DaWizard
Well-known member
Hot Rail - don't touch a rail when it's HOT
Hot Rail explained
In this game you conquer a pocket by calling and making a shot in the pocket. When a player has captured two pockets next to each other he owns the rail in between. When you own a rail, your opponent cannot use that rail without paying for it.
Both players have 15 tokens. Tokens have multiple purposes: use them to mark the pockets and rails, purchase extra balls and to pay fines. The first player to conquer all six pockets or the first to drain the enemy tokens to zero, wins.
Table of contents
1. The set of balls
2. Setting up the game
3. Win conditions
4. General gameplay rules
5. Conquering pockets and rails
..... Neutralizing a pocket
..... Your cue ball may not touch an enemy rail (but the object ball can!)
6. Respotting pocketed balls
7. Buying extra balls
..... Selling your balls
8. Fouls and their consequences
..... If a player doesn't have any tokens in hand
9. The rules for tokens summed up
1. The set of balls
Few balls are used for this game: 3 per team. The players also need 15 tokens that are clearly visible: poker chips or lego bricks, for instance.
2. Setting up the game
1) Lag to determine who starts and to pick a color
2) Place the 2-ball on the head spot and the 3-ball on the foot spot (or vice versa, depending on the pick at 1)
3) Both players have a stack of 15 tokens in their color + 2 extra balls in their team that they can purchase later in the game.
4) Have a cup to discard tokens
5) The player to start has ball in hand in the kitchen.
The first shot is a safety
To prevent a relatively easy first pot, the player to start must shoot a safety shot. From the kitchen he plays his ball on the foot spot. From then on players may pot their ball into a pocket.
3. Win conditions
- One player is blue, the other is red
- Players take turns shooting, they both use the same cue ball.
- Normal foul rules apply: scratching, not hitting anything, shooting anything off the table, not hitting a rail or pocket after contact or hitting the opponent’s ball first is a foul. More about fouls later.
5. Conquering pockets and rails
When a player calls and makes a shot he may place his token at the pocket to mark the ownership: he has conquered the pocket. This pocket is his for as long as the opponent doesn’t pot a ball in it.
Both players continue to conquer pockets and soon enough one player owns two pockets next to each other. He can now place a token on the rail; he owns the rail. This rail is his for as long as he owns both adjacent pockets.
Neutralizing a pocket
If you play your object ball into an enemy pocket, it is neutralized. The token is returned into the hand of your opponent. If this breaks up an adjacent pair of conquered pockets, the token marking the rail is also returned to the opponent’s hand.
Your cue ball may not touch an enemy rail (but the object ball can!)
A player is not allowed to use (touch) an enemy occupied rail with his cue ball. He is however allowed to play the object ball against the rail. If the cue ball does touch a rail that is owned by the opponent, the player has to discard a token. If you touch multiple enemy rails, you discard as many tokens.
To sum up: your cue ball: can’t touch enemy rail. Your object ball(s): can touch enemy rail, no problemo!
Image: red already owned the side pocket and conquers the corner pocket
More info about respotting potted balls after the image.
6. Respotting pocketed balls
A ball that has been potted (or shot off the table) is always respotted by the owner of said ball, either on the foot spot or the head spot. If both spots are (partially) occupied the ball(s) form a queue off the table. As soon as a ball is able to be respotted on either the foot spot or the head spot - or both -, it will be, by the owner. Pocketed balls are queued up in order of being pocketed, after them come purchased balls.
7. Buying extra balls
Instead of shooting a player can decide to buy a ball for 2 tokens, which are discarded.
Players can buy extra balls if a certain number of pockets are conquered.
- When in total 3 pockets are owned by the players, they can buy a second ball.
- When in total 5 pockets are owned by the players, they can buy a third ball.
If the total number of conquered pockets becomes less than 3 or 5 because opponents neutralize them, it’s temporarily not possible to buy the second or third ball.
A newly purchased ball has to be spotted on the foot spot or head spot. If both are occupied, the ball is queued up.
Selling your balls
At any time during his turn, a player can sell one or two of his extra balls. He receives 1 token per ball. The player can choose which ball(s) to sell, even one that is in the queue to be respotted. If a player has just one ball, he can’t sell it.
8. Fouls and their consequences
Fouls can have various consequences, but they’re always detrimental.
A player can have multiple fouls in one shot, and they are cumulative.
Potting an opponent’s ball in an otherwise legal shot is not a foul. E.g. Intentionally or accidentally through a canon. The ball is respotted by the opponent (or queued up if the spots are occupied).
If a player doesn’t have any tokens in hand
It could be that a player has 0 tokens in his hand, but he needs tokens. For example because he hit an enemy rail, or he just conquered a pocket that he really wants. There are two ways to get tokens:
9. The rules for tokens summed up
A player can never have more than 15 tokens: in his hand + on the table to mark ownership of pockets and rails + in the discard cup = 15.
You can lose tokens by:
You can gain tokens from the discard cup by:
Hot Rail explained
In this game you conquer a pocket by calling and making a shot in the pocket. When a player has captured two pockets next to each other he owns the rail in between. When you own a rail, your opponent cannot use that rail without paying for it.
Both players have 15 tokens. Tokens have multiple purposes: use them to mark the pockets and rails, purchase extra balls and to pay fines. The first player to conquer all six pockets or the first to drain the enemy tokens to zero, wins.
