1862 - Railway Mania in the Eastern Counties

Players will vie to start railway companies, invest money in railway shares, and attempt to run the railways they control for personal gain, trying to keep them afloat in changeable economic times. Each game played will be unique. Out of 20 available railway companies, only 16 will be randomly selected for each game – and only eight will be available at start. Each company also starts with a randomly chosen Permit to run one of three different types of train. Players then begin the game by investing in some of the available companies. Each company will generate revenue for the majority shareholder by laying track on the board, placing station markers, running any trains it owns, paying dividends or retaining revenue from those trains, and then buying more and more advanced trains. As the game progresses, players can start more companies and can merge companies they control with other companies. When larger and more powerful trains are bought, older trains become obsolete and disappear, causing financial crisis for the unprepared. The game ends after the last band of trains is bought, and the wealthiest player, including shares, but not money in companies, is the winner.

1862: Railway Mania in the Eastern Counties is an '18xx' game, one of many rail games by different designers inspired by Francis Tresham's 1829. Although it shares many traits in common with the other 18XX games, it has several unique features, such as:

    random selection of companies
    three types of trains
    two different ways to finance companies (either by petitioning parliament or by piecemeal capitalization in a stock round)
    allowing companies to run multiple trains over the same track
    the ability to accommodate from 1 to 8 players
    a special homage to the great “Railway King” George Hudson

Components:

    1 Mounted 25.5" x 22" Game Board
    20 different Charters
    £15,000 in play money
    180 Stock Certificates
    34 Train cards
    8 Phase Change cards
    12 Train Distribution cards
    6 Player Order cards
    7 Certificate Limit cards
    175 Track Tiles: (175 total tiles on thick counter stock)
    30 Train Permits (on thick counter stock)
    20 Warranty chits (on thick counter stock)
    220 Station tokens/chits (on thick counter stock)
    20 Small wooden station tokens
    1 Wooden Train marker
    1 Wood cylinder to mark Stock Operating Rounds
    One Rules booklet