1840: Vienna Tramways

1840 Vienna Tramways — Summary

Capitalization type

• The six Tram Companies (TCs) directed by players float at 50%: whoever buys the director's certificate puts in half of the company's total capital (not the usual 20% from other 18xx games), although that certificate still only counts as a single unit against the certificate limit.
• The four Stadtbahn companies (W, V, G, D) never have a director and never float in the classic sense: they're put into play directly at a fixed par price (Wiental-Linie 95, Vororte-Linie 85, Gürtel-Linie 75, Donaukanal-Linie 65) and always pay out 100% of their income.

Floating percentage and per-player share limits

• The six Tram Companies (majors) float at 50% of shares sold; the eighteen Linie companies (minors) float at 100% (they start operational right away); the four Stadtbahn companies (W, V, G, D) never float in the classic sense (0% threshold, they're put into play directly at a fixed price)
• No player may hold more than 60% of a single Tram Company or Stadtbahn company, except the Linie, which have no limit (100%)
• Certificate limit per player: 2 players — 18; 3 players — 16; 4 players — 14; 5 players — 13; 6 players — 12

Starting cash by player count

• 2 players: 350 Gulden starting cash
• 3 players: 300 Gulden starting cash
• 4 players: 260 Gulden starting cash
• 5 players: 230 Gulden starting cash
• 6 players: 200 Gulden starting cash
• The bank is unlimited (there's no fixed starting figure)
• In the first stock round, every player receives an additional 350 Gulden specifically to found (par) a corporation, since the director's certificate costs 50% there instead of the usual 20%

End game triggers

• Since the bank is unlimited, the game can never end from the bank running out of money
• Fixed ending: the game always ends once the sixth company round (CR6) is completed, regardless of any economic condition

Number of phases

• 4 phases tied to tile availability: Phase 1 (yellow only), Phase 2 (yellow and green), Phase 3 (yellow, green and brown), Phase 4 (yellow, green, brown and gray)
• Phases advance automatically once the game's second, sixth and eighth line rounds are completed, not when a particular tram color is bought
• From Phase 2 onward, players are allowed to buy companies (landmarks) from each other

Train list and prices

• Yellow (Y1) — 100 Gulden when it opens (variant Y2 at 50); never rusts
• Orange (O1) — 300 Gulden when it opens (variants O2 at 200 and O3 at 100); never rusts
• Red (R1) — 500 Gulden when it opens (variants R2 at 400 and R3 at 300); never rusts; once the first one is bought, any yellow trams a company still owns start costing -50 Gulden in maintenance every turn
• Pink (Pi1) — 600 Gulden when it opens (variants Pi2 at 500 and Pi3 at 400); never rusts and never incurs maintenance costs itself; once the first one is bought, yellow maintenance rises to -200 and orange maintenance becomes -100
• Purple (Pu1) — 800 Gulden when it opens (variant Pu2 at 600); never rusts; once the first one is bought, yellow maintenance rises to -400, orange to -300 and red to -100, while purple trams themselves always add a fixed +200 Gulden to their own income
• The quantity available of each color depends on the player count (for example, with 4 players there are 6 yellow trams and 5 of every other color; with 6 players, 10 yellow and 7 of every other color)

List of private companies

• Prater (PR) — 10 Gulden, revenue 5; +20 income if the tram route runs through hex D28
• Karlskirche (KK) — 20 Gulden, revenue 10; +20 income if the route reaches E21 (once the red tile is placed)
• Schloss Belvedere (SB) — 30 Gulden, revenue 15; +20 income if the route runs through H22
• Hofburg (HB) — 40 Gulden, revenue 20; +20 income if the route reaches E19 (once the red tile is placed)
• Stephansdom (SD) — 50 Gulden, revenue 25; +20 income if the route reaches D20 (once the red tile is placed)
• Schloss Schönbrunn (SSB) — 60 Gulden, revenue 30; +20 income if the route runs through K7

