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The Old Prince 1871

Designer: Lucas Boyd

Prince Edward Island and the PEIR, a ghost network that turns into a company live at the table.

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The Old Prince 1871 Contents

How it works

Setup

The Mainline (floated, $920 at $92) and the Shortline ($86) are drawn at random
The [PEIR] starts with $200, the Royal Mail and 5 [PEIR] shares
[PEIR] shares and privates are dealt out to the players
Auction: each player offers their own lots; only the two players to their left can bid
$480 with 4 players, $580 with 3; the bank never runs out

Stock round ×1

Order: least cash to most cash
Sell (max. 30% of a company): down one space per sale
One action: buy, start a [PEIR] company or spin one off
Floats with 60% out of the bank
Sold out: up one space

Operating round ×1-3

Private income
Each company, highest share price first (the [PEIR] last):
1. Track: one free yellow + another for $20, or one upgrade
2. One station ($80)
3. Run trains
4. Pay out (right) or withhold (left)
5. Buy trains

↻ Repeats until the end

End

First diesel: the set finishes, then a last stock round and 3 final operations
A player goes bankrupt: the game ends immediately
Most cash, shares and privates wins; each [PEIR] share is worth $80

Components

Players

Cash, shares and privates
[PEIR] shares: can't be sold
Max 60% of a company

Companies

7 [PEIR] companies and 6 branch lines
Full capital: 10× the starting share price on floating
A company can spin off a branch line
Max 8 in play, in tiers

PEIR

Always operates last; has no share price
Can pay out, pay half or withhold
Each [PEIR] company that floats takes a station and a share from it

Privates

Mainline and Shortline concessions
Exchange shares, the Union Bank, the Hunslet
Close with the 4+

Bank

Unlimited
Hex trains (2H to 6H), "plus" trains, 7 and diesel

Where the money goes

Players Bank Auction lots and shares bought from the bank
Players Companies Shares bought from a company's treasury
Bank Companies Capital on floating and dividends on bank shares
Companies Players Dividends
Companies Bank Trains, second yellow, terrain and stations
Bank Players Private income and share sales

Phases

Start

2H · $80

1 [OR], 4 trains

1st 3H

3H · $100

1st 4H

4H · $120

2 ORs; the Hunslet can be bought

1st 5H

5H · $160

2Hs rust; the $80 par price is removed

1st 6H

6H · $180

3Hs rust

1st 2+

2+ · $220

4Hs rust; 3 trains

1st 3+

3+ · $240

5Hs rust; the $74 is removed

1st 4+

4+ · $200

3 ORs; 6Hs rust; privates close

1st 7

7 · $500

2+s rust; 2 trains; only the $58 par price

1st diesel

D · $600

3+s and 4+s rust; endgame

H trains count hexes, not stops: a 2H crosses 2 hex edges and scores everything it finds along the way.
Shares in the bank or the treasury earn dividends for the company.

A round, step by step

Illustrative example with the real rules (prototype rulebook), 4 players with $480. We follow [P1] and this game's Mainline, the [C], based in Charlottetown, through the first two stock and operating rounds.

Before starting The Mainline Phase 2H

When two [PEIR] shares are drawn at random, the first is the [C]: it'll be the Mainline. It has already floated, with $920 in the treasury, a $92 share price and its station in Charlottetown.

The second is the Shortline, at $86, which still needs to sell one more share to operate.

[P1] cash

$480

[C] treasury

$920

[C] share price

$92

[C] trains

—
Initial auction The Mainline concession Phase 2H

[P4] is the auctioneer and puts up the Mainline Concession (value $160). Only the two players to their left can bid. [P1] offers $165 and [P2] passes: [P1] takes it and, with it, the [C]'s president's certificate (20%).

If both pass, the next player must buy it at face value.

[P1] cash

$315

[C] treasury

$920

[C] share price

$92

[C] trains

—
Stock round 1 One more share Phase 2H

Order runs from least to most cash. When their turn comes, [P1] buys a [C] share from the bank at $92. The money goes to the bank.

A [PEIR] company can be started if its tier on the chart is open and the player holds the [PEIR] share that represents it.

[P1] cash

$223

[C] treasury

$920

[C] share price

$92

[C] trains

—
Operating round 1 Income Phase 2H

Privates pay first: the concession gives [P1] $20. It closes straight after, when the [C] operates for the first time.

In phase 2H there's only one operating round per set.

[P1] cash

$243

[C] treasury

$920

[C] share price

$92

[C] trains

—
Operating round 1 Two yellows Phase 2H

The [C] lays one free yellow and a second for $20, on hexes with no terrain.

If a tile is upgraded, no yellow can be laid that turn.

[P1] cash

$243

[C] treasury

$900

[C] share price

$92

[C] trains

—
Operating round 1 A station Phase 2H

It places a station in a connected city. All stations cost $80.

