Who's here because of 18XX? (1 Viewer)

[yeknom02]

Hi, I'm Dan. I live in the Detroit Metro Area. This week, I just got back from Chattanooga, where I played twelve games (in all, more than 51 hours) of 18XX games. It inspired me to add a bit more to my poker chip collection, so I was wondering, who is here at PCF mostly due to train games?

For those unfamiliar, 18XX is a specific genre of board game where you run railroad companies, building track, running trains for revenue, and paying shareholders - i.e. everyone at the table. Because half of the game is a competitive stock market, they can be cutthroat games with a lot of transactions and money changing hands. So the train-game addicts (which in my experience is most people who try them) are huge fans of using poker chips rather than paper or card money.

Often, 18xx players have a lot of uses for all denominations between $1 and $500, and are often in search of the Holy Grail $20 denomination (which is just more practically useful in the game.) Typical banks are $12,000 or less, and the game usually ends once the bank breaks. Some games feature an unlimited bank.

Of course, there are plenty of other train games, such as Age of Steam, which also feature cash transactions, although to a much smaller scale.

 

[FDLmold]

I’ve always wanted to try the Chattanooga con. Lots of people here for board game chips and 18xx chips. Although most of those were here for poker chips first I imagine. Welcome.

 

[FDLmold]

1817 is my favorite.

 

[yeknom02]

1817 is my favorite.

Oh yeah, I got to try my first game of 1817 at the con! I was bankrupted, of course, after a few sets of operating rounds. But I loved the structure of the game so much that I really want to play as much as I can now. I can't wait until the mass printing gets delivered this year.

 

[markleteenie]

I've always loved games and recently been interested in 18xx though I've never played in any. Have there been any recent converts, or is this more of a long standing gaming community?

Not to derail (get it, great dad-ism) too much, but what is the easiest/yet still competitive 18XX to start with. Maybe a few options.

 

[Jonesey07]

@Poker Zombie @Mrs Poker Zombie have you two played?

 

[Redouble]

Our group always starts new players off with 1846. It's not too long and not too complicated but it still holds our interest after many plays. I've heard that 1889 is another good title for newbies and experienced players also.

 

[detroitdad]

Never heard of it. Welcome to PCF.

 

[MaxB]

18XX ... is this the year for some nice rum or wine?

 

[Poker Zombie]

I've seen 18xx games, but never really had a group that was willing to play "choo-choos and crayons" or any of it's variants.

Too bad too, because Chattanooga has a big annual convention (just wrapped up last weekend), but I'm not going to go in as a novice. Did that once, only to find out that the "beginner" games tend to fill with expert players that want a win, more than they want to have fun.

 

[yeknom02]

I've always loved games and recently been interested in 18xx though I've never played in any. Have there been any recent converts, or is this more of a long standing gaming community?

Not to derail (get it, great dad-ism) too much, but what is the easiest/yet still competitive 18XX to start with. Maybe a few options.

I'd say it's been gaining in popularity recently, thanks to a surge in board gaming in general, as well as a number of good online content creators helping to spread visibility. Ambie's series on The Dice Tower is a great introduction.

As far as introductory 18xx, there are a number of pros and cons to each title. 1830 is usually considered the gold standard, but it's very cutthroat, long, and might turn off new players without a good teacher. 1846 is widely available and easiest for other boardgamers to understand, but it has a lot of quirks that aren't usually found in other 18xx games. 1889 is like a shorter version of 1830, but for the moment, it's hard to get unless you print it yourself. 18Chesapeake is another good intro game designed to be a very light/intro version of 1830, but it is still wrapping up a successful Kickstarter and won't be out until March or so.

I've seen 18xx games, but never really had a group that was willing to play "choo-choos and crayons" or any of it's variants.

Too bad too, because Chattanooga has a big annual convention (just wrapped up last weekend), but I'm not going to go in as a novice. Did that once, only to find out that the "beginner" games tend to fill with expert players that want a win, more than they want to have fun.

Ugh, crayon rails.... Anyway, most everyone who I met at Chattanooga was very friendly and anxious to get new players into an 18xx game, although there's usually the assumption that you've played other 18xx before. There aren't really "beginner" games per se. Mark Derrick, a designer with a number of newbie-friendly titles under his belt, is the one who runs the convention and he's a really great guy. He lives in the Chattanooga area and might be able to introduce the game system if you have any interest.

 

[allforcharity]

Hello and welcome! There's a couple dedicated threads to 18XX, search for them and check it out!