Super Momotarou Dentetsu (Famicom)
Guide by E. Phelps, ver. 1.0
(aka LastBossKiller)
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- - - = = = === Disclaimer === = = = - - -
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This document may not be reproduced under any circumstances except for
personal, private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise
distributed publicly without advance written permission by the author. Use of
this guide on any other web site or as a part of any public display is
strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright.
Copyright 2014 E. Phelps
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- - - = = = =================== = = = - - -
- - - = = = ====== Intro ====== = = = - - -
- - - = = = =================== = = = - - -
Super Momotarou Dentetsu is the second installment in a long running
game series that has continued into the modern gaming age, such as Momotarou
Dentetsu 16 for the PS3. There are at least 30 games in the series on
multiple gaming systems, and it all started here on the NES. The name itself
is sort of a joke. Momotarou Densetsu ("The Legend of Momotarou") is an old
Japanese folk tale, familiar to all Japanese people just like English people
are all familiar with Jack and the Beanstalk. This game's title, Momotarou
Dentetsu, sounds a lot like the name above, but is translated ("Momotarou
Electric Railway"). It's sort of like naming a game Jack and the Jeanstalk
and making a game based around Jack from Jack and the Beanstalk and making
him a blue jeans salesman.
The game is essentially a board game centered around making more money
than the other players, with a train tycoon premise, and a picture of
Momotarou every once in awhile. It's pretty easy to get the hang of, and
it's pretty good as far as these type of games are concerned, so you may like
to give it a try. The game is in Japanese, so you may have trouble figuring
it out, but hopefully this guide will help you understand the game mechanics
and get you on your way to building your train empire.
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- - - = = = ===== Contents ===== = = = - - -
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Search words are given in square brackets [].
1. Getting Started [sec1]
2. The First Turn [sec2]
3. How to Play [sec3]
a. Overview [sec3a]
b. Locations [sec3b]
c. Assets [sec3c]
d. Cards [sec3d]
e. Loans [sec3e]
f. God of Poverty [sec3f]
g. End of Year [sec3g]
h. Menus [sec3h]
4. Major Train Stations [sec4]
5. Random Events [sec5]
6. Strategies [sec6]
7. Endings [sec7]
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- - - = = = = Getting Started = = = = - - -
- - - = = = =================== = = = - - - [sec1]
When the game is loaded, you are prompted with the following choices:
いつもの - "Usual". Begin a new game.
つづき - "Continuation". Continue from where you left off.
If you choose a new game, you will be asked to choose the number of human
players:
にんげん ひとり - "1 human"
にんげん ふたり - "2 humans"
にんげん 3にん - "3 humans"
にんげん 4にん - "4 humans"
You will then be asked to choose the number of computer players. The
available options depend on the number of human players you chose. You can
have a maximum of 4 players (human and computer combined), and you must have
at least 2 players minimum (human or computer). The options you might see
are:
コンピュータ なし - "No computer"
コンピュータ ひとり - "1 computer"
コンピュータ ふたり - "2 computers"
コンピュータ 3にん - "3 computers"
You will then be asked if you are sure about your settings:
はい - "Yes"
いいえ - "No"
You will be asked to enter the names of each player. You will be presented
with the Japanese "alphabet" and the options:
もどる - "Return". Backspace, essentially.
おわり - "End"
You will then be asked to set the number of game years you would like to
play, between 1 and 99 years.
It will ask if you are sure about your settings so far:
はい - "Yes"
いいえ - "No"
It then tells you an approximate game play time estimate. For example, on
four player, with a 10 year game play length, the game estimates 4 hours of
real life play time. It then asks if you are sure again:
はい - "Yes"
いいえ - "No"
Then it shows all of your settings again and asks again if it is ok:
はい - "Yes"
いいえ - "No"
It asks you if you want to save a backup of this game: はい ("Yes") or いいえ
("No"). If you say yes, your game will automatically be saved after every
month, and you can load your game later to continue playing. You will be
asked to choose a slot to save your file in.
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- - - = = = = The First Turn = = = = - - -
- - - = = = ================== = = = - - - [sec2]
Once the game actually starts, you will be shown a picture of Momotarou and
text telling you which month it is.
The game randomly chooses a destination (もくてきち), which is the goal
location that you want to reach before any other player, netting you a nice
sum of money.
You start at Tokyo (とうきょう) Station. On the first turn, you are given no
options other than to roll thr dice and move the number of spaces you roll.
Push "A" to roll. See the "Menus" section for details on how to navigate the
menus for further actions.
