18XX is the generic term for a series of board games which, with a few exceptions, recreate the building of railroad corporations during the 19th century; individual games within the series use particular years in the 19th century as their title (usually the date of the start of railway development in the area of the world they cover). The games 2038, set in the future, and Ur, 1830 BC, set in ancient history, are also regarded as 18XX titles as their game mechanics and titling nomenclature are similar despite variance from the common railroad/stock-market theme. A board game is any game played with a premarked surface, with counters or pieces that are moved across the board. ... A railway yard in Portland, Oregon. ... A corporation is a legal person which, while being composed of natural persons, exists completely separately from them. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The 18XX series has its origins in the game 1829 first produced by Francis Tresham in the mid 1970's. 1829 was chosen as it was the year of the Rainhill Trials. 1829 (South) is a railroad operations and share trading board game in the 18xx series, first published by Hartland Trefoil Ltd (UK) in 1974 from an original design by Francis Tresham but now out of print. ... Francis Tresham (c. ... The Rainhill Trials were an important competition in the early days of steam locomotive railways, run in October of 1829 near Rainhill (just outside Liverpool). ...

With the exception of 2038, 18XX games are distinctive in that they represent a rarity: multiplayer board games without random variables. A random variable is a mathematical function that maps outcomes of random experiments to numbers. ...

Components of an 18XX railroad stock-market board game.

Image File history File links 1851components. ...

Gameplay

Common features

18XX games vary, but most follow this general pattern:

• The objective is to enhance personal wealth, not the assets of any companies a player may be operating. Personal wealth consists of cash, company stock (which increases wealth both by receiving dividends and by capital appreciation), and other investments (such as private companies).
• Players don't directly interact with the game board, but do so indirectly through companies they control. Generally, the player who owns the most stock of a company is the president of that company and makes all decisions on behalf of that company. Usually, the president is also required to help fund the company when it lacks sufficient funds to pay a required expenditure (such as a train).
• Game play alternates between "stock rounds" and one or more "operating rounds". In a stock round, players buy and sell stock (some games have company actions during a stock round as well), while in an operating round players take actions on behalf of companies they control, including laying track, placing station tokens, operating trains, withholding income or paying dividends, and buying trains.
• "Certificate limit" - There is usually a limit to how many corporate shares and private companies a player may own, in order to keep the game competitive by preventing snowball effects resulting from early leads by some players.
• The "President's certificate" represents control of a railroad corporation, usually represents a greater percentage of corporate stock than other certificates (e.g., 20% as opposed to 10%), and is usually the first one purchased for a company (which its purchaser setting the price, or "par value", for regular shares of stock in many titles in the series). If another player accumulates more shares in a company that the current president, he acquires the President's certificate (with attendant side-effects for both players regarding certificate limits) in exchange for his own lesser shares, and becomes the new controller of the corporation.
• Certain games may impose restrictions on the order in which companies may be started (generally to impose a historical context upon the game), and they vary in how many shares must be purchased before the company may operate ("floats").
• The map is usually a hex grid that depicts cities and terrain features. Tiles are laid on top of this map to represent track development, and tokens are placed on the board to represent stations (as well as special abilities from private companies). Cities have values which can vary based on which tiles have been laid on the city, the phase of the game, or even which type of train is used to reach them. Different color tiles are available in succession, and in phases. These phases are typically determined by train purchases.
• A company's stock price is adjusted based on the revenues earned and whether the president chose to pay dividends or to withhold the earnings in the company treasury. Stock prices are usually also affected by actions in the stock round, and some games have other mechanisms that affect the stock price.
• Scarcity (forcing future-turn planning by players) of available corporations, train types and track tiles.
• Trains become obsolete, and must be replaced by ever more expensive trains which also have greater capacity for earning revenue. Purchase of a new type of train usually triggers other events in the game, such as when older trains become obsolete, the availability of different sets of tiles, closure of private companies, etc.
• Game end is usually determined when the bank runs out of money, and also by player bankruptcy (when a player cannot pay the debt of a company he controls). Some games do not end when a player goes bankrupt, while others add other conditions for ending the game such as when a stock reaches a certain value on the stock market. Other games do not feature bankruptcy at all, and enable a player to place a moribound company in "receivership" and walk away from debts.

