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1870: Railroading Across the Trans Mississippi from 1870

Designer: Bill Dixon

The Trans-Mississippi with a huge map and the richest stock-market game in the whole 18xx family.

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1870: Railroading Across the Trans Mississippi from 1870 Contents

How it works

Setup
  • $2,100 split among the players ($525 with 4); $12,000 bank
  • Initial stock round: the 6 privates, in order, at a fixed price or with bids
  • The [SLSF] private is the Frisco president's certificate
  • Once all are sold, the 10 companies open up
Stock round ×1
  • Buy one certificate and sell as many as you like
  • The president can protect the share price by buying the shares being sold
  • Or instead, the company redeems or reissues shares
  • At the end, companies with no shares in the market go up a row
Operating round ×1-3
  • Private income
  • Each company, highest share price first:
  • 1. Track: 2 yellows or 1 upgrade
  • 2. One station ($40 or $100)
  • 3. Run trains: every city passed through counts
  • 4. Pay out (right), half dividend (no move) or withhold (left)
  • 5. Buy trains (mandatory if it has a route)
  • From phase 2, buy privates
↻ Repeats until the end
End
  • The bank runs out: the set of operating rounds finishes
  • If it happens in a stock round, that round and the next set finish
  • A player goes bankrupt: the game ends immediately
  • Most cash plus shares wins

Components

Players
  • Cash, shares and privates
  • Max 60% per company, except in the green and brown market zones and when protecting
Companies
  • Float at 60% sold (the Frisco at 20%)
  • Full capital: 10× par
  • Each has a destination: connecting to it gives a special run
  • Can redeem and reissue their own shares
Privates
  • Income from $5 to $20
  • Mississippi bridge, cattle, Gulf port
  • Close in phase 4
Bank and market
  • $12,000
  • Open market: at most 5 shares of each company
  • Trains from 2 to 12, in order
Map
  • Trans-Mississippi
  • Rivers and mountains from $40 to $80
  • 4 off-board areas that rise with the phase

Where the money goes

  • Players Bank and market Privates and shares (from the initial offering or the market)
  • Bank and market Companies Capital on floating: 10× par
  • Companies Players Dividends, private purchases and share buybacks
  • Companies Bank and market Trains, terrain and stations
  • Bank and market Players Private income and shares sold to the market

Phases

1
Start
2 · $80
1 [OR] per stock round, 4 trains
2
1st 3-train
3 · $180
2 ORs; companies can now buy privates
3
1st 4-train
4 · $300
2s rust; 3 trains
4
1st 5-train
5 · $450
3 ORs; privates close; 2 trains
5
1st 6-train
6 · $630
3s rust
6
1st 8-train
8 · $800
4s rust
7
1st 10-train
10 · $950
8
1st 12-train
12 · $1,100
5s rust
  • A train must count every city it passes through: a 3-train visits 3 cities, whether large, small or off-board.
  • Share price protection lets the president take the shares someone else sells, so the share price doesn't drop.

A round, step by step

Illustrative example with the real rules, 4 players ($525 each). We follow [P1] and the [ATSF], based in Topeka, from the initial stock round to its second operation.

  1. Before starting Seating and capital Phase 1

    Players draw order tokens at random and receive $2,100 divided by 4: $525 each. [P1] holds the priority card.

    [P1] cash
    $525
    [ATSF] treasury
    —
    [ATSF] share price
    —
    [ATSF] trains
    —
  2. Initial stock round The first private Phase 1

    Privates are offered in order. [P1] buys the Great River Shipping at its printed price, $20; it pays $5 every operating round. The others can buy the next one or bid on those still to come.

    A bid must top the price by at least $5, and the money is held until that private is sold.

    [P1] cash
    $505
    [ATSF] treasury
    —
    [ATSF] share price
    —
    [ATSF] trains
    —
  3. Initial stock round Starting the Santa Fe Phase 1

    With the 6 privates sold, [P1] buys the [ATSF] president's certificate (20%) and sets the par price at $82. They pay $164 to the bank.