List of corporations

• Six Tram Companies (TCs), each mandatorily directed by one player: Wiener Tramway Gesellschaft (WT), Dampftramway Krauss & Comp. (DT K&C), Schaeck-Jaquet & Comp (SJE), Bau- und Betriebsgesellschaft für städtische Straßenbahnen in Wien (BBG), Wien-Kagraner Bahn (WKB), and Gemeinde Wien - Städtische Straßenbahnen (GWStStB); they have no fixed home — they gain one through the lines they buy
• Four director-less Stadtbahn ("city") companies: Wiental-Linie (W, par 95), Vororte-Linie (V, par 85), Gürtel-Linie (G, par 75), and Donaukanal-Linie (D, par 65); each has a set of fixed, pre-defined token positions on the map and runs automatically along its pre-printed route
• Eighteen "Lines" numbered 1 to 18, each with its own fixed home hex on the map; no player directs them directly — instead they're bought at auction during the company round and become the property of one of the six Tram Companies, which manages their construction and operation

Game-specific mechanics

• A round cycle with four different types: a pre-share round auctioning off the privates, stock rounds, company rounds (where income is managed and trams and lines are bought), and line rounds (where each individual line lays tiles and runs its tram)
• Variable-size dividends (always multiples of 10 Gulden) that move the share price a different number of spaces depending on the total amount paid: 10 to 90 doesn't move it at all, 100 to 190 moves it 1 space, and it can move as much as 7 spaces if the dividend exceeds 2,500 Gulden
• No classic bankruptcy: if a company has no tram at the end of the buying rounds and the director doesn't have enough personal cash to complete the mandatory purchase, they must take out loans from the bank (100 Gulden each); loans are never repaid, but each one deducts 200 Gulden from the player's final wealth
• Privates (landmarks) can only be resold to a Tram Company once won, never to another player

Emergency sell

A sharp departure from 1830: forced personal share sales don't exist at all here. The order is company treasury, then the owner's personal cash, and if that's still not enough, the owner is required to take a player loan from the bank instead — issued in fixed 100-currency chunks, with no ordinary interest, but a harsh final-score penalty: every 100 borrowed costs double, 200, off the player's score at the end of the game.

Comparison with 1830

1. Setting, map and number of players
1830 covers the northeastern USA for 2-6 players. 1840 moves the action to the city of Vienna and its tramway network, also for 2-6 players, but with a much more urban focus: instead of railways between cities, you build tram lines connecting stops and interchanges within a single city.

2. Every player must direct exactly one tram company
In 1830 a player can end up directing several companies or none. In 1840 every player must own exactly one Tram Company, no more, no less: in the first stock round everyone is required to buy the director's certificate of a different TC.

3. Trams never rust: instead, they pay growing maintenance fees
In 1830 older trains become obsolete and are removed once a certain train type appears. In 1840 no tram ever leaves the game: the first time a tram of a new color is bought, older trams the company still owns start suffering a growing maintenance cost deducted from their income every turn, until eventually it's worth retiring them voluntarily rather than continuing to pay for them.

4. Director-less Stadtbahn companies that always pay out 100% of income
A concept that doesn't exist in 1830: the four Stadtbahn companies never have a director. They operate automatically along a pre-printed route over the tiles already laid, and can never retain money in treasury.

5. Two-tier structure: companies buy "lines" that actually build track and run trams
In 1830 a company builds tiles and runs trains directly. In 1840 each Tram Company may own up to three lines, bought at auction during the company round; it's those lines, not the company itself, that lay tiles, place station markers, and run a tram to generate income during each line round.

6. Much more complex round structure, with a fixed ending instead of an economic one
In 1830 the cycle is simple (a stock round followed by operating rounds) and the game ends when the bank runs dry or the last available train is bought. In 1840 the game alternates through four different round types (Pre-Share, Share, Company and Line) along a fixed round track, and the game has a predetermined length: it always ends at the end of the sixth company round (CR6), regardless of any economic condition — in fact, the bank doesn't even have a limited amount of money to begin with.

7. No personal bankruptcy: bank loans instead of liquidation
In 1830, if a company can't pay for a mandatory train, the burden falls on the president and, ultimately, on liquidating the company. In 1840, if a company has no tram at the end of the buying rounds and the director doesn't have enough personal cash to complete the mandatory purchase, they must take out loans from the bank; loans are never repaid, but each one deducts 200 Gulden from the player's final wealth when tallying the winner.