[P1] cash

$243

[C] treasury

$820

[C] share price

$92

[C] trains

—
Operating round 1 No train, move left Phase 2H

It has no trains: no revenue, and the share price moves one space left, from $92 to $88.

[P1] cash

$243

[C] treasury

$820

[C] share price

$88

[C] trains

—
Operating round 1 Two 2H trains Phase 2H

It buys two 2Hs at $80. A 2H can cross 2 hex edges, that is, cover 3 hexes.

At the end of the [OR] the [PEIR] operates; it doesn't have to own a train.

[P1] cash

$243

[C] treasury

$660

[C] share price

$88

[C] trains

2H + 2H
Stock round 2 Up to 40% Phase 2H

[P1] buys another [C] share, now at $88. They hold 40%.

Selling drops the share price one space per sale, not per share. You can't sell more than 30% of a company in one turn.

[P1] cash

$155

[C] treasury

$660

[C] share price

$88

[C] trains

2H + 2H
Operating round 2 The trains run Phase 2H

The [C] lays another free yellow. Each 2H makes a short run from Charlottetown (20) to a town (10): $30 each, $60 in total.

Two trains can't use the same stretch of track.

[P1] cash

$155

[C] treasury

$660

[C] share price

$88

[C] trains

2H + 2H
Operating round 2 Paying out Phase 2H

It pays $6 per share. [P1] collects $24. The 3 shares still in the bank earn for the company: $18. The share price moves right: back to $92.

The other [C] shares belong to the [UB] and to two privates that each carry one.

[P1] cash

$179

[C] treasury

$678

[C] share price

$92

[C] trains

2H + 2H
Towards stock round 3 What now? Phase 2H

When the first 4H is bought, green arrives with two operations per set; the 2Hs will rust with the first 5H. Once the [C] has two stations on the map, [P1] can spin it off to create a branch line with half the shares.

[P1] cash

$179

[C] treasury

$678

[C] share price

$92

[C] trains

2H + 2H

The Old Prince 1871 — Summary

Capitalization type

Full capitalization: when a company floats (60% sold), it receives all of its capital in its treasury at once. The Mainline is an exception: it starts already floated from the very beginning. "Branch" companies created via splitting switch to incremental capitalization the moment they're created.

The seven starting railways float once 60% of their shares are sold, except whichever one is randomly designated the "Mainline" (ML), which floats at 50%; the PEIR (formed later by merging the majors) starts already floated (0%)
No player may hold more than 60% of one corporation, except the PEIR, which has no limit (100%)
Certificate limit per player: 3 players — 20; 4 players — 16 (the game only supports 3- or 4-player games)

Starting cash by player count

3 players: $580 starting cash (cert limit: 20)
4 players: $480 starting cash (cert limit: 16)
The game only supports games of 3 or 4 players; the bank is unlimited in both cases

End game triggers

A player goes bankrupt: immediate end
The first Diesel (D) train is bought, triggering the game's final phase: one more full set of operating rounds is completed and the game ends

Number of phases

10 phases (2H, 3H, 4H, 5H, 6H, 2+, 3+, 4+, 7, D), each triggered by the purchase of the first train of the matching type
Starting in phase 4H, corporations may buy the Hunslet Steam Engine private
Available par prices close off progressively: $80 disappears in phase 5H, $74 in phase 3+, and $65 in phase 7, leaving only $58 available by the end of the game
Buying the first 4+ train closes every private company still owned by a player

Train list and prices

2H train — $80 (4 available; rusts once the first 5H train is bought); distance is measured in hex edges crossed, not in stops
3H train — $100 (3 available; rusts once the first 6H train is bought); same hex-edge counting
4H train — $120 (3 available; rusts once the first 2+ train is bought); same hex-edge counting
5H train — $160 (3 available; rusts once the first 3+ train is bought; buying it removes the $80 par price)
6H train — $180 (2 available; rusts once the first 4+ train is bought)
2+ train — $220 (4 available; rusts once the first 7 train is bought); counts only cities and offboards visited (up to 2); towns are passed through for free with no limit
3+ train — $240 (3 available; rusts once the first Diesel is bought; buying it removes the $74 par price); counts up to 3 cities/offboards
4+ train — $200 (2 available; buying it closes every remaining private); counts up to 4 cities/offboards; if it still hasn't operated by the time the Diesel arrives, it becomes obsolete instead of rusting
7 train — $500 (4 available, never rusts; buying it removes the $65 par price); standard stop-based counting
Diesel (D) train — $600 (unlimited, never rusts); standard stop-based counting