    Nothing can be sold yet in this first stock round.

    [P1] cash
    $341
    [ATSF] treasury
    —
    [ATSF] share price
    $82
    [ATSF] trains
    —
  4. Initial stock round Reaching 60% Phase 1

    Over the next turns [P1] buys 3 more shares at $82 and now holds 50%. [P2] buys another: 60% is sold and the [ATSF] floats. It receives 10× par from the bank: $820.

    [P1] cash
    $95
    [ATSF] treasury
    $820
    [ATSF] share price
    $82
    [ATSF] trains
    —
  5. Operating round 1 Income and home station Phase 1

    Privates pay first: [P1] gets $5. The [ATSF] places its home station in Topeka for free.

    In phase 1 there's just one operating round between stock rounds.

    [P1] cash
    $100
    [ATSF] treasury
    $820
    [ATSF] share price
    $82
    [ATSF] trains
    —
  6. Operating round 1 Two yellows Phase 1

    It lays a yellow in Topeka and another in Kansas City, a riverside city: it pays $40 for terrain. Terrain is only paid on a hex's first tile.

    It can't place a station in Kansas City: it's the home of the Katy, which hasn't started yet, and there's only one slot.

    [P1] cash
    $100
    [ATSF] treasury
    $780
    [ATSF] share price
    $82
    [ATSF] trains
    —
  7. Operating round 1 No train, move left Phase 1

    It has no train yet: no revenue, which counts as withholding. The share price moves one column left, from $82 to $76.

    [P1] cash
    $100
    [ATSF] treasury
    $780
    [ATSF] share price
    $76
    [ATSF] trains
    —
  8. Operating round 1 Two 2-trains Phase 1

    It buys two 2-trains from the bank, $80 each. It has room for 4.

    A company with a route and no train must buy one; if it's short, the president makes up the difference.

    [P1] cash
    $100
    [ATSF] treasury
    $620
    [ATSF] share price
    $76
    [ATSF] trains
    2 + 2
  9. Stock round 2 Waiting Phase 1

    [P1] is short of cash and passes. Nobody sells [ATSF], so there's no need to protect the share price.

    If someone sold [ATSF], [P1] could buy those shares themselves at the same price and the share price wouldn't drop.

    [P1] cash
    $100
    [ATSF] treasury
    $620
    [ATSF] share price
    $76
    [ATSF] trains
    2 + 2
  10. Operating round 2 Heading west Phase 1

    [P1] collects $5 from the private. The [ATSF] lays a yellow on the town west of Topeka, on a flat hex.

    [P1] cash
    $105
    [ATSF] treasury
    $620
    [ATSF] share price
    $76
    [ATSF] trains
    2 + 2
  11. Operating round 2 The trains run Phase 1

    One 2-train runs Kansas City (20) – Topeka (20): $40. The other runs Topeka (20) – the town (10): $30. Total: $70.

    Two trains can count the same city, but not use the same stretch of track.

    [P1] cash
    $105
    [ATSF] treasury
    $620
    [ATSF] share price
    $76
    [ATSF] trains
    2 + 2
  12. Operating round 2 Paying out Phase 1

    It pays the full dividend: $7 per share. [P1] collects $35 for their 50%. The 4 shares in the initial offering earn for the company: $28. The share price moves one column right: back to $82.

    With a half dividend the company would keep $40 (half, rounded to tens), shareholders would get $3 per share and the share price wouldn't move.

    [P1] cash
    $140
    [ATSF] treasury
    $648
    [ATSF] share price
    $82
    [ATSF] trains
    2 + 2
  13. Towards stock round 3 What now? Phase 1

    When someone buys the first 3-train, green arrives with two operations per stock round. The 2-trains will rust with the first 4. The [ATSF]'s goal is to reach its destination, the Southwest, to make the connection run and place a free station there that doubles its value.

    [P1] cash
    $140
    [ATSF] treasury
    $648
    [ATSF] share price
    $82
    [ATSF] trains
    2 + 2

1870 — Summary

Capitalization type

  • Full capitalization: when it floats (60% of shares sold, except the Frisco which floats with only 20%), the company receives its entire capital in the treasury at once, the same as in 1830.