It has been suggested that shareholder be merged into this article or section. ... Dividends are payments made by a company to its shareholders. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Dividends are payments made by a company to its shareholders. ... Snowball Effect is a SpongeBob SquarePants episode from season three. ... The Battle for Wesnoth - a hexgrid based computer game A hex map, hex board or hex grid is a gameboard design commonly used in tactical wargames. ... Obsolescence is a state of being which occurs when a person, object, or service is no longer wanted, even though it may still be in good working order. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ...

Differences

A new 18XX game is usually different in significant ways from predecessors. A few games are produced which basically only change the names of the companies and the map on which the game is played, but those are less popular. As with games in general, each individual mechanic has probably been used before, but a new game can put together a set of mechanics which provide a new and interesting challenge. Some typical areas of difference are:

• Initial Auction - there are many different ways to distribute the initial privates and corporations.
• Private Companies - most 18XX games have private companies which are entirely owned by one player, and represent the earliest companies in the game or provide special abilities. Some games have very similar private companies, some have very different private companies, and some dispense with having private companies at all.
• Corporation Funding - some games have full funding for a corporation as soon as it floats, while others have the company receiving money only as each share is sold. Some games require the corporation to reach a historically relevant destination in order to receive some of its capital.
• Company Types - some games have multiple company types. These types may vary based on how many shares are available for purchase, the funding model for the company, the number of station tokens available, or which types of trains may be purchased by the company.
• Corporate mergers - some games feature optional, or forced, merger of one or more companies.
• Corporate stock-ownership - some games enable companies to hold their own stock, purchase private corporations, and/or own the stock of other companies (even to the point of owning or as prelude to merger).
• Train Types - some games may offer multiple types of trains with distinct capabilities or lifetimes.
  • Some trains may "degrade" into other train types upon certain events (for example, delayed obselescence of 4-trains in 18MEX, or normal trains becoming H-trains in 1844).
  • Trains may become available in unusual orders. For example, in 1830, Diesel engines are available as soon as the first 6-train is purchased — all the 6-trains are not required to be purchased first. In 1824, G-train availability is controlled by when normal trains are purchased.
  • Certain trains may be restricted in terms of which locations they may run to or may count revenue from, or they may provide bonuses for running to certain locations. For example, in 1844, H-trains are prohibited from running to off-board locations. In 1854, only Orient Express trains may run to certain off-board areas. In 1889, Diesels get special bonuses for off-board locations. In 1826, E-trains and TGVs ignore dot-towns. TGVs in 1826 and 4D-trains in 18MEX double the value of cities they count. In 1824, only G-trains may run to mines and the corporation always gets the value of the mine rather than it being potentially paid to stockholders.
• Theme - a few titles eschew the common railroad/stock-market theme. For example, 2038 involves space exploration of the asteroid belt, while Ur, 1830 BC involves building dams and canals in ancient Mesopotamia (in the latter game, "corporations", "presidents" and stock "shares" are represented by kingdoms, rulers and parcels of land).

The 18xx Rules Difference List provides a summary of differences between different games. A private company is a company that is independently owned. ... 18MEX is a railroad operations and share trading board game in the 18XX series, published by Deep Thought Games, LLC in 2005. ... 1844 is a railroad operations and share trading board game in the 18XX series, designed and published by Helmut Ohley in 2003. ... 1830: Railroads & Robber Barons is a railroad operations and share trading board game first published by Avalon Hill in 1986 based on an origional design by Francis Tresham but now out of print. ... A Diesel engine built by MAN AG in 1906 Rudolf Diesels 1893 patent on his engine design The diesel engine is a type of internal combustion engine; more specifically, it is a compression ignition engine, in which the fuel is ignited solely by the high temperature created by compression... 1824 is a railroad operations and share trading board game in the 18XX series, published by Double-O Games in 2005. ... 1854 is a railroad operations and share trading board game in the 18XX series, published by both Lonny Orgler in 2002 and Deep Thought Games, LLC in 2005. ... Poster advertising the Orient Express Orient Express is the name of a long-distance passenger train originally operated by the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits. ... 1889 is a railroad operations and share trading board game in the 18XX series, published by both Wild Heaven Productions in 2004 and Deep Thought Games, LLC in 2006. ... 1826 is a railroad operations and share trading board game in the 18xx series, published by Chris Lawson in 2000 and Deep Thought Games 2004, and set in France and Belgium. ... Image of the main asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

