You don't have to be an expert player; if you know how to play, you can join in the fun. Tournament special rules will be provided at each game table.

There are three first-round heats; you can play in as many as you like. The top 16 or 25 (depending on size of the field) first-round players (typically, that's everyone who wins at least one game in the first round, plus a few alternates) advance to the semi-finals. The top five semi-finalists advance to the Final. The ideal number of players at each table will vary with the round. For the first-round heats, our target is four players, for the semis -four, and for the Final - five players.

Win any first-round-heat and you advance to the semi-final. Alternates to get into the semi-final will be selected by ranking of highest net worth (cash & RR property) from first-round-heats. Semi-final game winners advance to the Final. Alternates for the Final will be selected from: First - anyone winning all three first-round-heats, Second, anyone winning two first-round-heats. Highest net worth will be used to determine ranking in case of multiple winners. If no one wins more than one first-round-heat, alternates for the Final will be selected by highest net worth of non-winning semi-final players. The number of players per game and the number advancing to the semi-final and Final will be determined by the total number of players attending the first-round-heats. Check the Alternate list on the event kiosk to determine your chances of advancing as an Alternate.

We will continue to employ five rule variants, as follows: #1) ride your own RRs for free. Do NOT pay the customary $1,000 if you use your own RRs but not the bank's. Riding the bank's RRs for any portion of a trip costs the usual $1,000. The remaining rule variants are basically unchanged from the past few years: #2) SuperChief upgrades from an Express are free (first-round heats only). #3) Roll three dice all at once when you have a SuperChief. #4) The "Roll-and-move-immediately" courtesy rule will not be enforced. #5) Home Swapping is allowed. If you dislike your first destination, before moving you can opt to exchange it with your home city.

The BPA is allowing us to employ laptop computers to assist with the game's destination and payoff chart lookups. Such computer use is optional, and MUST be agreed to by all players at that table. To do the chart lookups by computer, you must use the latest Boardgame Conductor in the RB Player computer program, which you can download and use for free. You may not use any other portion of the program or any other Rail Baron related program during the tournament match. So, bring your Windows laptop computer to the tournament! In advance of the tournament, please download, install, and try a shareware copy of the RBN Player computer program from http://www.railgamefans.com/rbp/