Union Station cover
2022BGG rank #9,735

Union Station

by Travis D. Hill · New Mill Industries

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Players3–5
Time30–45m
ComplexityMedium-Light
Age0+

About the game

What is Union Station?

From the turn of the 20th century, Chicago's Union Station rose to prominence as one of the busiest and most used train station hubs in the United States. At one point, five railroad companies each owned stock in the Chicago Union Station Co, collaborating to build the greatest train station at the time. Union Station is a quick-playing cube rails game, focusing more on share purchasing and stock manipulation than route building. On your turn you may either buy stock and increase its value, sell all of your stock to get quick cash while also lowering the company's value, or lay track. While the shares might come out randomly, it's all about careful timing and the willingness to drop something good for something even better. The game ends immediately when all of the Shares have been bought or sold off, 20 dividends have been paid, or railroad companies cannot lay any additional track. The players add together their cash in hand to the value of each of their shares, and the player with the most money wins. -description from designer

How it plays

Mechanics

Auction / BiddingCommodity SpeculationNetwork and Route BuildingStock HoldingVictory Points as a Resource

On the shelf

Categories

EconomicPrint & PlayTrains

Questions players ask

Questions to bring to BoardGameBrain

  • How do setup and the first turn work in Union Station?
  • When does scoring happen and what ends the game?
  • How should the table resolve an unusual timing or rules interaction?