Overview

Freedom: The Underground Railroad is a cooperative game where 1-4 players take on the roles of Abolitionists working to end slavery in the United States. Players must move slaves to freedom in Canada, raise funds for the Abolitionist cause, and purchase Support Tokens representing growing political support, all while slave catchers patrol the routes and new slaves are constantly being delivered to plantations. The game spans three historical periods (1800-1839, 1840-1859, 1860-1865), with each period unlocking more powerful tools but also stronger opposition.

Components

• 1 Map & Token Board (showing southern plantations, cities, routes, northern states, and Canada)
• 96 Slave cubes (tan)
• 5 Slave Catcher markers
• 6 Role Cards (double-sided), 6 Player Mats
• 52 Abolitionist Cards: General (tan), Reserve (white), Opposition (red-orange)
• 18 Slave Market Cards
• 4 Victory Conditions Cards (double-sided: regular/challenging)
• 27 Conductor Tokens, 13 Fundraising Tokens, 17 Support Tokens
• Money tokens
• 2 Dice: Slave Catcher Die, Movement Die
• Lead Player Lantern

Setup

1. Assign Role Cards (randomly or by player choice). Each player takes corresponding Player Mat. Start with $8.
2. Place slaves on lightened plantation spaces on the board.
3. Select Slave Market Cards matching player count. Shuffle and place deck on board; fill 3 market spaces below, placing indicated slave cubes on each.
4. Separate Abolitionist Cards into 3 Period Decks. Shuffle in the specified number of Opposition Cards per period. Place in Period Columns on the board.
5. Deal 5 cards from Period 1 deck to the Abolitionist Queue (max 1 Opposition Card during setup).
6. Place tokens on the Token Board by period, adjusting quantities for player count.
7. Place 5 Slave Catcher markers on their colored starting spaces.
8. Select Victory Conditions Card matching player count (white side = regular, red = challenging).
9. Choose a Lead Player; give them the Lantern.

Turn Structure

The game lasts up to 8 rounds. Each round has 5 phases:

1. Slave Catcher Phase

The lead player rolls both dice:

• Slave Catcher Die: Shows which slave catcher moves (or a walking slave symbol meaning no movement).
• Movement Die: Shows direction (white arrows = west, black arrows = east) and number of spaces.

The indicated slave catcher moves along its colored path. It only captures slaves in the space where it stops. Captured slaves are placed on Slave Market Cards (bottom card first, cycling upward).

2. Planning Phase

Each player may purchase up to 2 tokens total from active Period Columns:

• Support Tokens ($10 each): Represent the Abolitionist Cause’s growing strength. Purchasing all is a victory condition. When the last Support Token in a Period is bought, the next Period activates immediately (unlocking new tokens and cards).
• Conductor Tokens (variable cost): Allow moving specified numbers of slaves specified distances during the Action Phase.
• Fundraising Tokens (free): Raise $1 per slave in green Southern spaces (Periods 1-2) or blue Northern cities (Period 3).

3. Action Phase

Starting with the Lead Player, each player may take any or all of these actions in any order:

• Role Benefit: Gain your Role Card’s recurring benefit.
• Special Ability: Use your Role Card’s one-time ability (flip card to Side II after use).
• Play up to 2 Conductor and/or Fundraising Tokens.
• Buy 1 Abolitionist Card from the Queue (pay cost shown above its queue position).

Alternatively, a player may pass all actions and instead take money from the bank ($3 in Period 1, $4 in Period 2, $5 in Period 3).

4. Slave Market Phase

Slaves on the bottom Slave Market Card are delivered to plantations. Players choose which open plantation spaces to fill. If no open spaces remain, excess slaves go to the Slaves Lost Track on the Victory Conditions Card. If the Lost Track is filled and another slave must be added, the game is immediately lost.

Remove the emptied card; slide remaining cards down; draw and fill a new card.

