Railroad Ink Challenge
Roll the dice, draw the routes, and take on the day's special challenge.
Every day: A Daily Challenge: one challenge posed to every player that day, with its own special rules, a changed map and sometimes unusual dice, ranked on a cross-platform daily leaderboard. New puzzle: Once a day; the game does not state the time.
Railroad Ink Challenge on SteamRailroad Ink Challenge on the App StoreRailroad Ink Challenge on Google PlayHorrible Guild's page for the game
Railroad Ink Challenge is the digital version of the roll-and-write board game: over seven rounds you roll route dice and draw highways and railways on a grid to connect its exits. The Daily Challenge gives every player the same special setup each day, with changed rules, maps or dice and a daily leaderboard.
About Railroad Ink Challenge
Railroad Ink Challenge is Horrible Guild's adaptation of the roll-and-write game by Hjalmar Hach and Lorenzo Silva, with Marta Tranquilli's art. It came out in June 2021 on Steam, iOS and Android. Each game lasts seven rounds. In each round the dice show road, rail and station pieces, and you draw them onto your board, building a network that links as many exits around the edge as you can.
Scoring rewards connected exits, your longest highway and longest railway, and squares filled in the centre, and you lose points for every route left open at the end. Optional goals pay extra if you reach them before they expire, and special structures on the map can copy routes or unlock powerful special pieces. The Forest and Desert expansions add their own dice and rules.
The Daily Challenge is the same challenge for every player that day. It changes the usual game with special rules, map changes and sometimes dice that do not exist in the board game, and your score goes on the daily leaderboard, beside monthly and all-time ones that cover every platform. The online service went down in late 2022 while the publisher rebuilt it; it came back and players report it working since.
You can also play solo for your best score or send a full game to friends so they play the same dice and goals. It suits board game players and anyone who likes a short planning puzzle with some luck.
How to play Railroad Ink Challenge
- Open Railroad Ink Challenge and choose the Daily Challenge.
- Read the day's special rules and look at the map before the first roll.
- Each round, draw every route the dice show onto your board, joining them to what you have built.
- Link as many exits as you can, and avoid leaving open route ends by the seventh round.
- See your score against other players on the daily leaderboard.
Screenshots
Tips
- Every open route end costs points at the end, so plan where each piece can be closed off.
- Filling the central squares scores extra; use them early when awkward pieces come up.
- Keep one long highway and one long railway growing, since the longest of each scores a bonus.
Questions
Is the Daily Challenge the same for everyone?
Yes. It is one challenge posed to all players that day, with the same special rules and setup.
Does the daily work on phones?
Yes. The game is on Steam, iOS and Android, and the leaderboards are cross-platform.
Do I need to be online?
The Daily Challenge and the leaderboards use the game's online service, so you need a connection for them.
Is it the same as the board game?
The rules are those of Railroad Ink, with the Forest and Desert expansions available as add-ons; the Daily Challenge adds rules and dice the board game does not have.
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