List of published titles in the series

• 1800 Colorado, released 2002 by David Methany, designed by Antonio Leal
• 1824 Austria-Hungary, released 2005 by Double-O Games, designed by Lonny Orgler and Helmut Ohley
• 1825 Great Britain, released 1995 (Unit 1), 2000 (Unit 2), 2004 (Unit 3), designed by Francis Tresham
• 1826 France and Belgium, released 2000 by Chris Lawson, re-released in 2004 by Deep Thought Games, LLC, designed by David G.D. Hecht
• 1829 (South) England, released 1974 by Hartland Trefoil, designed by Francis Tresham, started the series
• 1829 (North) England, released 1981 by Hartland Trefoil, designed by Francis Tresham
• 1829 Mainline England, released 2005 by Tresham Games, designed by Francis Tresham
• 1830 Northeastern United States, released 1986, designed by Francis Tresham and Bruce Shelley, published by Avalon Hill
• 1832 Southeastern United States, released 2006 by Deep Thought Games, LLC, designed by Bill Dixon
• 1835 Germany, released 1990, designed by Michael Meier-Bachl and published by Hans im Glück
• 1837 Austria-Hungary, released and designed 1994 by Lonny Orgler
• 1837SX Saxony, self-published in 2003 by Wolfram Janich
• 1838 Rheinland, self-published in 2001 by Wolfram Janich
• 1841 Italy, released 1996 by Chris Lawson, designed by Federico Vellani. Updated version designed by Manlio Manzini, released 2006 by Deep Thought Games
• 1842 Hamburg/Schleswig-Holstein, self-published in 1995 by Wolfram Janich
• 1844 Switzerland, released 2004 and designed by Helmut Ohley
• 1846 Mid-western United States, released 2005 by Deep Thought Games, designed by Thomas Lehmann
• 1847 Germany-Pfalz, self-published in 1996 by Wolfram Janich
• 1849 Sicily, released 1998 by Chris Lawson, designed by Federico Vellani
• 1850 Mid-western United States, released 2006 by Deep Thought Games, designed by Bill Dixon
• 1851 Tennessee, released 1998 by Chris Lawson, designed by Mark Derrick and Chris Lawson
• 1853 India, released 1989 by Hartland Trefoil, designed by Francis Tresham
• 1854 Austria, designed and released 2002 by Lonny Orgler, re-released 2004 by Deep Thought Games
• 1856 Canada, released 1995, designed by Bill Dixon and published by Mayfair Games
• 1860 Isle of Wight, released 2004 by JKLM Games, designed by Mike Hutton
• 1862 United States, self-published in 2000 by Helmut Ohley
• 1870 Mississippi Valley, United States, released 1995, designed by Bill Dixon and published by Mayfair Games
• 1889 Shikoku Japan, released by Wild Heaven Productions, re-released 2006 by Deep Thought Games, designed by Yasutaka Ikeda
• 1890 Osaka Japan, released 1999 by Nobuhiro Izumi, designed by Shin-ichi Takasaki
• 1895 Namibia, released 2005, designed by Helmut Ohley and Adam Romoth
• 1898 France, self-published in 1999 by Michael Brünker
• 1899 China and Korea, released by Chris Lawson, designed by Dirk Clemens and Ingo Meyer
• 18AL Alabama United States, self-published in 1999 and later by John David Galt, designed by Mark Derrick
• 18C2C United States, released 2003 by Designs in Creative Entertainment, designed by Mark Frazier
• 18EU Europe, released 2004 by Deep Thought Games, designed by David G.D. Hecht
• 18FL Florida United States, released 2006 by Deep Thought Games, designed by David G.D. Hecht
• 18GA Georgia United States, self-published in 1998 and later by John David Galt
• 18GL Great Lakes area United States, released 2005 by Deep Thought Games, designed by Gary Mroczka
• 18MEX Mexico, released 2005 by Deep Thought Games, designed by Mark Derrick
• 18NL Netherlands, self-published in 2005 by Wolfram Janich
• 18Scan Scandinavia, released 2005 by Deep Thought Games, designed by David G.D. Hecht
• 18TN Tennessee/Kentucky, released 2006 by Deep Thought Games, designed by Mark Derrick
• 18VA Virginia United States, released 2004 by Deep Thought Games, designed by David G.D. Hecht
• 2038 Asteroid belt, released 1995 by TinJim Games, designed by Thomas Lehmann and James Hlavaty
• Ur, 1830 BC Ancient Mesopotamia, realeased 1991 by Splotter Spellen, designed by Joris Wiersinga and Jeroen Doumen

