1830: The Game of Railroads and Robber Barons

1830 ( Railroads & Robber Barons subtitles ) is a strategy game by Francis G. Tresham, which was laid in 1986 by Avalon Hill. It is after 1829, which dealt with the construction of railways in England, the second of a series of economic railway games from the 18XX series. In 1830, after playing the development of the railroad in the eastern United States. The game was later adapted for the PC.

2011 brought Mayfair Games the game with a new look out. The game board is double-sided printed with various maps from the eastern United States. Besides the revised basic rules the game also includes some models with related material. That same year, Lookout Games brought the game to German (Subtitles platelayers and speculators ) and 999 games the game out in Dutch.

1830 is a pure strategy game. The only moment of happiness in the game is the draw for the order of play at the beginning of the game, where good players align their match strategy certainly try on the psychology of their front and their back 's.

• 2.1 Criticism and Notes
• 2.2 Trivia

Game rules

The aim of the game is by railway companies to generate more capital than the other players.

Operations and equity rounds

The game is divided into rounds of surgery, in the act, the railway companies, and equity rounds in which players buy shares directly in the stock market and sell. The number of ORs for an equity round is dependent on the Lokomotivenart, which are at this point in the game. At the beginning of the game, a ORs and share rounds will alternate each time. At the end of the game one shares round is played by three operating rounds.

Order of the railways and the player

In an operation round the joint-stock companies act in order of their market price. The player who sits behind the share in the previous round acted as the last player must buy the next stock round first and sell stocks (so-called priority deal ). The following sequence is then obtained from the seating order of players. The possession of the Priority deal is not to be underestimated, especially in a critical phase share.

Railway companies

The occurring in the game railway companies are divided into private and public companies.

Private companies

The private companies are sold at the beginning of the game to the players from the bench, do not operate, however, guarantee a regular payout per game round. Private companies are:

At the private companies depend different additional privileges.

Joint-stock companies

After the sale of the last private company, the sale of shares of joint stock companies begins. Public companies are:

The player who has the first one shares a majority of a public company, is its president. He remains this way until another player has more shares in the company (either by their own purchase or sale of shares to former President ). The President controls the fortunes of a company alone. He can build any tracks, buy locomotives and (rarely ) sell. He alone also whether the company retains its respective result driving or distributes decides. The co-owners are dependent on the mercy of the decisions of the president.

Operating Round

In an operation round a corporation laid new railway lines or replace existing through improved track routes, building new stations, drives a Einfahrergebnis with the existing trains one pays this either to shareholders or preserves it one in the company's assets and buying new trains.

Locomotive types

The trains are named after their reach. The 2 -Lok can, for example, go two stations far. Historically, development accordingly takes the range of the trains with the course of the game. Once all the features of a range are sold, the next, more powerful features are available. With the appearance of a new Lokomotivenart change the rules of the game, it occurs virtually in a new phase. In 1830 following locomotives occur

Has a corporation no longer locomotives, they have to buy it in their next train, a locomotive. If this is insufficient, the capital of the company, the president of the company must invest in additional money from his private fortune. Should the player's personal assets are not sufficient, despite sales of shares of the players is bankrupt, and the game ends immediately.

Stock market

The stock market is quite complex but it works for a game remarkably durable stable. At the end of an operation round of price increases by one square to the right, to the extent the corporation distributes and falls one space to the left as far as the corporation is not distributed. In a stock round a stock's price per share sold falls by one square down. Should the stock be sold out at the end of a stock round, the price of the stock increases by one square up.

Gambling

The game ends by bankruptcy of another player (immediately) or by collapse of the bank ( initial capital: $ 12,000 ) before the next stock round.

Game strategy

1830 is a relatively complex and highly playable tough economic simulation. It is not absolutely necessary to be able to operate at the beginning with a corporation for a victory. But towards the end of the game it is certainly very useful to control a corporation.

There are certainly on the geographic location on the map more playable and less playable corporations. The B & O and Penn are easier to play than the Canadian and Erie. However, this can be considered only as a reference. Basically, you can win with every society.

Typical situation for the bust of a player is, the one in front as yet president a corporation ' loots ' and then, as it can act in a stock round before getting out of the Company, the Company thus pulls the trigger. The new president then has to take on the cost of refurbishment.

A game-deciding phase at 1830 is usually the change from the 4 to the 5 Series locomotive (the first Lokomotivenart that is not destroyed ), and especially the change from the 5 to the 6 locomotive and diesel locomotive. Here important decisions about the placement of the players are like.

The game is significantly mitigated by the acceptance of the optional third 6- Lok regarding bankruptcy of a player.

Criticism and Notes

1830 is certainly still a very successful, but equally complex game idea for hard-core players.

Even if 1830 is declared with 3-6 players, it's also playable with two players. The playing time is often 4 to 6 hours with experienced players but can also significantly lower. The interaction of the stock market and railway operation can have in this game is very brutal impact (player bust ). It should thus come relatively close to the then prevailing economic philosophy probably in the U.S..

Trivia

1830 to have been the inspiration for the development of the PC game Railroad Tycoon Sid Meier.