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1844: Schweiz

Designer: Helmut Ohley

Switzerland with mountain railways, tunnel-building companies, and two clearly distinct generations of locomotives.

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1844: Schweiz Contents

How it works

Setup
  • 3 to 7 players: from 800 [SFR] (3) to 400 [SFR] (7)
  • 12,000 [SFR] bank
  • Auction of the 7 privates, P1 to P7
  • Afterwards, whoever has the least cash goes first
  • Three FNM shares start in the pool
Stock round ×1
  • Sell shares (down one space, even if you sell several)
  • Buy one share, a mountain railway (150) or a tunnel certificate (50)
  • Start a company: choose a price (60-100) and pay double for the director's share
  • All the money goes to the bank
  • At the end: shares in the pool go down; fully player-owned goes up
  • Whoever has the most cash goes first next time
Operating round ×1-3
  • Private income
  • Each company, highest share price first:
  • 1. One tile (and tunnels, if the director holds the right)
  • 2. One station (40, later 100)
  • 3. Run trains; tunnel and crossing bonuses
  • 4. Pay out (up) or withhold (down)
  • 5. Buy trains: normal or the cheaper H
↻ Repeats until the end
End
  • The bank runs out: the set of operating rounds finishes
  • Cash + shares at share price
  • Mountain railways (150) and tunnels (50) only count if a train has run through them
  • No bankruptcy: the director goes into debt at 50%

Components

Players
  • Cash
  • Shares (limit by player count)
  • Privates, mountain railways and tunnels (don't count toward the limit)
Companies
  • Historical (H1-H6): 5 × price on founding and 5 × more on reaching the destination
  • Regional (R1-R3): H trains only, share price cap
  • Pre-SBB (V1-V5): no mandatory train, merge into the [SBB]
  • Historical companies' stations depend on price: from 1 (60) to 5 (100)
Bank
  • 12,000 [SFR]
  • Share pool
  • Double-sided trains: normal or H
  • Sells a train abroad at the end of each set of rounds
Map
  • Switzerland: mountains and rivers make the first tile pricier
  • Tunnels (100) that add +10 to every stop on the route
  • North-south and east-west crossings with a bonus
  • Mountain railways: stops that pay their owner
Privates
  • P1-P7, auctioned
  • From phase 3, the director can sell them to their company
  • Close with the first 5-train

Where the money goes

  • Players Bank Shares (new at par, pool at share price), privates, mountain railways, tunnels
  • Bank Companies On founding: 5 × price; on reaching the destination: 5 × more
  • Bank Players Dividends, income, share sales
  • Companies Bank Trains, terrain, stations and tunnels
  • Companies Players Buying a private from its director
  • Players Companies The director tops up the mandatory train, going into debt if needed

Phases

1
Start
—
Yellow; 4 trains per company; 1 operating round
2
1st 2/2H
2 · 90 / 2H · 70
Trains start being sold abroad
3
1st 3/3H
3 · 180 / 3H · 150
Green; 2 rounds; 2s become 2H; privates for sale
4
1st 4/4H
4 · 300 / 4H · 260
2s removed; 3s become 3H; 3 trains
5
1st 5/5H
5 · 450 / 5H · 400
Brown; 3 rounds; 2 trains; privates close; the [SBB] is formed
6
1st 6/6H
6 · 630 / 6H · 550
3s removed; new companies get all their capital at once
7
1st 8E/8H
8E · 960 / 8H · 700
Grey; 4s removed
  • An H train counts hexes instead of cities and can't run off the map: it's cheaper and lasts longer.
  • Reaching its destination doubles a historical company's capital.

A round, step by step

Illustrative example (the rulebook doesn't include a full one), with real rules and prices: 4 players with 620 [SFR]. We follow [PL1] and the [STB] from the private auction to the second operating round.

  1. Private auction The Bödelibahn Phase 1

    Privates are auctioned in order, P1 to P7. [PL1] takes [P2] at the minimum price, 50 [SFR]: it pays 10 a round and, from phase 3, lets you lay one extra yellow once.

    When the auction ends, whoever has the least cash moves to the front of the turn order.

