Frequently Asked Questions
Each game can have two (2) to eight (8) human players, plus the Mexican Train. I don't allow more than that because all the trains won't fit on a screen. A lot of people play on their phones or tablets.
Yes, everyone needs an account. You cannot play without first registering or signing in.
You can sign in with a social media account or an email address. The email address can even be fake. We just need something to tie your accounts to. 🙂
MexicanTrain.Online is meant to accompany existing chat and video programs. I recommend Zoom, Skype or Facebook video. Start a call in one of those apps, then come over to mexicantrain.online and start a game.
Everyone needs a screen. The game works great on computers and horizontal tablets. It's usable on vertical tablets and phones, but it's a bit tough to play.
Yes, you can go out on a double if the person who started the game kept this as a setting. This is one of the most common and most contested variations. 🙂
When setting up a game, there are many advanced settings. Requiring that doubles be satisfied is one of them.
No, double zeros are scored as zero, depending on the settings of the game. The person who created your game has the option of making double zero worth more than zero.
I thought it would be more fun if each game had a unique name to refer to. Since I'm trying to put a little joy in the world, why not a positive adjective combined with a cuddly animal?
On larger screens, drag and drop your tiles to reorder them. On smaller screens, tap on a tile and arrows will appear, letting you move the tile left or right.
Once in a while, moving tiles is flaky. I've done my best to make it work on all screen sizes, but fitting 20 tiles on a phone is tough!
I promise you, there is no bias or logic behind the distribution of tiles.
The problem with true "computer" random versus “human” random is that true random may include the same random result over and over again. I.e. Roll a 6-sided die a million times, and there will be patterns occasionally.
The game uses true, computer-based randomization, so it may appear as though there are patterns.
If you're tired of Mexican Train, try some of these other games:
Games are deleted after 30 days if no one has played to help keep the game running smoothly. Time to start a new one!
Blake's Rule: when "Must Satisfy Doubles to go out" is ON and a player plays a double as their last tile with an empty pot, the round ends immediately.