Table of contents
1. The set of balls
2. Setting up the game
3. Win conditions
4. General gameplay rules
5. Conquering pockets and rails
..... Neutralizing a pocket
..... Your cue ball may not touch an enemy rail (but the object ball can!)
6. Respotting pocketed balls
7. Buying extra balls
..... Selling your balls
8. Fouls and their consequences
..... If a player doesn't have any tokens in hand
9. The rules for tokens summed up
1. The set of balls
Few balls are used for this game: 3 per team. The players also need 15 tokens that are clearly visible: poker chips or lego bricks, for instance.
2. Setting up the game
1) Lag to determine who starts and to pick a color
2) Place the 2-ball on the head spot and the 3-ball on the foot spot (or vice versa, depending on the pick at 1)
3) Both players have a stack of 15 tokens in their color + 2 extra balls in their team that they can purchase later in the game.
4) Have a cup to discard tokens
5) The player to start has ball in hand in the kitchen.
The first shot is a safety
To prevent a relatively easy first pot, the player to start must shoot a safety shot. From the kitchen he plays his ball on the foot spot. From then on players may pot their ball into a pocket.
3. Win conditions
- the moment one player has conquered all 6 pockets, or
- the moment the opponent has 0 tokens left in play (i.e. 15 tokens discarded)
- One player is blue, the other is red
- Players take turns shooting, they both use the same cue ball.
- Normal foul rules apply: scratching, not hitting anything, shooting anything off the table, not hitting a rail or pocket after contact or hitting the opponent’s ball first is a foul. More about fouls later.
5. Conquering pockets and rails
When a player calls and makes a shot he may place his token at the pocket to mark the ownership: he has conquered the pocket. This pocket is his for as long as the opponent doesn’t pot a ball in it.
Both players continue to conquer pockets and soon enough one player owns two pockets next to each other. He can now place a token on the rail; he owns the rail. This rail is his for as long as he owns both adjacent pockets.
Neutralizing a pocket
If you play your object ball into an enemy pocket, it is neutralized. The token is returned into the hand of your opponent. If this breaks up an adjacent pair of conquered pockets, the token marking the rail is also returned to the opponent’s hand.
Your cue ball may not touch an enemy rail (but the object ball can!)
A player is not allowed to use (touch) an enemy occupied rail with his cue ball. He is however allowed to play the object ball against the rail. If the cue ball does touch a rail that is owned by the opponent, the player has to discard a token. If you touch multiple enemy rails, you discard as many tokens.
To sum up: your cue ball: can’t touch enemy rail. Your object ball(s): can touch enemy rail, no problemo!
Image: red already owned the side pocket and conquers the corner pocket
More info about respotting potted balls after the image.
6. Respotting pocketed balls
A ball that has been potted (or shot off the table) is always respotted by the owner of said ball, either on the foot spot or the head spot. If both spots are (partially) occupied the ball(s) form a queue off the table. As soon as a ball is able to be respotted on either the foot spot or the head spot - or both -, it will be, by the owner. Pocketed balls are queued up in order of being pocketed, after them come purchased balls.
7. Buying extra balls
Instead of shooting a player can decide to buy a ball for 2 tokens, which are discarded.
Players can buy extra balls if a certain number of pockets are conquered.
- When in total 3 pockets are owned by the players, they can buy a second ball.
- When in total 5 pockets are owned by the players, they can buy a third ball.
If the total number of conquered pockets becomes less than 3 or 5 because opponents neutralize them, it’s temporarily not possible to buy the second or third ball.
A newly purchased ball has to be spotted on the foot spot or head spot. If both are occupied, the ball is queued up.
Selling your balls
At any time during his turn, a player can sell one or two of his extra balls. He receives 1 token per ball. The player can choose which ball(s) to sell, even one that is in the queue to be respotted. If a player has just one ball, he can’t sell it.
8. Fouls and their consequences
Fouls can have various consequences, but they’re always detrimental.
A player can have multiple fouls in one shot, and they are cumulative.
| Foul | Consequence |
| Cue ball in pocket/off table | Ball in hand |
| hit nothing, hit opponent’s ball first, don’t hit rail after contact, object ball off the table | +1 token for opponent from the discard cup. If no tokens are available in the discard cup it’s ball in hand. |
| Hit enemy rail | -1 token, to be discarded in the discard cup |
Potting an opponent’s ball in an otherwise legal shot is not a foul. E.g. Intentionally or accidentally through a canon. The ball is respotted by the opponent (or queued up if the spots are occupied).
If a player doesn’t have any tokens in hand
It could be that a player has 0 tokens in his hand, but he needs tokens. For example because he hit an enemy rail, or he just conquered a pocket that he really wants. There are two ways to get tokens:
- sell a ball for 1 token, if you have multiple balls in play
- take away a token from one of your pockets. You can’t take a token from a rail. If taking away a token from the pocket breaks up an adjacent pocket pair, the token from the rail is automatically also returned to the player’s hand.
9. The rules for tokens summed up
A player can never have more than 15 tokens: in his hand + on the table to mark ownership of pockets and rails + in the discard cup = 15.
You can lose tokens by:
- hitting an enemy rail first (= discard 1 token)
- buying an extra ball (= discard 2 tokens)
You can gain tokens from the discard cup by:
- selling a ball (= gain 1 token)
- an opponent making a certain type of foul (= gain 1 token). See 8 about fouls.
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