1830

Set in the northeast U. S. and Canada, 1830 recreates the development of the railroad system from its horse drawn beginnings to the ascendency of diesel locomotives. The object of the game is to be the wealthiest player at the finish. To this end you invest in railroad stock and operate the companies you can control. You can be an empire builder carefully managing your companies for the long term, or you can loot companies for maximum quick profits and hope to leave someone else with the wreckage. The play of 1830 is divided into two separate segments: Stock Buying Rounds when stock is bought and sold, and Railroad Operation Rounds when each railroad in play is operated by its president. The majority stockholder of a railroad is usually its president. Operating railroads play track tiles on the mapboard, build bridges and tunnels, buy and sell trains, and decide whether to pay the revenue earned each round as dividends to stockholders or to keep it in the treasury for future needs. A railroad's stock value rises or falls depending on the payment of dividends, as well as the buying and selling of the shares.