This is one of the best classic strategy games available. Set in the context of the halcyon days of railroad development in North America in the 19th century, the game consists of sharp stock trading, company floats and acquisitions, competitive railroad route development and profitable train operations. The game rewards planning and thoughtful strategic decision making. The only luck element in the game is the determination of the order of purchasing in the Stock Market. All other outcomes are determined by the players decisions. Game play is turn-based, competing against 1-5 computer or human opponents.
Personally, I find the optimum number of players is 4, giving every player challenges and opportunities and providing intense competition.
There are two types of game rounds, the Stock Market Round, followed by the Operating Round. As the game progresses, there are one, two or three operating rounds per stock round. In a stock market round, each player takes turns to buy, sell or pass. In the process players float companies, manipulate share prices, accumulate shareholdings, diversify portfolios and obtain or resign corporation presidencies. The stock round continues until everyone has passed. The next stock round begins with the person after the last one to have passed in the previous round.
The turn order for the operating rounds is determined by the corporations position on the stock
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market, with the highest priced corporation going first. The share price is determined by the initial market capitalization (decided by the initial purchaser of the corporation’s shares), the scarcity of shares (if all shares are owned by players at the end of the stock round the price rises), sale of shares (each time shares of the corporation are sold the price drops), and the corporation’s record of dividend payment (paying a dividend causes the price to rise, while retaining earnings for future capital expenditures causes the share price to fall).
Each corporation is run by the corporation’s president. In its turn, a corporation can acquire private companies from players or other corporations, lay track, lay station markers for train routes, buy trains from the bank or other corporations, operate trains to earn revenues, and either pay dividends to shareholders or retain earnings for future development.
The mechanics of the game provide ample opportunities for cut-throat competition, collusion, rorting, swindles, dirty tricks and all that made the halcyon days of railroading such fun!
This is a very faithful computer rendition of Avalon Hill’s highly regarded board game of the same name. There is a large community of 1830 gamers on the Internet and many fan sites, including a very active Yahoo groups site.
The computer version allows much quicker play than the board game. A game can be concluded in an hour or so. The AI is really strong, providing a great challenge at varying levels of difficulty. The computer version provides a number of optional rules variants and a feature not found in the board game - random maps. Multiplayer support is offered in the form of “hot-seat” play. But players located on different machines can use remote desktop software to get a great multiplayer experience.
RATING 9.8 / 10