Floating percentage and per-player share limits

  • Floats once 60% of its shares are sold (same threshold for every corporation), except the Frisco (SLSF), which may operate with just 20% sold
  • No player may hold more than 60% of one corporation (default threshold, no exceptions)
  • Certificate limit per player (varies depending on whether the game uses the 9- or 10-corporation variant): 2 players — 28/24; 3 players — 20/17; 4 players — 16/14; 5 players — 13/11; 6 players — 11/9; 7 players — 9/7

Starting cash by player count

  • 2 players: $1,050 starting cash
  • 3 players: $700 starting cash
  • 4 players: $525 starting cash
  • 5 players: $420 starting cash
  • 6 players: $350 starting cash
  • 7 players: $300 starting cash
  • The bank always starts with $12,000, regardless of player count (1870 supports up to 7 players, one more than 1830)

End game triggers

  • A company goes bankrupt: immediate end
  • The bank runs out of money: the current full operating round set is finished before the game ends
  • With the "$400 Finish" optional rule: the game ends immediately the moment any corporation's stock hits $400 on the market grid, with no further operations played

Number of phases

  • 8 phases (1 through 8) under the standard rules, triggered by the purchase of the first 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10 and 12 train respectively
  • Each company's train limit and the number of operating rounds per stock round increase as the game progresses (up to 3 consecutive ORs from phase 4 onward)
  • With the "Diesels variant" optional rule the game is reduced to 6 phases (1 through 5 and D), with Diesels replacing the 8, 10 and 12 trains

Train list and prices

  • 2 train — $80 (7 available; rusts once the first 4-train is bought)
  • 3 train — $180 (6 available; rusts once the first 6-train is bought; buying it makes private companies buyable by corporations)
  • 4 train — $300 (5 available; rusts once the first 8-train is bought)
  • 5 train — $450 (4 available; rusts once the first 12-train is bought; buying it closes any privates still owned by players)
  • 6 train — $630 (3 available; never rusts; buying it removes private company tokens from the board)
  • 8 train — $800 (3 available)
  • 10 train — $950 (2 available)
  • 12 train — $1,100 (unlimited, the last available type)
  • With the "Diesels variant" optional rule, the 4-train rusts on the Diesel (D) instead of the 8-train, the 5-train never rusts, and the Diesel ($1,100, unlimited, available from phase 5) replaces the 8, 10 and 12 trains, allowing 4/5/6 trains to be exchanged for it at a $300 discount each

List of private companies

  • Great River Shipping Company (GRSC) — $20, revenue $5 — no special abilities
  • Mississippi River Bridge Company (MRBC) — $40, revenue $10 — until it is closed or sold, no company may bridge the Mississippi River; the purchasing corporation gets a $40 discount building on a hex along the river; only the Missouri Pacific or the St.Louis Southwestern may buy it during phase 1, for $20 to $40, and if they do so during their first OR they get an extra free tile lay at their home city
  • The Southern Cattle Company (SCC) — $50, revenue $10 — token placeable on any city west of the Mississippi, adding $10 to that city's value for the owning company only; placing it does not close the private
  • The Gulf Shipping Company (GSC) — $80, revenue $15 — two port tokens (open and closed) placeable at one of five Gulf cities; the open token adds $20 for the owner and $10 for everyone else; the closed token adds $20 for the owner only and closes the company when placed
  • St.Louis-San Francisco Railway (SLSF) — $140, revenue $0 — president's certificate of the SLSF corporation; the buyer sets the par price and can float it with just 20% sold; it cannot be sold to another corporation
  • Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad (MKT) — $160, revenue $20 — comes with a 10% share of the MKT corporation