    [PL1] cash
    570
    [STB] treasury
    —
    [STB] share price
    —
    [STB] trains
    —
  2. Stock round 1 [STB] director Phase 1

    [PL1] buys the [STB] director's certificate (two shares) and picks its price: 80. They pay double, 160, to the bank. At this price, the [STB] will have 3 stations.

    [PL1] cash
    410
    [STB] treasury
    —
    [STB] share price
    80
    [STB] trains
    —
  3. Stock round 1 Half the company Phase 1

    Over three more turns, [PL1] buys three shares at 80. They now have five, half the company: the [STB] is founded and receives 400, 5 times the price.

    It'll get the other 400 when a route links Aarau with Thun, its destination.

    [PL1] cash
    170
    [STB] treasury
    400
    [STB] share price
    80
    [STB] trains
    —
  4. Stock round 1 End of round Phase 1

    Nothing can be sold in the first stock round. When everyone passes, the [STB] stays put: it has no shares in the pool, but it isn't sold out either.

    [PL1] cash
    170
    [STB] treasury
    400
    [STB] share price
    80
    [STB] trains
    —
  5. Operating round 1 A tile in Olten Phase 1

    [P2] pays [PL1] 10. The [STB] places its free station in Aarau, which already has printed track, and lays a yellow city in Olten. There's a river: 20.

    [PL1] cash
    180
    [STB] treasury
    380
    [STB] share price
    80
    [STB] trains
    —
  6. Operating round 1 A station in Olten Phase 1

    The first extra station costs 40; later ones, 100. The [STB] places one in Olten.

    [PL1] cash
    180
    [STB] treasury
    340
    [STB] share price
    80
    [STB] trains
    —
  7. Operating round 1 No trains, price drops Phase 1

    No trains yet: no revenue, and the share price moves one space left, from 80 to 70.

    [PL1] cash
    180
    [STB] treasury
    340
    [STB] share price
    70
    [STB] trains
    —
  8. Operating round 1 The first train Phase 2

    Every train has two sides: a 2 for 90 or a 2H for 70. The [STB] buys a 2. It's the first train of the game and phase 2 begins.

    A 2 visits two cities wherever they are; a 2H only reaches the next hex over.

    [PL1] cash
    180
    [STB] treasury
    250
    [STB] share price
    70
    [STB] trains
    2
  9. Operating round 1 A train sold abroad Phase 2

    From phase 2, at the end of each set of operating rounds, the bank sells the top train of the stack abroad. That brings the phases closer without putting money into play.

    [PL1] cash
    180
    [STB] treasury
    250
    [STB] share price
    70
    [STB] trains
    2
  10. Stock round 2 One more share Phase 2

    [PL1] buys another [STB] share at 80 and reaches 60%. They can't buy any more new ones now: only from the pool.

    [PL1] cash
    100
    [STB] treasury
    250
    [STB] share price
    70
    [STB] trains
    2
  11. Operating round 2 Towards Thun Phase 2

    [P2] pays 10 again. The [STB] lays another yellow in the direction of Thun.

    [PL1] cash
    110
    [STB] treasury
    250
    [STB] share price
    70
    [STB] trains
    2
  12. Operating round 2 The train runs Phase 2

    The 2-train runs from Olten (20) to Aarau (10): 30 [SFR]. Every route must pass through one of the company's stations.

    [PL1] cash
    110
    [STB] treasury
    250
    [STB] share price
    70
    [STB] trains
    2
  13. Operating round 2 Paying out Phase 2

    The [STB] pays 3 per share: [PL1], with six, collects 18. Unsold shares pay to the bank. Paying out moves the share price one space right: back to 80.

    A share in the pool would pay its dividend to the company's treasury.

    [PL1] cash
    128
    [STB] treasury
    250
    [STB] share price
    80
    [STB] trains
    2
  14. Operating round 2 A 2H Phase 2

    It buys a 2H for 70. When the first 3-train arrives, regular 2s become 2H, and with the first 4 they'll all be removed.

    [PL1] cash
    128
    [STB] treasury
    180
    [STB] share price
    80
    [STB] trains
    2 + 2H
  15. Towards phase 3 What now? Phase 2

    The [STB]'s goal is to reach Thun and collect another 400. With a tunnel certificate, [PL1] could have their company open a tunnel on the way for 100.

