other players via a classic Jim Fisk stock raid. We do have an economic model that influences interest rates and the amount of cargo available to be shipped, and a system of loans that presents players with a clear choice - expand now and pay interest, or accumulate some cash? Our financial model provides player decision points and the rest is abstract.

GT: Success in the game is measured by the accumulation of 'prestige'. How does a player gain prestige?

Paul: Not by making the most money! Don't get me wrong, it doesn't hurt to be rolling in cash. But if you complete a major goal like the first transcontinental railroad, and then go bankrupt, you may still be ahead in prestige compared to a more conservative player. Of course you can over-reach and go bankrupt just shy of your goal, especially if that conservative player uses influence to shut down your construction site with a safety inspection or even sabotage. So money becomes a tool, and prestige comes from accomplishing goals. Minor goals, like paying regular dividends, earn you a little prestige. Moderate goals like dominating a region earn more. We've worked hard to balance the game so that different strategies can work.

Page 2 »