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- - - = = = === How to Play === = = = - - -
- - - = = = =================== = = = - - - [sec3]
---Overview--------------------------------------------------------[sec3a]---
The main objective of this game is to accumulate the most wealth by the end
of the time limit you set. Your wealth is the sum of both your in-pocket
money and also the value of the assets you have purchased. Money in this game
is given in units of 万円, which is 10000 yen. 10000 yen is about 100
dollars. So, you can imagine all values in the game are given in hundreds of
dollars. If you have 10000万円, it will be displayed as 1億円 instead.
1億円 = 10000万円 = about 1 million dollars.
Each player takes one turn per month. At the beginning of each turn, you can
either roll the dice and move the number you roll, or you can use a card. But
you can't just wander around the map to accumulate wealth and hope to win.
There is also an unending race with the other players to reach the next "goal
location". The goal location is chosen randomly at the beginning of the game
and changes every time a player reaches a goal. It is always the train
station of a major city. The player to reach this location first gets a large
sum of money. The player farthest from this location when another player
reaches the goal is doomed to be followed around by the God of Poverty. Be
aware that, to reach a goal location, you must roll exactly the right number
on the dice to land on that location. For example, if the goal is three
spaces away from you and you roll a four, you will go past it and not reach
the goal, requiring you to try again next turn.
There are other ways to accumulate wealth in the meantime. If you land on a
spot with a plus sign (+), you will gain a randomly chosen amount of money.
Conversely, if you land on a spot with a minus sign (-), you lose a random
amount of money. There are also cards in this game that you can use on your
turn which have various effects, some of which net you money, others make you
go farther distances. See the "Cards" section for more info.
Another way to gain money is to purchase assets. These are businesses at
train stations, such as restaurants, that you invest in by purchasing them
for a set cost. At the end of each year, every asset you own will return a
profit to you. This is explained in further detail in the "Assets" section.
Two Japanese words of utmost iimportance in this game: プラス ("Plus") and
マイナス ("Minus"). If you're confused about what's happening from time to
time, just pay attention for either of those words so you know if you or
another player are gaining ("Plus") or losing ("Minus") money.
---Locations-------------------------------------------------------[sec3b]---
As you move around the board, you can land on a few different types of
squares. The effect of each of these locations is described in detail here:
Plus Sign (+) - Landing here gains the player a random increase in money.
Minus Sign (-) - Landing here depletes the player of a random amount of
money.
Letter C (C) - If you land on the letter "C", you will receive a randomly
chosen card.
Train Station (駅) - There are train stations scattered about the map that
are represented by the Chinese character for station. At these
locations, you can purchase assets. You are given the following options:
ぶっけん - "Article". See and purchase assets at this station.
しさんひょう - "Balance Sheet". See the assets you currently own.
かわない - "Don't buy". Quit purchasing assets.
Star - Card shops are represented by a star symbol. You can purchase and sell
cards at these locations. At the card shop, you will have the following
menu options:
うる - "Sell". Sell a card.
かう - "Buy". Buy a card.
かいせつ - "Explanation". Be told the effects of the cards sold at the
shop.
およびでない - "Done"
Ferry ( フェリー) - The ferry boat locations are always on paths that lead
from land to water. The ferry port itself is a blue box with the
Japanese word フェリー in the middle of it. Landing on this location has
no effect.
Major Train Station - Major train stations have a city name next to them. For
example, you start on the train station in Tokyo (とうきょう). At these
locations, you can purchase assets like at any other train station.
However, only major train stations are chosen as "goal locations", which
you must race to before the other players.
---Assets----------------------------------------------------------[sec3c]---
Assets are purchased in the hope that they will net you an end of year
profit. Every asset has two values, one is a percentage representing the
yearly profit, and the other is the asset's total value.
To purchase an asset, you must pay the asset's total value. Although you
spent money, the value of the asset still counts toward your total wealth, so
purchasing assets doesn't reduce your score relative to the other players.
If you are in debt (your total money is negative), then you are forced to
sell some of your assets until your money is positive again. If you don't
have any assets to sell, then there is no further punishment for having a
negative balance.
If you sell an asset, you only receive half of the asset's value. This is a
very bad thing to have happen too often, so don't purchase assets if it will
drain your money too close to zero. The reason it's bad is because, say you
have an asset worth 1000 万円. This counts toward your total score as
1000 万円. But, if you sell it, you only get 500 万円, so your total score
has been reduced by 500 万円.