    [PL1] cash
    128
    [STB] treasury
    180
    [STB] share price
    80
    [STB] trains
    2 + 2H

1844 — Summary

Capitalization type

  • Split into two halves, not classic full or incremental: the Large Historical Companies (H1-H6) and the Pre-SBB companies (V1-V5) only receive half their capital when floating (5 times the par price for Historical companies, 2 times for Pre-SBB companies); the other half only arrives once the company connects its home hex to the destination hex marked on its charter.
  • Regional companies (R1-R3), which have no destination, receive their full capital at once when floating (5 times the par price, 100% of their value).

Floating percentage and per-player share limits

  • The Pre-SBB (V1-V5) and Historical (H1-H6) companies float at 50% of shares sold; the Regionals (R1-R3) float at 60%; the SBB (formed by merger at the end of the game) has its threshold set at 20%, but with floatable: false, since it never floats through a classic share purchase
  • No player may hold more than 60% of a single corporation, except the Pre-SBB (V1-V5), where the limit rises to 75%
  • Certificate limit per player: 3 players — 24; 4 players — 18; 5 players — 15; 6 players — 13; 7 players — 11

Starting cash by player count

  • 3 players: 800 SFR starting cash
  • 4 players: 620 SFR starting cash
  • 5 players: 510 SFR starting cash
  • 6 players: 440 SFR starting cash
  • 7 players: 400 SFR starting cash
  • The bank always starts with 12,000 SFR, regardless of player count

End game triggers

  • The bank runs out of money: the current full operating round set is finished
  • 1844's rules explicitly remove bankruptcy: a director without enough company treasury or personal cash to complete a mandatory purchase doesn't liquidate the company; instead they go into debt to the bank, paying 50% interest on the outstanding debt every stock round until it's cleared

Number of phases

  • 7 phases (1 through 7), triggered by the purchase of the first 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8E train respectively

Train list and prices

  • 2 train — 90 SFR (13 units; 2H variant at 70 SFR; rusts once the first 4-train is bought)
  • 3 train — 180 SFR (9 units; 3H variant at 150 SFR; rusts once the first 6-train is bought)
  • 4 train — 300 SFR (6 units; 4H variant at 260 SFR; rusts once the first 8E-train is bought)
  • 5 train — 450 SFR (6 units; 5H variant at 400 SFR; buying it closes the privates and triggers the merger of the Pre-SBB companies into the SBB; never rusts)
  • 6 train — 630 SFR (4 units; 6H variant at 550 SFR; never rusts)
  • 8E train — 960 SFR (20 units; 8H variant at 700 SFR; pays for its 8 best stops; never rusts)
  • Every train type exists in a normal version (counts cities) and a cheaper H version (counts hexes traversed); older trains get "downgraded" to the H version before eventually fully rusting

List of private companies

  • P1 - Brienzer-Rothorn-Bahn — 20 SFR, revenue 5, no special ability
  • P2 - Bödelibahn — 50 SFR, revenue 10, once per game allows laying an extra yellow tile
  • P3 - Gotthard-Postkutsche — 80 SFR, revenue 15, comes bundled with Tunnel Company T1
  • P4 - Furka-Oberalpbahn — 110 SFR, revenue 20, allows placing a free special tile; doing so closes it and the owner receives 80 SFR compensation (mandatory by the time the first 5/5H train arrives)
  • P5 - Compagnie Montreaux-Montbovon — 140 SFR, revenue 25, comes with a 10% share of the MOB
  • P6 - Societa anonima delle ferrovie — 180 SFR, revenue 30, comes with the FNM's director's share; the buyer sets the FNM's par price and it floats instantly; closes when the FNM runs its first train
  • P7 - Lokfabrik Oerlikon — 100 SFR, revenue 0, closes when the first 5/5H train is bought and the owner receives the "EVA" (5H) train for free, assignable to any corporation they direct
  • B1-B5 - Mountain Railways — 150 SFR each, bought outright (no auction) during stock rounds; place a marker on a mountain hex and pay 40 SFR per round once a corporation runs a train there; never close and don't count against the certificate limit
  • T1-T5 - Tunnel Companies — 50 SFR each; grant a one-time right to build a tunnel for 100 SFR (a +10 SFR bonus per stop once used); never close and don't count against the certificate limit

