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About Railroad Ink: Deep Blue Edition
Railroad Ink is the cleanest roll-and-write on this list. Four dice are rolled showing road and rail segments, and every player draws all four onto their own seven-by-seven grid. You score for connecting board edges, for the central squares, and for your longest routes, minus a penalty for every loose end you leave dangling.
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Is Railroad Ink: Deep Blue Edition Right for You?
Best for
Railroad Ink is the most portable and most immediately teachable game in this batch. A round takes twenty minutes, the dry-erase boards mean no consumables, and it works from one player to six with no change in pace. Excellent for travel, for families and as a warm-up game.
Maybe skip it if…
It is the lightest of the three roll-and-writes here and the shallowest over many plays; the same optimal patterns start to appear. There is no interaction at all beyond comparing scores.
How to Play Railroad Ink: Deep Blue Edition
Setup
Give each player a dry-erase board and pen. Take the four route dice, plus any expansion dice you are using.
On Your Turn
- Roll all four dice once. Every player must draw all four results on their own grid this turn.
- Routes must connect legally: rail to rail, road to road, with stations joining the two.
- Use one of your three special junction pieces if you need a connection the dice did not offer.
How to Win
After seven rounds, score connected exits, central squares and longest routes, minus one point per open end. Highest total wins.
💡 Strategy Tips
Every unfinished route costs you a point at the end. Plan the last two rounds around closing loose ends, not extending them.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Extending routes outward without a plan to close them. Open ends are a direct penalty and they add up fast.
- Saving the special junction pieces for a perfect moment that never arrives. Three unused specials is three wasted turns.
- Ignoring the central squares. They carry a separate bonus that rewards routing through the middle rather than around it.
- Connecting rail to road directly. They only join through a station, and it is the most common rules error in a first game.
Advanced Strategy
- Prioritise connecting exits on opposite edges early; long cross-board routes score twice, through exits and through length.
- Keep your network as a single connected mass. Two separate networks each score their own longest route, which is almost always worse.
- Spend a special junction in the first two rounds rather than hoarding. Early flexibility compounds across seven turns.
- In the final round, take the lowest-scoring legal placement that closes an end over a higher one that opens two.
Variants & House Rules
The expansion dice
Deep Blue includes rivers and lakes; Blazing Red includes meteors and lava. Each edition ships two expansions that meaningfully change scoring.
Head-to-head and solo
The rules include a competitive duel variant and a solo target score. Both work well given how quick a game is.
Video Guides
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Our Verdict
Railroad Ink is the game we keep in a bag. It is not the deepest thing on the shelf and it does not need to be: seven rolls, twenty minutes, and a satisfying little network puzzle every time. For its size and price it is one of the best value purchases in the hobby.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between Deep Blue and Blazing Red?
The base game is identical. Deep Blue includes the rivers and lakes expansions, Blazing Red includes meteors and lava. Pick on which expansions appeal.
How many players can play?
One to six with the components in the box, and more if you have extra boards, since everyone uses the same dice roll.
Is it good for children?
Yes, from about eight. The rules are simple and the only real complexity is the rail-to-road station rule.