(This article was originally published in “Games
\nInternational”, issue #9 (September 1989) and is reproduced here with the permission of the
\nauthor)<\/p>\n
<\/span><\/h2>\n
by Steve Jones<\/p>\n
1830 is a game for two to six players, designed by Francis Tresham and published by Avalon Hill.
\nLike its classic predecessor 1829 (Hartland Trefoil), 1830 is a railroad business game.<\/p>\n
For those familiar with 1829, there are two major differences in 1830. The first is the locale:
\nwhereas 1829 covers the Railroad Era in 19th century Britain, 1830 covers the growth of the
\nrailroads in the north-eastern United States and south-eastern Canada from the early part of the
\n19th century to the present day. The second difference is one of emphasis. 1829 concentrates more
\non the mechanics of running the railroad companies for high profits and less on manipulating the
\nstock market. In contrast, 1830 concentrates more on manipulating share prices and less on running
\nthe railroad companies; indeed, the opportunities for swindle and sharp practices are many and
\nvarious for the unscrupulous investor. It is not an easy game to play. While its mechanics are
\nfairly straightforward, there are many elements involved during play, and the interplay between
\nthem is both complex and subtle. If one were searching for an appropriate single sentence to
\ndescribe 1830, it would be “This is a sharp game for sharp players”.<\/p>\n
PORTFOLIOS<\/b><\/p>\n
The game consists of a sturdy fold-up board of which about one-half depicts the north-eastern
\nUnited States and part of south-eastern Canada. This map has superimposed upon it a grid of 4cm
\nhexagonal spaces; hexagonal railroad track tiles are placed in these spaces during the course of
\nplay, and a railroad network is gradually built up. Around the edge of the map are marked-out
\nspaces for the Stock Market (where the current corporation stock prices are indicated), the<\/p>\n
Bank Pool (for sold stock and trains), the initial stock offerings, the Par Stock Price list, the
\ntrains on offer, and various explanatory tables.<\/p>\n
The object of the game is to make money; when the game ends, the player with the most money wins.
\nThe players achieve this by buying and selling stock in an attempt to build up a stock portfolio
\nwith a high revenue and profit potential. The value of the stock certificates in an individual
\nportfolio is determined by two things: the revenue per certificate, and the current Stock Market
\nprice per certificate. The six private railroads pay a fixed revenue, and are not quoted on the
\nStock Market; they have poor long term prospects, but have considerable short term value, of which
\nmore anon. The eight railroad corporations, on the other hand, have both variable revenue and Stock
\nMarket prices. There are many subtle undercurrents associated with the valuation of the available
\nstock certificates, which become more apparent with experience.<\/p>\n
OPERATING ROUNDS<\/b><\/p>\n
There are no player turns as such in the game. Instead, play proceeds in a sequence of stock rounds
\nand operating rounds until either the Bank runs out of money or a bankruptcy occurs.<\/p>\n
In the stock rounds, the players buy and sell stock certificates; there is one certificate per
\nprivate railroad, and nine certificates per corporation (one president’s certificate worth two
\nshares, and eight single share certificates).<\/p>\n
In the operating rounds, the private railroads earn revenue for their owners, and the president (or
\nthe largest stock holder) of each corporation performs its operations. These consist of laying a
\ntrack tile, buying corporation tokens (or garrisons, as they are popularly called), conning train
\nservices (and thereby earning revenue), buying (and sometimes selling) trains, and choosing whether
\nor not to pay a dividend to the stockholders. This last decision affects the stock price of the
\ncorporation’s stock: the price rises upon payment of dividends, and falls otherwise.<\/p>\n
A corporation earns revenue if it has at least one train and one route between two or more cities
\n(the revenue earned is equal to the sum of the city values of the city stops on the route); this
\nroute must include at least one city occupied by the corporation’s token.<\/p>\n
The number of operating rounds between stock rounds depends upon whether the game is in Stage One,
\nTwo or Three, and is equal to the current stage number at the end of each stock round. The game
\nstarts in Stage One, and proceeds to Stages Two and Three respectively when the first type 3 and
\ntype 5 trains are purchased by any corporation.<\/p>\n
CORPORATIONS<\/b><\/p>\n
To those readers who have played 1829, this is all familiar stuff. However, five major rules
