Empire Builder house rules

Empire Builder is a bit complicated, and the default rule set means games take a long time to get started and players may get stuck without enough money to actually do anything. (An event card may wash out the bridge a player needs to make a delivery, or the player might simply miscalculate the amount of money necessary to complete a particular transaction.)

• Start with $60 million
• The slow trains move at speed 12. The fast trains move at speed 15. The upgrade rules are unchanged.
• A player may go into debt, for any reason, if that player runs out of money at any time during the game. Money borrowed from the bank may be used for any purpose. Borrowed money must be repaid, at 100% interest, from that player's upcoming revenue, and is represented by face-down bills in the player's treasury. (The 100% interest may be userous but seems to strike a balance between giving too much advantage (at a lower interest rate) and leaving players stuck entirely (at a higher interest rate, or no loans at all). Owing twice as much money as was owed is also much easier to calculate than any other rate.) Examples:
  • Yanthor needs to ride Humblik's track for one turn to reach Denver to make a delivery, but he has no money left and can't pay the $4 million track fee. Yanthor borrows $4 million from the bank to pay Humblik, and must repay $8 million. He takes $8 million from the bank and places it, up-side-down, in his treasury to indicate that it is money owed to the bank. Yanthor rides Humblik's track to Denver and makes his delivery. His delivery pays $20 million; he repays $8 million to the bank and nets $12 million.