MEXICAN TRAIN... HOW TO PLAY?
OBJECTIVE
Be the first player to get rid of all your tiles, or finish with the lowest total points in the tiles left in your hand.
TILES PER PLAYER
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2 to 4 players: 15 tiles
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5 to 6 players: 12 tiles
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7 to 8 players: 11 tiles
SETUP
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Place all the tiles face down and mix them well. Each player draws their tiles at random (remember, the number of tiles depends on the number of players).
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Place your tiles in front of you so the others cannot see them. The remaining tiles stay face down in the center, within reach of all players.
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Put the wheel in the center of the table—this will be the “starting station.”
HOW TO PLAY
4. The player holding the double twelve starts the game by placing it in the middle of the station, followed by the other players clockwise. If no one has the double twelve, the player with the double eleven starts, and so on.
5. Each player must open their own lane by placing a tile that matches the number at the station, putting it on one of the 8 lanes of the wheel. (This will be their lane for the entire game). Only on the first turn, if they have them, players may place a sequence of tiles. After the first turn, only one tile can be played per turn (unless playing a double—then you may add one more tile if possible).
6. If a player cannot play because they don’t have the required number, they must draw one tile from the pile. If that tile cannot be played either, they must place their animal marker on the last tile of their lane to open it for the other players. At that point, anyone may play on their lane. If there are no tiles left to draw, the turn is skipped.
7. The goal is to avoid opening your lane, reducing other players’ chances to play. Once you can play again in your own lane, remove your animal marker and your lane is closed again. Likewise, if you cannot play on your own lane, you may play on someone else’s, but only if their lane is marked with an animal (meaning it’s open).
WINNER
The winner is the first player to run out of tiles. If the game is blocked (no possible moves for any player) or ends due to time, each player must add up the points in their remaining tiles. The player with the lowest score wins.
