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1826 is the latest 18xx game kit to be produced by Chris Lawson. Small
numbers of copies of the game has been around for quite a while,
awaiting a burst of enthusiasm from its producer, so many readers will
have had the opportunity to play it already. However, it is now mass-
produced, so it's appropriate to review it properly. The delay does
have one advantage: in my previous reviews of 18xx games, I've only
played the game a small number of times, but here I have plenty of
experience.
The game is played on a map of Belgium and the northern two-thirds of
France, divided into hexes as usual. There are 79 hexes on which track
can be built, so it's more or less the same size as 1830. In practice,
though, more of the map tends to get used and the supply of tiles is
correspondingly generous. There are twelve companies in total, though
no more than ten of them can be present at any one time, so although
it's a little more crowded than 1830 there isn't much in it.
Company finances are essentially those of 1849 or 1851. Companies are
paid the current market price as shares are sold from the initial
offering or company treasury. There's a financial step at the end of
each company's turn in an Operating Round where they can buy and sell
their own shares. Shares in the company treasury earn dividends for the
corporation, while those for shares in the pool are lost.
In the early stages, companies start off with only five shares, much
like the minor companies of 1841. Also much as in 1841, such companies
are very restricted in the number of trains they may own. When they
build track to their destinations, a hex typically four or so hexes from
their home stations, they may convert to ten-share corporations. This
allows more capital into the company and allows it to own more trains,
at the cost of reducing the owner's equity in the company.
The trains are a curious mixture. The earlier ones travel a limited
number of hexes, as in 1849, rather than a limited number of stations,
as in most other games. The last of this type is a 10H, which can run
very well in the north where cities are close together. The "H" trains
give way to E (for Electric) trains and TGVs, which are also electric
but which travel much faster. E trains are peculiar things; they act as
2D, 3D, 4D, or 5 trains (the D represents a doubling of the revenue
obtained by visiting the specified number of stations) depending on the
number of E and TGV trains in service. TGVs act as 3D trains, but they
may run on track used by a company's other train.
At first blush, the game looks nice and friendly. When a company is
"locomotively challenged", and hasn't got enough money to buy a train,
it takes out a loan or loans rather than have its president contribute
from hand. These loans must in practice be repaid before the game's
end, but this mechanism delays having to pay for the train as well as
distributing the pain of this train shortage pro rata amongst the
shareholders. It turns out, though, that 1826 is not a game for the
faint of heart, and this stems from the nationalisation rules.
Historically, French railways underwent two main phases of
nationalisation. Many of the early companies were built at government
direction, and as a consequence failed to make money for their owners
once the subsidies ran out. Around 1878, several bankrupt companies
were merged together to form a state-owned company called the Etat, and
more were added in 1909. The Etat managed itself reasonably well for a
while, but it and most other railway companies in France went insolvent
during the early 1930s as a result of the Depression. As a consequence
the SNCF was formed from the wreckage in 1937. The game attempts to
simulate this.
When trains become obsolete, trainless companies may be forced to merge
into either the Etat or the SNCF, in three waves of nationalisation
depending on which train type has just rusted. (The SNCF has two
opportunities to form.) A key rule is that it takes at least two
companies to be left vulnerable for the merger to occur, and this tends
to lead to a certain amount of brinkmanship. The merger normally
reduces shareholder equity by a factor of about two, and this does
happen immediately, so it's important not to be involved too much. This
is the main reason why the change from being a 5-share company to being
a 10-share company is so important; 5-share companies cannot usually
afford an extra train, and usually don't have the space for one either.
In most 18xx games, the usual early strategic objective is to maximise
the price-to-earnings ratio of one's investments. That's true of 1826,
too, but it's coloured by the consequences of nationalisation in a big
way. Later strategy is more devoted to the usual 18xx concern of
maximising absolute earnings by investing in companies with good trains
and routes to run them on. As always, knowing when to switch between
these two strategies is of considerable importance.
Although this game is a kit, production values are excellent. The map
and all the other components except the money are printed in full colour
on moderately thick card. The tiles should really be made thicker for
comfortable handling, either by being glued to thicker card and
laminated on the front, or, better, laminated on both sides. The money
is printed in black on coloured paper; naturally, the serial numbers are
all different. This just needs to be cut out. The result can look
better than some professionally-produced games, though the cutting out
of the components can be a little tedious.
1826 is a game where there are real strategic decisions all the way
through, giving skill an opportunity to come to the fore. (This may
explain why I keep getting trounced.) It takes three to six players,
though as usual in 18xx when there are six players finances are
uncomfortably tight in the early stages. We seem to spend about six
hours over the game, a figure likely to come down when the players are
more experienced (well, one can dream). I can recommend it
unreservedly.
1826 was designed by David Hecht, with input from an army of playtesters
including me, so I'm not entirely unbiased. It is available from Chris
Lawson, 7 Cornfields, Yateley, Hants GU46 6YT UK, e-mail chris.lawson@virgin.net
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