\nchanges were introduced into 1830 which have touches of genius and fumed what would have been a
\ngood game into a great game. The first rule change is that the eight corporations can be floated at
\nany time, and in any order. Furthermore, the player who buys the presidency certificate gets to set
\nthe par value of the shares; the allowable par values lie between $67 and $100.<\/p>\n
The second rule change concerns the corporation garrisons. In both 1829 and 1830, garrisons enable
\ncorporations to diversify their routes. A garrison in 1829 prevents rival corporations from using
\nthe station. However, a garrison in 1830 only prevents rival corporations from passing through the
\nstation; they can still run services to the station. This difference introduces a whole new
\ndimension to the planning of routes in 1830. Basically, short routes are relatively secure, and it
\nis the longer routes which are in danger of being chopped.<\/p>\n
The third rule change is connected to the dividend payments. Dividends are also paid to shares in
\nthe Bank Pool, with the payments being made into the corporation’s treasury. This implies that
\nthere are times when the corporation president will feel less pressure to plough back in order to
\nincrease its treasury. This rule can be particularly helpful to the weaker companies. There are
\nsubtle implications to this rule which will become more obvious after several playings.<\/p>\n
The fourth rule change concerns the purchasing of trains by corporations: if a corporation has a
\nroute and no trains, it must buy one. If it has not got sufficient funds in its treasury, the
\npresident must make up the shortfall out of his own resources. This requirement can easily break a
\nplayer’s financial resources, and will give any aspiring corporation president nightmares in
\nthe later stages of the game. These nightmares are partly due to the technological obsolescence
\nbuilt into the trains, and partly due to the fact that there is no official receiver, as in 1829.<\/p>\n
TRAINS<\/b><\/p>\n
There are six classes of trains available in the game: types 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, and the diesels. The
\ntype N trains run between N consecutive city stops along a specified route; the diesel is unique in
\nthat there is no upper limit to the number of stops along its specified route. Initially, there are
\nonly type 2 trains available. Each successive class becomes available when the previous class runs
\nout. The catch is that when the first type 4 is sold, the type 2 Trains are removed from the game.
\nThe type 3 trains are removed when the first type 6 is sold, and the type 4 trains are removed when
\nthe first diesel is sold.<\/p>\n
Consequently, a corporation might look healthy, with several trains and good revenue earnings, only
\nto find itself foundering with no trains when another corporation buys a new type of train that has
\njust become available. And if you should be so unfortunate as to find yourself running a
\ncorporation possessing no trains, you cannot just sell out. To sell out of a corporation, there
\nmust be another player with at least two shares to whom the presidency can be passed;
\nunfortunately, this ‘easy’ route out is not always available. Clearly, these corporations
\nare not limited liability companies! The good player will be aware of this, and should plan his
\nlong term strategy accordingly.<\/p>\n
This awareness should include becoming thoroughly familiar with what happens when each new type of
\ntrain comes into play, and the implications of this on long term strategy. The solution of the
\nproblems associated with this unlimited liability rule tends to dominate play in the middle and end
\ngame. Particularly critical periods requiring great care and attention occur when there is one type
\n3 left, and when only one type 4 remains; the former event signals the imminent demise of the type
\n2 trains, and the latter event signals the imminence of Stage 3 and the consequent maneuvering
\nwhich occurs when the players attempt to secure the limited number of permanent trains in the end
\ngame.<\/p>\n
STOCK MARKET<\/b><\/p>\n
The fifth rule change affects the Stock Market and its operation, which is where the game is won
\nand lost, so it is well to discuss the Stock Market in some detail. The Stock Market, unlike the
\nlinear track found in 1829, is a two dimensional matrix of stock price slots printed on the game
\nboard. Low prices are found in the bottom left hand comer, and high prices are found in the top
\nright hand comer. Within it both vertical and horizontal movements representing stock price changes
\nare possible; the price increases if the movement is vertically upwards or a horizontal shift to
\nthe right, and decreases if the movement is vertically downwards or a horizontal shift to the left.