5. Lantern Phase

Discard the rightmost Abolitionist Card in the Queue (2 rightmost for 1-2 players). Opposition Cards may trigger negative effects when discarded. Slide remaining cards right. Draw new cards from the current Period Deck to fill empty spaces (maximum 1 new Opposition Card per refill; extras are shuffled back).

Check victory conditions. Pass the Lantern clockwise.

Actions

Moving Slaves (Conductor Tokens)

Conductor Tokens specify how many slaves to move and how many spaces each:

• Slaves move along any path on the board in any direction.
• A single slave cannot be moved twice by the same token.
• Small cities/spaces hold 1 slave; large cities (Chicago, Boston, New York) hold up to 4.
• When a slave enters a space: gain money if a gold circle is shown; trigger movement of matching-color slave catchers 1 space toward the slave.
• If a slave catcher moves into a space with a slave, that slave is captured and sent to Slave Market Cards.
• Slaves moving 2 spaces are only affected by the final destination (no triggers from spaces passed through), but cannot pass through slave catcher spaces.
• Moving a slave into Canada places it in a numbered space tracking progress toward victory.

Abolitionist Cards

• General Cards (tan): Resolved immediately when purchased; then discarded. Effects include moving slaves, gaining money, or buying tokens at a discount.
• Reserve Cards (white): Placed on Player Mat; used later (only 1 at a time). If a new Reserve Card is bought before using the old one, the old one is discarded without effect.
• Opposition Cards (red-orange): Negative effects that trigger at various times (while in Queue, when purchased, or when discarded during Lantern Phase). Some cannot be purchased.

Role Cards

Each role provides a unique recurring Benefit and a one-time Special Ability. Examples include the Shepherd (-$1 on Conductor Token costs), the Stockholder (extra funds), and roles that allow discarding Abolitionist Cards or moving slaves. Side II may have different benefits than Side I.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

Win: Players must achieve BOTH conditions before the end of round 8:

1. Move the required number of slaves to Canada (per Victory Conditions Card).
2. Purchase ALL Support Tokens from all three Periods.

The round in which both conditions are met is the final round, but players must still complete that round without losing.

Lose (any of these):

• The Slaves Lost Track is full and another slave must be added.
• Players do not achieve both victory conditions by the end of round 8.

Optional Scoring: 2 points per slave freed, -1 per slave lost, 10 points for meeting each victory condition, 5 points per remaining Slave Market Card.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Period Transitions: When the last Support Token in a Period Column is taken, the current Period’s Abolitionist Deck is removed; the next Period activates immediately.
• Grey Conductor Tokens: The last (grey) Conductor Token in each stack is never permanently removed. When played, it returns to the Token Board and can be repurchased.
• Slave Catcher Paths: Slave catchers only move on their specific colored paths. They capture slaves only in the space where they end movement.
• Cooperative Discussion: Players may discuss strategy freely but cannot give or lend money unless a card explicitly allows it.
• Difficulty Adjustments: Easier play options include treating triple movement die results as no catcher movement, starting with $10, or leaving center plantation empty. Harder options include starting with all plantations full or adding an extra Support Token.
• 1-2 Player Adjustments: Remove cards marked for 3-4 players. Discard 2 cards from the Queue during Lantern Phase instead of 1.
• Fugitive Slave Act (Opposition Card): When triggered, 3 slaves in spaces connected to slave catchers are captured.

Player Reference

Round Structure

1. Slave Catcher Phase (roll dice, move catcher, capture slaves)
2. Planning Phase (buy up to 2 tokens)
3. Action Phase (use Role, play tokens, buy card)
4. Slave Market Phase (deliver slaves to plantations)
5. Lantern Phase (discard/refill Queue, check victory, pass Lantern)

Token Types

| Token | Cost | Effect | |——-|——|——–| | Support | $10 | Victory condition; unlocks next Period | | Conductor | Variable | Move slaves along routes | | Fundraising | Free | Gain $1 per slave in matching region |

Victory Conditions

• Free required number of slaves to Canada AND purchase all Support Tokens
• Must complete final round without losing