Note: The above represent commercial releases of games that use the format, including some produced in limited print runs. There are many other 18XX games released in very limited editions or in kit or downloadable form by individual designers. For further information see Blackwater Station and BoardGameGeek. Official language(s) English Capital Denver Largest city Denver Area  Ranked 8th  - Total 104,185 sq mi (269,837 km²)  - Width 280 miles (451 km)  - Length 380 miles (612 km)  - % water 0. ... 1824 is a railroad operations and share trading board game in the 18XX series, published by Double-O Games in 2005. ... Austria-Hungary, also known as the Dual monarchy (or: the k. ... Lonny (Leonard) Orgler has developed three 18XX games, all set in Austria. ... Helmut Ohley has developed several 18XX games. ... Francis Tresham is an United Kingdom based board game designer who has been producing board games since the early 1970s. ... 1826 is a railroad operations and share trading board game in the 18xx series, published by Chris Lawson in 2000 and Deep Thought Games 2004, and set in France and Belgium. ... Deep Thought Games, LLC is a low-volume publisher of board games, specializing in the 18XX series. ... David Hecht circa 2003 David Hecht is a designer of board games. ... 1829 (South) is a railroad operations and share trading board game in the 18xx series, first published by Hartland Trefoil Ltd (UK) in 1974 from an original design by Francis Tresham but now out of print. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq... 1829 (South) is a railroad operations and share trading board game in the 18xx series, first published by Hartland Trefoil Ltd (UK) in 1974 from an original design by Francis Tresham but now out of print. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq... Tresham Games is a board games publisher featuring the games of Francis Tresham. ... 1830: Railroads & Robber Barons is a railroad operations and share trading board game first published by Avalon Hill in 1986 based on an origional design by Francis Tresham but now out of print. ... Bruce Campbell Shelley is a computer game designer who helped design Sid Meiers Civilization and Railroad Tycoon with MicroProse and the 1997 hit real-time strategy game Age of Empires with Ensemble Studios. ... Avalon Hill was a game company that specialized in wargames and strategic board games. ... 1832 is a railroad operations and share trading board game in the 18XX series, published by Deep Thought Games in 2006. ... Deep Thought Games, LLC is a low-volume publisher of board games, specializing in the 18XX series. ... Bill Dixon (William R. Dixon) is a board game designer, who has four 18XX games published: 1832 - Southeastern United States, published in 2006 by Deep Thought Games, LLC 1850 - Mid-western United States, published in 2006 by Deep Thought Games, LLC 1856 - Canada, published in 1995 by Mayfair Games 1870... 1835 is a railroad operations and share trading board game in the 18XX series, designed and published by Hans im Glück in 1990. ... Hans im Glück is a German board and card game publisher, named after the Grimm fairy tale Hans in Luck. ... Austria-Hungary, also known as the Dual monarchy (or: the k. ... Lonny (Leonard) Orgler has developed three 18XX games, all set in Austria. ... The Free State of Saxony (German: Freistaat Sachsen; Sorbian: Swobodny Stata Sakska) is at a land area of 18,413 km² and a population of 4. ... Wolfram Janich has published several 18XX games, and has started Marflow Games for future games in the series. ... The Rhineland (Rheinland in German) is the general name for the land on both sides of the river Rhine in the west of Germany. ... 1841 is a railroad operations and share trading board game in the 18XX series, published by Chris Lawson in 1996 but now out of print. ... Chris Lawson is a designer of board games who has played an important role in keeping the 18XX hobby alive, having produced excellent quality kits for many games. ... Federico Vellani is a board game designer. ... Hamburgs motto: May the posterity endeavour with dignity to conserve the freedom, which the forefathers acquired. ... Schleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the 16 Bundesländer in Germany. ... 1844 is a railroad operations and share trading board game in the 18XX series, designed and published by Helmut Ohley in 2003. ... 1846 is a railroad operations and share trading board game in the 18XX series, published by Deep Thought Games, LLC in 2005. ... Tom Lehmann has been an economist, programmer, boardgame publisher, game designer, and technical writer. ... A palatinate is an area administered by a count palatine, originally the direct representative of the sovereign but later the hereditary ruler of the territory subject to the crowns overlordship. ... Sicily (Sicilia in Italian and Sicilian, Σικελία in Greek) is an autonomous region of Italy and the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, with an area of 25,700 sq. ... 