\nThe change in price associated with each movement is variable, with relatively high changes
\noccurring at the extreme ends, and relatively small ones in the middle.<\/p>\n
Vertical share price movement takes place during the stock rounds. Every time a player sells a
\nshare, the price marker of that corporation moves down one slot. At the end of each stock round,
\nthe share price of every fully subscribed corporation moves up one slot. Horizontal movement takes
\nplace during each operating round. When the president of a corporation declares a dividend, the
\nshare price marker of that corporation shifts one slot to the right; if he\/she ploughs the money
\nback into the company, the share price marker shifts one slot to the left.<\/p>\n
FINANCIAL KILLING<\/b><\/p>\n
The positions of the corporations on the Stock Market also serve one very important function: they
\ndetermine the order of play in each operating round, from highest to lowest. This use of the Stock
\nMarket to determine the order of play in the operating rounds is of particularly vital importance
\nin the middle game just before the first type 5 train comes out. The good player will deliberately
\nbuy and sell specific stock in an attempt to manipulate the order of play to his advantage; if he
\ngets it right, he can ensure that corporations in which he has a good holding will be in the best
\npositions to acquire the limited number of types 5 and 6 trains available.<\/p>\n
Another important feature associated with the Stock Market is the priority deal: the possessor of
\nthis gets the first option to buy and sell in the next stock round. This can be very important,
\nparticularly when a player president has asset stripped his corporation and has somebody to dump it
\non. It is also important early on when the first corporations to be floated have increased their
\nmarket values by a healthy amount. The player who can ditch his shares first has a double
\nadvantage: he will make a financial killing at the expense of his fellow shareholders by selling
\nout just before the share price crashes, and he can choose which corporation to float next.<\/p>\n
There are many other subtle features associated with the Stock Market, but there is no room to
\ninclude them all in this article; players new to the game should look upon it as a challenge to
\npick them up in as few playings of the game as possible.<\/p>\n
STRATEGY<\/b><\/p>\n
Now that you have an idea of how the game is played, how do you develop a winning strategy? One of
\nthe beauties of 1830 is that there is no single winning strategy as such. The closest thing to one
\nis to gain control of two corporations, but the hitch is that they both need to be good, strong
\ncorporations; if you achieve that, you will be well on the way to winning. However, there are
\nplenty of things that your opponents can do to upset your plans. Another useful strategy is gaining
\ncontrol of a corporation with a potentially good diesel route, and get a diesel train into it; if
\nyou can achieve this without excessive expenditure, you could be on to a winner.<\/p>\n
One of the tricks to playing 1830 is anticipating problems before they arise and taking the
\nappropriate evasive actions; equally useful is knowing what to do to limit the damage if you find
\nyourself in trouble. The most useful overall advice is to be flexible, and ruthless. Don’t form
\nany fond attachment to your corporations. Many players invite disaster because they let themselves
\nbecome emotionally attached to the corporations) they founded. They should be viewed as a means to
\nan end, and nothing more. If you have a corporation that is headed for the rocks and you have a
\nchance to get out, do so. Don’t stay around because you think you can rescue it; leave that
\ndubious distinction to someone else.<\/p>\n
There are a number of useful rules of thumb to be aware of in general play. Always be aware of who
\nis sitting where, and take the appropriate action. For instance, don’t buy more than one share
\nof any corporation whose president is sitting to your immediate right unless it has a
\n‘safe’ train, and even then, think hard about it. The reason for this is that, in a later
\nstock round, your chances of getting rid of the excess ‘dangerous’ shares before he dumps
\nthe corporation on you are virtually non-existent. Contrariwise, it is much ‘safer’ to
\npurchase more than one share in a corporation if its president is sitting to your immediate left.