List of corporations

  • NOB - Schweizerische Nordostbahn (V1, Pre-SBB) — home at D19, destination D15
  • SCB - Schweizerische Centralbahn (V2, Pre-SBB) — home at C12, destination F17
  • VSB - Vereinigte Schweizer Bahnen (V3, Pre-SBB) — home at C24, destination F25
  • JS - Jura-Simplon (V4, Pre-SBB) — home at I4, destination F7
  • GB - Gotthardbahn (V5, Pre-SBB) — home at G18, destination H19
  • JN - Jura Neuchatelois (R1, Regional) — home at F7
  • ChA - Chur-Arosa (R2, Regional) — home at G28
  • VZ - Visp-Zermatt (R3, Regional) — home at K10
  • FNM - Ferrovie Nord Milano (H1, Historical) — home at L21, destination G20
  • RhB - Rhätische Bahn (H2, Historical) — home at G26, destination J13
  • BLS - Bern-Lötschberg-Simplon (H3, Historical) — home at F11, destination J13
  • STB - Sensetalbahn (H4, Historical) — home at D15, destination H13
  • AB - Appenzeller Bahn (H5, Historical) — home at D25, destination C20
  • MOB - Montreux-Oberland Bernois (H6, Historical) — home at I6, destination H13
  • SBB - Schweizer Bundesbahnen — starts with no home of its own; formed by merging the five Pre-SBB companies

Game-specific mechanics

  • Three tiers of companies (Pre-SBB, Regional, Historical) with different share structures and rules
  • Trains with a dual version: normal (cities) and H (hexes)
  • Mountain Railways and Tunnel Companies as direct special investments, outside of the corporations
  • Mandatory merger of the five Pre-SBB companies into the SBB once the first 5/5H train arrives
  • No bankruptcy: replaced by debt carrying 50% interest per stock round
  • The bank automatically "exports" the cheapest train at the end of every block of operating rounds
  • Regional companies' share price is capped at 200 SFR

Emergency sell

Starts the same way as 1830 — company treasury, then the president's or owner's personal cash — but adds a bank loan as an alternative to forced share sales rather than a last resort after them: the player can borrow to cover the shortfall without first having to sell anything. It also blocks one 1830 quirk: a forced sale here can never change the presidency of another corporation the seller holds shares in, something 1830 allows to happen incidentally.

Comparison with 1830

1. Setting, map and number of players
1830 covers the northeastern USA for 2-6 players. 1844 moves the action to Switzerland, with a map dominated by mountains and tunnels, and is designed for large groups of 3 to 7 players.

2. Three tiers of operating companies with different rules from each other
In 1830 every company follows exactly the same rules. In 1844 there are three types, each reflecting a different stage of real Swiss railway building: the small Pre-SBB companies destined to merge away, the limited Regionals, and the Large Historical Companies that dominate the long game.

3. The destination hex turns building into a race with a goal, not just revenue generation
In 1830 laying track only matters for generating higher revenue. In 1844, physically reaching a company's destination hex is a goal in itself, since it unlocks the second half of its capital: this forces routes to be planned around a specific point on the map, not just the most profitable city.

4. Trains that count by hexes, not just cities, reflecting the mountainous geography
In 1830 a train's route is always counted by the number of cities and towns it passes through. In 1844 the cheaper H version of every train counts each hex traversed instead: on a map full of mountains and tunnels, this gives spreading through difficult terrain a value of its own, not just connecting big cities.

5. Mandatory merger of five companies into the Swiss State Railway (SBB)
In 1830 companies never merge with each other. In 1844 the five Pre-SBB companies mandatorily merge into the SBB the moment the first 5 or 5H train is bought, echoing the real nationalization of Swiss railways: the SBB receives all the Pre-SBB companies' possessions at once.

6. There is no bankruptcy: debts accrue interest instead of triggering liquidation
In 1830, if a company can't pay for a mandatory train, it can ultimately be liquidated. 1844 removes that risk of elimination: an indebted director simply pays growing interest until they dig their way out, which considerably softens the game's punishment/randomness component.

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