The percent value on each property determines how much profit you gain from
that asset at the end of the year. The profit you receive from a particular
asset is the percent value shown of the asset's total value. For example, if
an asset has a total value of 1000 万円 and it gives a profit of 50% each
year, then you receive 500 万円 from that asset every year.
If you own all of the assets at a particular train station, your will gain
double the profit from the assets at that station. If an asset is part of
a local monopoly, it will have the phrase かいしめ ("cornering the market")
next to its name on your asset list.
Sometimes you can't sell certain assets. If this is so for a particular
asset, it will have the phrase うれない ("can't sell") next to it on your
asset list.
---Cards-----------------------------------------------------------[sec3d]---
Cards can be used during your turn to produce different results that are
generally beneficial to you, but sometimes they can harm you as well. You
receive a random card by landing on the "C" symbol, or you can purchase cards
by buying them at the card shop, represented by the star symbol. you also
receive cards sometimes from the God of Poverty if he is following you
around, which are generally cards you don't want.
You can hold a maximum of 6 total cards at one time, including duplicates.
Below is a list of all the cards in the game and their effect. They are
listed in Japanese "alphabetical" order. There are some that I have yet to
understand their effect, so if anyone know how to use these, please pass it
along to me (
[email protected]).
1すすめるカード (Advance 1 Card) - Move 1 space without rolling dice.
2すすめるカード (Advance 2 Card) - Move 2 spaces without rolling dice.
3すすめるカード (Advance 3 Card) - Move 3 spaces without rolling dice.
4すすめるカード (Advance 4 Card) - Move 4 spaces without rolling dice.
5すすめるカード (Advance 5 Card) - Move 5 spaces without rolling dice.
6すすめるカード (Advance 6 Card) - Move 6 spaces without rolling dice.
イトーヨーカード (Itouyou Card) - When stopped at a train station, you can
use this card to purchase assets with a 25% discount. When you land on a
train station, the new option イトーヨーカ will be availabe. Select it
to use the card. You can purchase multiple assets at the same time with
the discount in effect.
うんちカード (Poop Card) - Place poo on a path to prevent passage for a
limited time.
エンジェルカード (Angel Card) - Receive money every month.
オナラカード (Fart Card) - Blow your opponents to a different location.
きゅうこうカード (Express Card) - Roll two dice and move the sum total number
of spaces.
ぎゅうほカード (Slow Pace Card) - A random opponent is selected and they can
move only one space per turn for awhile. They also can't use cards
during this time.
クリスマスカード (Christmas Card) - This card can only be used in December.
You receive a free asset.
クレジットカード (Credit Card) - Purchase an asset on your credit card. You
will then have monthly payments to make to pay it off. I highly
recommend never doing this.
セミットカード (Semitto Card) - Effect?
しんかんせんカード (Shinkansen Card) - Roll four dice and move the sum total
number of spaces.
じしんカード (Earthquake Card) - I might have the name of this card spelled
wrong. It causes a natural disaster than damages some players' assets,
causing them to spend money for repairs.
テレホンカード (Telephone Card) - You are given the option to buy a random
asset from a distant city.
デビルカード (Devil Card) - Subtracts money from the possessor each turn for
several months. Worse than the Little Devil Card.
とうみんカード (Hibernation Card) - Put a randomly chosen player to sleep.
They can take no actions for several turns. God of Poverty doesn't take
any actions on a sleeping player.
とくせいれいカード (Tokuseirei Card) - Effect?
とっきゅうカード (Special Express Card) - Roll three dice and move the sum
total number of spaces.
なすりつけカード (Blame Another Card) - Effect?
ばいきゃくカード (Sale Card) - Can sell assets for 125% of their value.
バキュームカード (Vacuum Card) - Removes all poo from the game board.
ぱろぷんてカード (Paropunte Card) - Has a random effect, such as allowing the
user to move a large number of spaces, take money from the other
players, or change which city is the goal destination.
ふういんカード (Seal Card) - All opponents can't use cards for several turns.
ふくびきカード (Lottery Card) - Gives you a lot of money.
ぶっとびカード (Buttobi Card) - A helicopter transports you to a random
location.
マルサカード (Martha Card) - A randomly chosen player loses a lot of money.
やすいほけんカード (Cheap Insurance Card) - When one of your assets is
damaged by a natural disaster, you get some of your money back.
リトルデビルカード (Little Devil Card) - Subtracts money from the possessor
each turn for several months.
リニアカード (Linear Card) - Roll 5 dice and move the sum total number of
spaces.
レンタルカード (Rental Card) - Effect?