\nIn this case, he can only dump the corporation on you if you let him have the priority deal.<\/p>\n
Another useful dictum is to avoid being excessively ‘greedy’. The number of times are
\nlegion when players have bought that extra second share on the expectation of a quick short-term
\nprofit, only to find the corporation dumped on them later, the risk is usually not worth it.<\/p>\n
DIVIDENDS<\/b><\/p>\n
On the question of declaring dividends, the best policy is almost invariably to declare. This
\napplies even in the case where your corporation has a vulnerable train and a low treasury. The
\nreason is that declarations will generally increase the values of your portfolio, and this will
\nimprove your chances of weathering a bankruptcy crisis. In addition, if your corporation is that
\nweak, it will probably have shares in the Bank Pool, in which case the treasury will increase in
\nvalue even when you declare; this reduces the pressing need to plough back. The only time in which
\nit is cost effective to plough back is when this will gain your corporation an additional train in
\nthe end game, or will ensure that it obtains a ‘safe’ train. For example, you may have a
\ntype 5 train, and a plough-back will give you enough money in the treasury to purchase a type 6
\ntrain; if your corporation has the routes on which to run both trains, it can be a winning move.
\nEqually, a plough-back which gives you enough money to trade in a type 4 train for a diesel is
\nalways worth doing.<\/p>\n
One other general consideration worth mentioning is to try to build up as large a portfolio as
\npossible; if you have more shares than anyone else, your chances of winning are that much better.
\nOne way of achieving this is to get one of your corporations into the yellow, orange or brown
\nsections of the Stock Market where its shares do not count towards the share limit for each player;
\nif you do manage to achieve this, you will have to keep the extra Shares in the yellow at least,
\nand that is as good an excuse to go for a diesel train as any.<\/p>\n
The good player will also become thoroughly familiar with the different types of track tiles
\navailable, and the attacking and defensive options associated with upgrades. In particular, get to
\nknow the different types of station tiles and how they can be placed to build up highly profitable
\nroutes.<\/p>\n
One tactic with which you should become familiar is the laying of certain strategically important
\ntiles in order to deny another player their use. Included in this category are the yellow type #57
\nand the green type #59 station tiles. There are only four of the former and two of the latter in
\nthe game. They are particularly important when corporations are attempting to build their first
\nroutes; removing these tiles from play can delay that first route and cripple the affected
\ncorporation.<\/p>\n
THE PRIVATES<\/b><\/p>\n
Following on from the general considerations discussed above, I shall continue the discussion of
\ngame strategy by considering the six private railroads and the eight corporations, and finish up
\nwith some observations about the beginning, middle and end games.<\/p>\n
Although the private railroads have a limited lifetime, they are vital because of their potential
\nto provide a large influx of cash to the players later on in the game. This potential exists
\nbecause of the rule which allows the players to sell the private railroads to the corporations for
\nbetween half and double their face value; the only exception to this is the B&O private. This
\nrule effectively allows the president of a corporation to embezzle funds from the corporation’s
\ntreasury.<\/p>\n
If he times his move correctly, a player can strip the corporation of its cash and dump it on
\nanother player possessing at least two shares in it; often, when this ploy is pulled off, the
\ncorporation possesses plenty of trains which are in danger of being made obsolete in the near
\nfuture. In addition to throwing a potentially disastrous problem into someone else’s lap, the
\nlarge infusion into the player’s cash reserves puts him in a good position to float another
\ncorporation which will be in a better position to obtain the new trains.<\/p>\n
Let us now consider the six private companies in ascending order of price.<\/p>\n
Schuylkill Valley Railroad & Navigation Co.<\/b><\/p>\n
The Schuylkill Valley Railroad & Navigation Co. is a bit of a joke. Its low face value and
\nrevenue make it of little value to anyone. Even its location in a mountain hex (G15) to the west of