1850 is a railroad operations and share trading board game in the 18XX series, published by Deep Thought Games in 2006. ... Official language(s) English Capital Nashville Largest city Memphis Area  Ranked 36th  - Total 42,169 sq mi (109,247 km²)  - Width 120 miles (195 km)  - Length 440 miles (710 km)  - % water 2. ... Mark Derrick at CRGC 2001 Mark Derrick works for the Tennessee Department of Transportation as a Civil Engineer and graduated from the University of Tennessee in 1982. ... 1854 is a railroad operations and share trading board game in the 18XX series, published by both Lonny Orgler in 2002 and Deep Thought Games, LLC in 2005. ... Mayfair Games is a publisher of board and roleplaying games in the United States and United Kingdom. ... The Isle of Wight is an English island and county, off the southern English coast, to the south of the county of Hampshire. ... JKLM Games is a board game publishing company based in the United Kingdom. ... 1862 is a railroad operations and share trading board game in the 18XX series, designed and published by Helmut Ohley in 2002. ... Length 6,270 km Elevation of the source 450 m Average discharge 16,200 m³/s Area watershed 2,980,000 km² Origin Lake Itasca Mouth Gulf of Mexico Basin countries United States (98. ... 1889 is a railroad operations and share trading board game in the 18XX series, published by both Wild Heaven Productions in 2004 and Deep Thought Games, LLC in 2006. ... Shikoku (四国, four provinces) is the smallest and least populous (4,141,955 as of 2005) of the four main islands of Japan. ... Wild Heaven Productions is a Japanese board game publisher run by Yasutaka Ikeda. ... Osaka ) is the capital of Osaka Prefecture and the third-largest city in Japan, with a population of 2. ... Korea (Korean: (ì¡°ì„  or 한국, see below) is a geographic area, civilization, and former state situated on the Korean Peninsula in East Asia. ... 18AL is a railroad operations and share trading board game in the 18XX series, self-published by Mark Derrick in 1999 and later by John David Galt. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... 18C2C is an epic-scale railroad operations and share trading board game in the 18XX series, published by Designs in Creative Entertainment]] in 2003. ... Designs in Creative Entertainment is a board game publisher started in 1992 by Mark Frazier. ... World map showing Europe Political map (neighboring countries in Asia and Africa also shown) Europe is one of the seven traditional continents of the Earth. ... 18FL is a railroad operations and share trading board game in the 18xx series, published by Deep Thought Games in 2006. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... 18GA is a railroad operations and share trading board game in the 18XX series, self-published by Mark Derrick in 1998 and later by John David Galt. ... 18GL is a railroad operations and share trading board game in the 18XX series, published by Deep Thought Games, LLC in 2006. ... The Great Lakes from space The Great Lakes are a group of five large lakes in North America on or near the Canada-United States border. ... Gary Mroczka is an 18XX designer, and has had 18GL published by Deep Thought Games, LLC. As of 2006, he is working on 18NYC, an 18XX game modelling subway development in New York City. ... 18MEX is a railroad operations and share trading board game in the 18XX series, published by Deep Thought Games, LLC in 2005. ... 18Scan is a railroad operations and share trading board game in the 18xx series, published by Deep Thought Games in 2005. ... Scandinavia is a region in Northern Europe named after the Scandinavian Peninsula. ... 18TN is a railroad operations and share trading board game in the 18XX series, published by Deep Thought Games, LLC in 2006. ... Official language(s) English Capital Nashville Largest city Memphis Area  Ranked 36th  - Total 42,169 sq mi (109,247 km²)  - Width 120 miles (195 km)  - Length 440 miles (710 km)  - % water 2. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... 18VA is a railroad operations and share trading board game in the 18xx series, published by Deep Thought Games in 2005. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... 2038 is a board game with the game mechanics of an 18XX railroad game, but with an asteroid mining theme. ... Image of the main asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Screenshot of the BoardGameGeek entry for Settlers of Catan. ...

Related information

• 18XX conventions

Recurring Conventions with at least some emphasis on 18XX Games: Chattanooga Rail Gaming Challenge - January-February in Chattanooga, Tennessee; run by Mark Derrick TempleCon - January in Providence, Rhode Island; run by Dave Lionett TotalCon - February in Mansfield, Massachusetts; run by Dave Mitton Portland 18xx Convention - June in Portland, Oregon; run...

External links

• 18xx Games at the Open Directory Project
• Blackwater Station, an 18xx fansite
• BoardGameGeek
• 18XX Yahoo! Group