List of corporations

  • Santa Fe (ATSF) — home at B9, floats at 60%, destination N1
  • Cotton (SSW) — home at H17, floats at 60%, destination J3
  • Southern Pacific (SP) — home at N1, floats at 60%, destination N17
  • Frisco (SLSF) — home at E12, floats with just 20% (tied to the SLSF private), destination M22; cannot be bought by another corporation
  • Missouri Pacific (MP) — home at C18, floats at 60%, destination J5
  • Katy (MKT) — home at B11, floats at 60%, destination N1
  • Illinois Central (IC) — home at K16, floats at 60%, destination A22
  • Gulf Mobile Ohio (GMO) — home at M20, floats at 60%, destination C18
  • Fort Worth (FW) — home at J3, floats at 60%, destination A2
  • Texas Pacific (TP) — home at J5, floats at 60%, destination N17

Game-specific mechanics

  • Destination bonuses: each corporation has an assigned destination hex; connecting it to its home city earns extra revenue, and some trains must include this home-to-destination route
  • Price protection: under certain circumstances in a stock round, a player can "protect" a corporation's share price so it doesn't drop (or drops less) when shares are sold
  • Share redemption: a corporation with enough treasury cash can buy back its own shares from the market (or from players, if none are available on the market), paying cash at the current market price
  • Reissue of treasury shares at a discount of up to 25% off the market price (capped at $200 with the "Maximum reissue $200" optional rule)
  • The certificate limit depends both on the number of players and on the number of corporations actually in play (10 or 9): for example, 28 certificates for 2 players with 10 corporations, or 24 with 9 corporations
  • No company may bridge the Mississippi River while the Mississippi River Bridge Company private is still active, unless bought by the Missouri Pacific or the St.Louis Southwestern
  • A wide range of optional rules: from "$400 Finish" (immediate game end once a stock hits $400) to a full Diesels variant, plus a "Bill Dixon's original rules" bundle that combines several of these variants at once

Emergency sell

Matches the 1830 baseline almost exactly — treasury, then the president's personal cash, then a forced sale of any shares the president holds. Two added safeguards: a corporation forced to buy can only do so from the bank, never a used train from another corporation's holdings, and a forced sale can never push any player's stake in a corporation past the game's normal per-player ownership cap.

Comparison with 1830

1. Same full capitalization, much larger scale
1870 uses the same full capitalization system as 1830 and shares the same bank size ($12,000), but does so on a huge map west of the Mississippi, designed so that nearly every company that manages to float can end up being profitable, instead of the more competitive, resource-constrained scenario of 1830.

2. Ten corporations and six privates, for up to 7 players
1870 has ten public companies (two more than 1830's eight) and six privates, with more room for parallel expansion without constantly clashing with rivals. It also supports up to 7 players, one more than 1830's maximum of 6.

3. Share price protection
A mechanic that doesn't exist in 1830: 1870 includes "price protection" rules that cushion a company's market value from dropping under certain circumstances, making stock management somewhat less harsh than in 1830.

4. Discounted reissue of treasury shares
When a company reissues its own treasury shares in 1870, it can do so at a discount of up to 25% off the current market price. In 1830, issuing new shares (when possible) is always done at market price, with no such built-in discount.

5. Destination bonuses for every corporation
1870 rewards companies that connect to their assigned destination city with a bonus unique to the game, a directed-expansion incentive that 1830 lacks (1830 has no destinations assigned to companies).

6. Privates with their own money-generating abilities
Beyond a fixed revenue stream as in 1830, some privates in 1870 (like the Southern Cattle Company or the Gulf Shipping Company) have special abilities to generate extra income for their owner under certain game circumstances, adding an extra layer of personal optimization on top of running companies.

7. Same stock market design lineage, with extra layers
Bill Dixon, 1870's sole designer, was also a co-designer of 1830 (together with Tresham and Lehmann) and of its stock market. 1870 inherits that same price grid but adds price protection, redemption and discounted reissue on top, making it one of the 18xx family's titles best known for the depth of its stock market game.

8. A much wider range of optional rules
1870 ships with an unusually large set of optional rules (Diesels variant, $400 finish, station marker wars, original tiles, reissue capped at $200, original market, and a full "Bill Dixon's original rules" bundle that combines several of these at once), a configuration flexibility that 1830 doesn't offer.

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