\nNew York possesses little strategic value apart from being an obstacle. Its one asset is a
\nrelatively high revenue for little outlet in the early stages. Don’t break your neck in the
\nlush to pick it up.<\/p>\n
Champlain & St. Lawrence Railway<\/b><\/p>\n
The Champlain & St Lawrence Railway is a slightly better prospect. Its main asset arises after
\nit has been sold to a corporation: the owning corporation can then lay two tiles in one turn, its
\nnormal lay and one in the C&StL hex located at B20. This can be of particular value to the
\nCanPac in its efforts to break through to the lucrative routes near New York; but it should be
\npointed out that this is a long shot, and if it is to be played at all, it should be early.<\/p>\n
Delaware & Hudson Railroad<\/b><\/p>\n
The Delaware & Hudson Railroad is starting to hit the big money. In addition to its trade in
\nvalue being as high as $140, it has a potentially high strategic value in its location near to New
\nYork in hex F16. The owning corporation can lay a station tile and garrison in F16 even if this
\ndoes not connect into its network. This gives corporations like the C & O, the Erie, and the
\nCanPac the potential to set up lucrative routes to New York. This one should be watched.<\/p>\n
Mohawk & Hudson Railroad<\/b><\/p>\n
The Mohawk and Hudson has a potential double value. In addition to its relatively high revenue of
\n$20 and trade in value of up to $220, it can be traded at any time for a NYC certificate. This last
\ncapability means that even if you never get the chance to use it to asset-strip a corporation, you
\nwill never lose its capital value since it can be traded in for an NYC share at any time before the
\nfirst type 5 train is brought in. But don’t hold on to it too long, particularly if the NYC
\ncomes out fairly early on.<\/p>\n
Camden & Amboy Railroad<\/b><\/p>\n
The Camden & Amboy Railroad is a potential gold mine. Worth up to $320 cash in an asset-strip,
\nit also has attached to it a free Penn certificate. This latter feature makes it easier to float
\nthe Penn early on, and makes an asset-strip even more likely. Even if you don’t get to use it
\nto asset-strip a corporation, its location in H18 is potentially valuable in the struggle to
\ncontrol the approaches to south New York. Its high potential value will mean that there will be a
\nlot of competition in the rush to acquire it; whoever gets it should be made to pay well above the
\nasking price for it.<\/p>\n
Baltimore & Ohio Railroad<\/b><\/p>\n
The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad is a bit of a mixture. On the plus side is its high revenue of
\n$30 and the automatic acquisition of the B&O corporation presidency. On the negative side is
\nthe fact that it automatically closes down when the B&O corporation buys its first train.
\nTherefore, it is not as valuable as the Camden & Amboy, and as such, it is rarely worth paying
\nmore than $S over the odds to purchase it. The most critical decision which the purchaser has to
\nmake is the par value of the B&O corporation. In most cases, it is best to set it to the
\nmaximum possible value of $100; this value ensures that the capital loss from the relatively fast
\ndisappearance of the B&O private is a minimum. The par value should only be set at a lower
\nvalue if you have a partner who is willing to help buy out all the shares in the first stock round,
\nthereby ensuring that the price rises steadily in the early stock rounds; even then the decision is
\nmarginal, and better terms might need to be set.<\/p>\n
The eight railroad corporations are not all equal; some have better potential than others.<\/p>\n
Pennsylvania Railroad<\/b><\/p>\n
The Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) is potentially one of the best long term corporations, partly
\nbecause of its relatively close starting position near New York, and partly because of its five
\ntokens. The latter also implies that the PRR is a good corporation to put a diesel train into, if
\nonly because all those tokens give it the capability to defend the long routes which a diesel
\nrequires to be cost effective.<\/p>\n
The PRR is usually one of the first corporations to be floated, because only five shares need to be
\nbought instead of the usual six; the sixth share is already owned by the owner of the C&A. The
\none drawback of the PRR is its low revenue growth rate; even with two trains in it, it rarely gets
\nabove $6 a share early on.<\/p>\n
New York Central Railroad<\/b><\/p>\n
The New York Central (NYC) is potentially the best long term corporation, better even than the PRR.