---Loans-----------------------------------------------------------[sec3e]---
Loans are obtained when you purchase something on a credit card. Usually you
have loans because the God of Poverty is purchasing useless junk on your
credit card. You can also use the Credit Card card to purchase assets that
you don't currently have the money for. Either way, you will have to make a
payment each month to remove the debt.
To view your current loans, select ヘルプ ("Help") during your turn, then
select ローンリスト ("Loan List").
Each loan you have will be listed, with the following information:
Amount to pay each month > Remaining times payments must be made.
For example, if you have a loan listed that says:
5710万円 > のこり 3かい
it means you have to pay 5710万円 every month for the next 3 months.
---God of Poverty--------------------------------------------------[sec3f]---
When a player arrives at the goal location, the player farthest away from the
goal will have the God of Poverty start following him around. There are two
ways to get rid of him. Firstly, you can wait for a player to arrive at the
next goal location, hoping that another player is farther from the goal than
you at that time. Or secondly, you can pass another player on a train track,
and the God of Poverty will then start following the player you passed.
At the end of every turn, the God of Poverty will have the chance to take an
action. The actions he might take are listed below:
(1) Do nothing.
(2) Sell one of your cards.
(3) Sell one of your assets.
(4) Call one of his friends to quiz you.
(5) Buy an asset on your credit card, aquiring you a new loan to pay off.
(6) Give you a card.
The quizzes happen fairly often. If you get the correct answer, you will gain
money, but if you get the wrong answer you will likely lose money. In both
cases the amounts are small, so don't worry too much about doing well on the
quizzes.
---End of Year-----------------------------------------------------[sec3g]---
At the end of every year (during the 3rd month of each year, actually, since
the game starts in March), you will gain a profit from each asset you own.
The profit amount is explained in the "Assets" section above.
The game will then rank each player in order of who has the most total
wealth, meaning money + assets. This way you can see your wealth in
comparison to your opponents.
---Menus-----------------------------------------------------------[sec3h]---
During your turn, you usually have the following menu options:
サイコロ - "Dice". Roll the dice and move the resulting number of spaces.
カード - "Card". Brings up the following submenu:
つかう - "Use". Use a card.
かいせつ - "Explanation". Learn the effects of cards in your
inventory.
ヘルプ - "Help". Same as the help option below.
つかわない - "Don't Use". Exit submenu.
すてる - "Discard". Throw away a card.
ヘルプ - "Help". Brings up the following submenu:
ちいきデータ - "Area Data". Allows you to scroll around the map.
ローンリスト - "Loan List". Shows your current loans.
およびでない - "Done". Exit submenu.
During your movement phase (after rolling the dice), press "A" to get the
"Help" submenu, described above. Press "B" for a list of players and their
in-hand money. Press "Select" for the following menu:
メッセージのスピード - "Message Speed". Set the speed at which text is
displayed. The options are: はやい ("fast"), ふつう ("normal"), and
おそい ("slow").
プレイヤーのへんこう - "Player Modification". Change players between にんげん
("human") and コンピュータ ("computer").
しゅうりょうのとし - "End Year". - Make the maximum years of play time
longer. You can't make it shorter.
ゲームにもどる - "Return to Game".
Displayed onscreen during your turn is the following information:
もち金 (Current money)
(Goal destination) まで (distance from goal) マス カード (# cards obtained)
(Year) ねんめ (Month) がつ のこり あと (Remaining years) ねん
- - - = = = ======================== = = = - - -
- - - = = = = Major Train Stations = = = = - - -
- - - = = = ======================== = = = - - - [sec4]
These are the train stations that may be chosen as goals for you to reach
before the othe players. Better start learning your Japanese geography!
ながさき (Nagasaki) - On the large island of Kyushu, located in the very
Southwest of Japan. Nagasaki is on the West coast of that island.
かごしま (Kagoshima) - South of Nagasaki.
はかた (Hakata) - Northeast of Nagasaki.
おおさか (Osaka) - Located at the halfway mark on the long horizontal part of
the main island.
おかやま (Okayama) - West of Osaka.
いずも (Izumo) - Northwest of Okayama.
こうち (Kochi) - South of Okayama.
しんぐう (Shinguu) - South of Osaka.
なごや (Nagoya) - East of Osaka.
とうきょう (Tokyo) - In the Southeast end of Japan. If you imagine Japan is a
shoe, Tokyo is in the heel.
にいがた (Niigata) - North of Tokyo.
せんだい (Sendai) - Northeast of Tokyo.
あおもり (Aomori) - At the very Northeast end of Honshu, the largest island
of Japan.
