18 India

Indiens järnvägshistoria började 1837 när Red Hill Railway använde landets första ångdrivna lokomotiv för att transportera sten för vägarbeten till Madras, dagens Chennai. År 1845 bildades Indiens första järnväg, Madras Railway. Sexton år senare, en varm aprildag 1853, drogs ett tåg med 14 vagnar och 400 passagerare 21 miles av tre ånglok - Sahib, Sindh och Sultan - och därmed var passagerartrafiken på järnväg igång i Indien. Sedan dess är resten historia, som man brukar säga, och Indien har idag världens fjärde största järnvägsnät.

18 India är ett operativt järnvägsspel för 2 till 5 personer som spelas på cirka 3 timmar. Spelet är inspirerat av 1829 Mainline av Francis Tresham, och medan den vördnadsvärda herr Tresham skapade några nya mekaniker för det spelet, är många av dem inte idealiska för spelare som undviker slumpmässighet i spelet. I 18 India omvandlas dessa slumpmässiga element till en fantastisk nivå av variabilitet före spelet, vilket ger varje session av spelet en annan karaktär. 18 India får spelarna att tänka annorlunda kring 18XX-standarder som tågledning och investeringar.

Mekaniken i 18 India inkluderar: spårviddsändringar, "garantiföretag", konkurrens om råvarukontrakt, aktier med exklusiva rättigheter att köpa, tågbyten, en unik IPO-visning och alla spåruppgraderingar är tillgängliga från början av spelet. Tågen rostar förresten inte, men det finns fortfarande en "tågrusning"!

GAME PLAY
18 India is easy to learn for those new to 18XX, but rich and complex enough to challenge experienced players.

What do you mean trains don’t rust?
In most 18XX games, older trains become obsolete - or “rust”, and leave the game - as newer and better trains become available. In 18 India , trains do not rust. Instead, older trains may be traded in on newer and better trains. Additionally, companies can purchase these used, traded in models, and continue to operate them. Of course, if your railroad companies are not competitive in purchasing the better trains, they will be out-earned and you will have a difficult time winning the game. It is a different type of train rush. Instead of trying to avoid getting caught without a train, companies must find a way to get one of the best trains as quickly as possible.

"The train system works very well. You certainly need to get bigger, better trains to do well, but gone is much of the feeling of impending doom of rusting trains." - Playtester Comment

Commodity Contracts
Railroads can earn extra revenue by delivering commodity goods from the interior of India to its port cities. In 18 India , there is fierce competition to be the first to complete these commodity routes!

Guarantee Companies
To encourage railroad investment and construction, the British Parliament actually guaranteed some of its railways to help entice investors and to incentivize construction. We incorporated this historical tidbit into 18 India by having three Guarantee Companies in play in every game. As an investor, you are guaranteed a 5% dividend payment - even if the railroad does not make any money. What could be better than that?

Exclusive Stock Options
At the beginning of a game of 18 India , players will draft a hand of share certificates. These certificates are stock options that the player may choose to invest in during play. In addition to buying certificates from the IPO and from the Bank Pool during Stock Rounds, players may also choose to purchase the certificates they hold in their hand. Until purchased, the certificates held in your hand are not in play. When purchased, the cost of the share is paid to the corresponding company’s treasury - providing it with operating capital. Of course, there are sometimes reasons to not make all of the possible investments you initially drafted.

"I enjoy how shares of stock end up in the player's investment portfolios. 18 India has captured stock speculation better than any other game in the genre" - Playtester Comment

Unique Initial Public Offering (IPO) Display
One unique aspect of 18 India is how timing of play is affected by IPO share manipulation. During game setup, three rows of shuffled share certificates are placed in the IPO. During a Stock Round, players may use their turn to purchase up to two consecutive shares from any one row. During Operating Rounds, railroad companies may purchase one share from any row.

"It is just damn fun to play with many different levers to pull. Easily one of my top 5 favorite 18XX titles." - Playtester Comment

For a player to be successful, they must draft a coherent and flexible hand of stock options; stand up their first company(ies) quickly and with sufficient capital; then balance dividend payouts (necessary for acquiring more shares in the Stock Rounds) with strategic withholdings (necessary to climb the train roster and maximize route yields). Starting additional “second wave” companies can provide additional flexibility and support for a player’s “premier” company(ies), or be used as a harrying force to complicate other player’s route networks.

"18 India plays well with just two players." - Playtester Comment

18 India has been extensively play-tested, iterated, and refined using feedback from a wide variety of players including some first-time 18XX players, and many long-time veterans. The finely-tuned and unique combination of pre-game variability, stock speculation, commodities, train roster, and intriguing mechanics creates a fresh and engaging game experience with every play.

Antal spelare: 2-5

Speltid: 150-240 Min

Språk: Engelska