\nThis is because its home base has a better revenue and track switching potential than the
\nPRR’s. However, it also suffers from poor initial revenue growth rates, and because of this it
\nrarely comes out early on. It usually comes out in the middle period of the game. Like the PRR, it
\nhas excellent potential as a diesel corporation, particularly if it can get through to south New
\nYork via G 17, and into the PRR network. However, its one weakness is that it needs a yellow type
\n#57 tile to build its home base; therefore, any prospective president should make sure that there
\nare plenty of these about when he floats the corporation.<\/p>\n
Canadian Pacific Railroad<\/b><\/p>\n
The Canadian Pacific (CPR) has a poor long-term potential despite its five tokens. Its starting
\nposition in Canada is isolated by river and mountain barriers from the lucrative routes in the
\ncentre of the board If we add to this the relatively poor revenue growth rate, it is not difficult
\nto conclude that it is probably a lame duck corporation. The only chance it can have to become a
\ngood long term prospect is either through early access to New York via a garrison in the D&H
\nhex in F16, or through outside help in route building.<\/p>\n
Baltimore & Ohio Railroad<\/b><\/p>\n
The Baltimore & Ohio Corporation (B&O) is another potential diesel corporation. This is
\nparticularly so if it gets<\/p>\n
staved early, and gets to H16 before the PRR; in this case, the world is its oyster. Even if it
\ncannot break out of its comer to become a diesel corporation, it still has a good potential to be
\none of the strongest of the medium corporations. But its president must be prepared to make things
\nhappen. And there is no harm done if it is not floated early in the game; just sit back and rake in
\nthe revenue from the B&O private. Another advantage associated with a late flotation is that
\nthe par value of $100 ensures that there is plenty of cash in its treasury with which to buy a good
\nTrain.<\/p>\n
Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad<\/b><\/p>\n
The Chesapeake & Ohio (C&O) is another good medium corporation with an outside chance of
\ngaining good diesel routes. It has excellent revenue growth potential because of its close
\nproximity to Chicago. Consequently, it is a popular choice for flotation in the first stock round
\nIts one drawback is its relative isolation at the western edge of the board This can be partly
\novercome by its early flotation, which can give it the time to build up its routes.<\/p>\n
Erie Railroad<\/b><\/p>\n
The Erie (‘Erie’) is one of the poorer corporations. It should never be floated early on
\nbecause its home base can never be built until Stage 2; the only legal tile that can be placed in
\nE11 is a green type #59 tile. Great care should also be exercised in laying its home base tile and
\ntoken; it is dangerous to locate its home base on the north-west edge of E11 facing D10 because
\nthere are only two green type #59 tiles in the game, and if the second one goes into H18, the Erie
\nwill be crippled until Stage 3. These disadvantages usually lead to the Erie being one of the last
\ncorporations to be floated. It is strongest as the second corporation in a player’s portfolio.<\/p>\n
New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad<\/b><\/p>\n
The New York, New Haven & Hartford (NYNH) is an excellent New York based corporation which
\npossesses good revenue growth potential. While it is not common to see it floated early on, it can
\ndo well when it is. The one drawback to the corporation is its three tokens; this low number of
\ntokens means that it is a poor choice to put a diesel train into. As one player observed, ‘If
\nthe Hartford had an extra token it would be a cracking company!’<\/p>\n
Boston & Maine Railroad<\/b><\/p>\n
The Boston & Maine (B&M) is a corporation with mixed potential. If it is floated early on,
\nit can do very well. It suffers from two drawbacks. The first is its geographical isolation from
\nthe bulk of the map by the Appalachian mountains and the river in F22. The second is its three
\ntokens, which give it very little route flexibility. It is therefore hardly surprising to see it
\nusually doing well only when it is floated early on. If it is one of the last to be floated, it
\nwill need friends if it is to do better than moderately well.<\/p>\n
There is no ideal strategy to be pursued at the beginning of the game apart from being flexible.
