1841: Railways in Northern Italy

1. Setting, map and number of players
1830 covers the northeastern US on a fixed map for 2-6 players. 1841 moves the action to Northern Italy during the unification era, and the map's regional borders shift up to twice over the course of the game, redefining which hexes are playable. It supports 2 to 8 players, though 3 or more is generally recommended in practice.

2. Companies can own shares of other companies, and even found them
In 1830 only players own shares. In 1841 any operating company can buy shares of another company — and can even found a brand-new one and control it directly — creating webs of cross-ownership between companies that simply don't exist in 1830.

3. Two families of companies: historical ones needing a concession, and freely founded generic ones
1841 has eight historical corporations, which need a concession to activate, and eight generic corporations with no historical name, which choose their home city when founded. In 1830 every company is simply founded by picking its opening price, with no concept of a concession at all.

4. "Major" and "minor" corporations with different control thresholds
In 1830 it always takes two shares (20%) to become president. In 1841 that threshold only applies to major corporations; minors require 40%. On top of that, each ordinary share certificate of a minor pays double the usual dividend rate (20% of earnings instead of the standard 10%).

5. Incremental capitalization, not a single lump sum
In 1830 a company receives 100% of its par value all at once the moment it floats. In 1841 capitalization is collected share by share, as each one actually sells, rather than as a single payout on floating.

6. Mergers between operating companies, tied to geography and politics
In 1830 companies can never merge with each other. In 1841 two companies can merge if their networks connect without crossing a regional border, and certain historical corporations automatically split or merge when the first 4-train enters circulation, following the map's shifting borders.

7. Forced emergency share sales to pay for trains
In 1830, if the president can't cover a mandatory train, personal cash goes in. In 1841 the mechanism first goes through an automatic, forced sale of the company's own shares (EMR) to raise the missing capital.

8. Extremely expensive trains that can rust before ever running
1841's 8-train comfortably outprices even the priciest trains in 1830, and obsolescence hits so fast that a train bought under forced circumstances can rust before the company ever gets the chance to run it.

9. A stock market with different ceilings depending on company type
In 1830 every company shares the exact same price grid with no distinction. In 1841 minor corporations have their own price ceiling on the grid (they can't rise past it while still minor) and only break through it if they merge and become major.

10. Noticeably longer, denser games
A full game of 1841 typically runs around five hours, considerably longer than a typical 1830 game, due to the extra layers of cross-ownership, mergers, and shifting borders players have to manage.

1841 — Schematic summary (vs 1830)

SETTING

• Northern Italy during the unification era; the map's regional borders shift up to twice during the game
• 2-8 players (3+ recommended); games run around 5 hours

COMPANIES

• 8 historical corporations (need a concession) + 8 generic ones (choose their home city when founded)
• "Major" corporations (president at 20%, like 1830) and "minor" ones (president at 40%, double dividend per share)
• Incremental capitalization: collected share by share, not all at once on floating

STOCK MARKET AND CROSS-OWNERSHIP

• Companies can buy shares of other companies and even found and control them
• Minor corporations have their own price ceiling on the stock grid

MERGERS AND FINANCES

• Mergers between operating companies if their networks connect without crossing regional borders
• Historical corporations split or merge when the first 4-train enters circulation
• Emergency share sales (EMR) to fund mandatory trains, before personal cash is ever touched

TRAINS

• Very expensive trains (the 8-train is among the priciest in the genre) with very rapid obsolescence
• A train bought under obligation can rust before running a single route