さっぽろ (Sapporo) - Located on the large island of Hokkaido in the Northeast
of Japan. Sapporo is toward the Southwest of that island.
くしろ (Kushiro) - East of Sapporo.
わっかない (Wakkanai) - North of Sapporo.
- - - = = = ================= = = = - - -
- - - = = = = Random Events = = = = - - -
- - - = = = ================= = = = - - - [sec5]
In addition to the normal events described in the above sections, there are
several "random events" which occur unpredictably and rarely during the
course of play. Even if you land on a Plus square, one of these random events
might get triggered which could cause you to lose money instead.
Below are listed some of the random events that I have witnessed. They occur
so rarely, that there are likely several more that I haven't seen.
(1) Pickpocket disguised as a cop steals a lot of money from you.
(2) You find a gold mine and get a ton of money. I got 14 億円!
(3) You simulate a game of baseball where a random number is chosen for how
many runs you score each inning, and the same for your opponent. You win
or lose money depending on if you win the baseball game.
(4) You are asked to sponsor a project to build a grand monument. You have
the option to pay or not. I'm not sure if any good ever comes of paying.
(5) You are asked to make a commercial and have several options for how the
commercial should be made. I think your commercial will periodically
bring in more revenue.
(6) A restaurant, hotel, or some other asset you own receives a good review,
bringing in some extra revenue.
(7) Natural disasters, such as a storm or Mothra, will occur, damaging some
of the players' assets and causing them to spend money for repairs.
- - - = = = ================== = = = - - -
- - - = = = === Strategies === = = = - - -
- - - = = = ================== = = = - - - [sec6]
Winning the game takes a lot of luck, especially if you are challenging
multiple opponents. If one opponent gets far ahead of you in wealth, it can
be exceptionally difficult to climb back to the top. Below are listed some
strategies to keep in mind while hoping the dice are also on your side.
(1) It is of utmost importance that you avoid the God of Poverty. Perhaps the
worst thing he can do is sell one of your expensive assets (which only
returns half its value, of course). If you anticipate having the God of
Poverty following you around for awhile, don't buy expensive properties
because you'll lose a lot of money when he just immediately sells them
back.
(2) To quickly get a lot of money and avoid the God of Poverty, try your best
to reach the goal location before everyone else. Even if you feel like
you are astronomically far away from the goal compared to your opponents,
you never know how lucky you might get, so don't give up!
(3) Memorize the ferry lines since they are a fast way to travel from one end
of Japan to another.
(4) Use the Martha Card to deplete an opponent's wealth. She might even put
them way into the negative, forcing them to sell many assets. This is one
way to get ahead of an opponent who has significantly more wealth than
you.
(5) The #すすめるカード cards are a good way to control your ability to land
on a goal location. If the value of your dice roll doesn't allow you to
arrive at the goal, see if you can position yourself with that dice roll
so that you can use one of these cards on your next turn to arrive.
(6) Cards which allow you to roll multiple dice, such as the Shinkansen Card,
are valuable for reaching a goal location before your opponents. You may
want to make a stop at a card shop to buy some. The opponents will make
use of them, so you better as well.
(7) It doesn't do you any good to purchase assets if you can barely afford
them. If you go into the negative and are forced to sell assets, your net
wealth will decrease. Make sure you leave some emergency money.
(8) Over the long term, owning a lot of assets will gain you a good chunk of
money every year. Start building up assets as you are able to afford
them. If an opponent has a lot more assets than you, he can be hard to
catch up to after a few years.
- - - = = = ================= = = = - - -
- - - = = = ==== Endings ==== = = = - - -
- - - = = = ================= = = = - - - [sec7]
When the game ends, there are bonuses handed out for the players who
cultivated the most industry, farming, and restaurants. I'm not sure what
criteria is used to decide these things, but whoever is chosen gets a 1000
万円 bonus for every year of play. So if you played for 15 years and receive
the industry bonus, you get a bonus of 1億5000万円.
If you want to see a longer ending, where the game design credits are shown,
you need to play at least 15 years of game time.
If you play for the entire 99 year maximum, you will visit a hot spring
during the ending with some scantly clad women. Seems strange for a game
based on an old folk tale for children!
- - - = = = ================== = = = - - -
- - - = = = === Conclusion === = = = - - -
- - - = = = ================== = = = - - -
I hope you found this guide useful. If you have information that you'd
like to contribute or other suggestions for how the guide can be made better
or if you find any mistakes, please send it to
[email protected]. I
will give you the proper credit for your help.
Thanks to the NES FAQ Completion Project regulars for providing a fun
environment for exploring old, obscure games!