\nThe one thing to keep in mind is that it is not vital to buy a presidency and float a corporation
\nin the first stock round. However, if you are going to do so, the vital figure to keep in mind is
\n$402; this is the amount of cash you need to float a corporation on your own. The only exception is
\nthe PRR for which you need only $335 in order to float it by yourself, because of the free share
\nthat goes with the C&A private. If you do have this amount available after all the private
\nrailroads have been sold, well and good; pick the corporation you want and get going. If you
\ndon’t have the cash, you will need to strike a deal with another player in order to get his
\nhelp to float a corporation The one thing to keep in mind when striking such a deal is not to be
\ndogmatic. Certainly, try to strike the best deal that you can, but remember that the other guy
\nshould be offered something to entice him into the deal in the first place. And when you make such
\na deal, stick to it; as a general policy, it is counter-productive to welsh on agreed deals.<\/p>\n
The only other thing to keep in mind in the first stock round is to make sure that the other
\nplayers don’t get their private railroads too cheaply. This applies particularly in the case of
\nthe C&A; it is criminal to let a player get this for $165. A useful rule of thumb to keep in
\nmind is whether the price reduces the player’s cash reserves to less than $402, or in the case
\nof the bidder for the C&A, to less than $335.<\/p>\n
It is difficult to pinpoint exactly when the beginning game ends, and the middle game starts.
\nProbably the best definition is when the second set of corporations is floated. Generally speaking,
\nthe players who are floating these corporations are doing so out of their own resources, and so it
\nis probably a good bet that they are doing well. If a player is floating his second corporation, it
\nis invariably a sign that he is doing very well indeed, and the other players should be thinking of
\nways of tripping him up. There are many ways of doing this, but the most common means involves
\nhitting his share prices, and attempting to remove from circulation specific tiles which he may
\nrequire.<\/p>\n
Once into the middle game, you should be devoting all your efforts to ensuring that your
\ncorporation gets at least one of those valuable type 5 trains. This will usually involve keeping a
\nclose watch on the share price trends on the Stock Market, and attempting to predict which
\ncorporation is likely to be able to buy the first type 5 train. This includes taking whatever steps
\nare required to manipulate the share prices so that the trends go the way you want them to go. The
\ntrick then is to ensure that your corporation buys the first type 5 train, or failing that, has its
\noperating round immediately afterwards. In the former instance, you should be trying to ensure that
\nyour closest rivals do not get the good trains.<\/p>\n
The middle game usually ends and the end game begins when the first type 5 train is brought. This
\nusually triggers a mad rush for the type 5 and type 6 trains, and more often than not the game
\nsettles down to an uneasy period during which someone is usually saving up for a diesel train. If
\nyour corporations are ‘safe’ with their type 5 or type 6 train, and your prospects for a
\ndiesel are poor, you should be thinking about closing up the game, and making sure that any diesel
\nroutes are not very lucrative. On the other hand, if you are saving up for a diesel, you should be
\nbuilding, or have already built, your diesel route, and be taking whatever steps are required to
\nprotect it. The question of going for a diesel can be critical, especially since it will usually
\ncost you something to get it. If you think you are already in front, it is probably not worth going
\nfor it. On the other hand, if you are coming second it is certainly worthwhile going for it; the
\nonly consideration that you might need to take into account is whether there will be enough time
\nleft once you have the diesel for its extra revenue to wear down the lead. The only other reason to
\ngo for a diesel is to force a bankruptcy, and in the ensuing share price chaos, to come out in
\nfront.<\/p>\n
In conclusion, 1830 is an excellent business game which requires considerable thought and quickness
\nof mind, and provides endless hours of enjoyment. I’ll leave you with a final recommendation:
\ndo not play with the optional extra type 6 train; that version is for wimps!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
(This article was originally published in “Games International”, issue #9 (September 1989) and is reproduced here with the permission of the author) SHARP PRACTICES by Steve Jones 1830 is a game for two to six players, designed by Francis Tresham and published by Avalon Hill. Like its classic predecessor 1829 (Hartland Trefoil), 1830 is a … SHARP PRACTICES<\/span> weiterlesen