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Banner for Schatten-Express 1 to 4 players Also solo

Steam & Dynamite

Play Schatten-Express online

Midnight at the rail yard: load gold onto one track, dynamite onto another — and see which engine arrives first.

Free · no registration · no download

How to play

Schatten-Express is a betting and sabotage game for one to four players, using game chips with no cash value: before each of four runs, each color secretly places gold on one of three tracks and dynamite on one – placing both on the same track is permitted – along with a stake between ten and one hundred chips. The field then races across eight beats; at the switch, any sabotaged track falls back four spaces, with photo finishes deciding ties at the finish line. Gold on the winning track pays stake multiplied by odds, and placing dynamite on an opponent's gold collects half of their stake as an additional bonus. After four runs, whoever holds the most chips wins.

The story

Schatten-Express, comic panel 1 of 3
Midnight at the freight yard: three cases, three locomotives, and nobody's meant to see which case goes into which car.
Schatten-Express, comic panel 2 of 3
Someone's already kneeling at the switch with pliers — one click, a second, and one of the three lines gets a visit.
Schatten-Express, comic panel 3 of 3
The lantern flips to green. From here on, only one thing counts: who's ahead at the line.

Objective and rules

Objective Full till

Split gold and dynamite across the three tracks and stake wisely — after four runs, whoever holds the most chips wins.

Alone, you play against the railway: finish the four runs with more chips than you started with.

You start with 100 chips. Gold is your bet on the track that finishes first; dynamite knocks a track back at the switch, and whoever catches someone else's gold with it gets half that stake.

  1. Three tracks Three locomotives on three tracks — each track has its own odds, worked out from its form.
  2. The gold Put gold on the track you expect to lead: if it wins, it pays stake × odds.
  3. The dynamite Lay dynamite on a track: at the switch, its locomotive falls back up to 4 spaces, never behind the start. If there's gold on that track, the saboteurs share half of the stakes.
  4. The till After the fourth run, wealth counts — chips minus credit. Whoever has the most wins the table.

Controls

Tap or click: first the stake on the bank, then "Gold" on one track and "Dynamite" on one track — right on the rails or in the two rows of the cockpit — and "Stow the cargo" once both are chosen. Miss the deadline and the system loads cautiously for you: gold on the favourite, dynamite on the longshot. With a keyboard: Tab and Enter.

In the arena, the objective and rules are always behind the question mark, even during the round — and between rounds, the story is there as well.

Frequently asked questions

Does Schatten-Express cost anything?

No. Schatten-Express is free and ad-free, and there is nothing to buy. Play is for points and chips without cash value, never for money.

How do I play Schatten-Express with friends?

Select “Open Table” and send the link or the six-character room code to the others. 1 to 4 take part, anyone else spectates. Solo works as well: “Play solo” places you straight into the round without a waiting room.

Do I need to download anything or sign up?

No. Schatten-Express runs directly in the browser, on phone as well as desktop, without app, without account, and without email address.

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