List of private companies

Merchants and Co. (MC) — $40, revenue $5 — exchangeable for a Shortline exchange share during the stock round
Vernon River Bridge Company (VR) — $40, revenue $5 — blocks hex N18 until exchanged; exchangeable for a Shortline exchange share
Ice Boat Shipping (IB) — $40, revenue $5 — only available in 4-player games; exchangeable for a market share of any already-floated corporation other than the Mainline or Shortline
Royal Agricultural Society (RA) — $110, revenue $10 — comes with a Mainline share
Railcar Ferry: the Prince Edward Island (RF) — $120, revenue $15 — comes with a Mainline share
Shipbuilding (SB) — $90, revenue $15 — exchangeable for a Shortline exchange share
Hunslet Steam Engine (HSE) — $110, revenue $20 — may be sold to a corporation for between $1 and $200; the owning corporation may close it to buy a train from the bank at any point during its operation
Mainline Concession (ML) — $160, revenue $20 — comes with the Mainline's (20%) president's certificate; closes once the Mainline operates; the Mainline may operate as soon as this private is sold
Schreiber and Burpee Construction (SBC) — $100, revenue $30 — comes with a free yellow straight tile; its owner is the only one allowed to use the special "9" tile
Short Line Concession (SL) — $160, revenue $30 — comes with the Shortline's (20%) president's certificate; closes once the Shortline operates
Union Bank (UB) — $120, revenue $0 — comes with one Mainline share and one share of the randomly-chosen "Random" corporation; never closes; its owner may buy one share per stock round on the bank's behalf
The King's Mail (KM) — $0, revenue $80 — always assigned to the PEIR, which starts with $200 in treasury thanks to this private; closes together with the other privates once the first 4+ train is bought
PEIR shares (P1 through P7, but only 5 appear each game) — $80 each — exchange for a market share of the matching numbered corporation once it floats; they go directly into the initial auction (the other 2 numbered corporations are randomly chosen as the Mainline and Shortline before the auction)

List of corporations

Souris (So) — home at T12
Alberton (A) — home at D6
Mount Stewart (MS) — home at M13
Murray River (MR) — home at Q21
Summerside (S) — home at F14
Georgetown (Gt) — home at R16
Charlottetown (C) — home at L16
Of these 7 numbered corporations, two are randomly chosen each game as the Mainline and Shortline (which start already active); the other 5 remain PEIR companies until someone buys the matching private and floats them
PEIR (Prince Edward Island Railway) — the "meta-company" holding the tokens and PEIR shares of corporations not yet floated; it has no fixed home and floats at 0%
"Branch" companies (Cornwall, Stratford, Morel, Belfast, Wellington and Hunter River) — up to 6 additional corporations with no fixed home, which only exist if created by splitting an already-floated company

Game-specific mechanics

Tranche system: companies open up in 4 successive tranches of 2, 1, 2 and 3 slots (8 companies total); a new tranche doesn't open until every company in the previous one has operated or sold out completely
The PEIR as a ghost network: while a numbered corporation hasn't floated, its station shows up on the map as a generic PEIR token; once it floats, the token is replaced by the new corporation's own and the matching PEIR share disappears, redistributing the percentage among the remaining PEIR shares
The Mainline is born already floated, with $920 in treasury and a fixed market price of 92 from the very start; the Shortline is born with a token on the map but unfloated, with a fixed price of 86 and its presidency up for auction
Split ("Branch") mechanic: the president of a floated company who owns at least 40% of it and has 2 stations on the map may split it into a new "Branch" corporation with incremental capitalization, dividing shares and assets between the two
Two train families coexist: "H" trains measure distance in hex edges crossed, while "+" trains count cities/offboards visited (towns are passed through for free with no limit)
Two tile lays per turn: one free yellow lay plus, optionally, a second one for $20
Strict sell restrictions: the president's certificate can't be sold directly (it only transfers when someone else surpasses your percentage), no more than 30% of the same company can be sold in a single stock round turn, and shares of a company that has never operated can never be sold
The Union Bank: a player-controlled entity that, once per stock round, may buy a share or found a company by combining the bank's money with the owner's own; its shares don't count toward the 60% ownership limit
Dynamic stock round turn order using two decks of numbered cards; after the initial auction, order is set by remaining cash (less cash goes first)

Emergency sell

Follows the same order as 1868 Wyoming — a mandatory issue of the corporation's own treasury shares comes first, before anyone's personal cash — but with a twist tied to 1871's unique split-ownership model: since a share can be jointly held between two players, it's whichever player is designated as "acting for" the corporation, not necessarily the nominal owner, who's on the hook for personal cash and shares. A corporation can dump its entire remaining treasury stake in one go during this step, bypassing the usual smallest-sufficient-bundle rule, though individual players stay capped at the game's normal 30%-per-sale limit even here. One exemption: the private-derived PEIR corporation is never forced to buy a train at all.

Comparison with 1830

1. Setting, scale, and design status
1871 takes place on Prince Edward Island (Canada), a much smaller, curving map than 1830's northeastern United States. It's also a small design still in alpha/prototype status — not an established classic — built for only 3 or 4 players (versus 1830's 2 to 6), with much tighter starting cash ($580/$480 versus 1830's $1,200/$800/$600/$480/$400), in keeping with a much smaller map.

2. Shared full capitalization, with one notable exception
Like 1830, 1871 uses full capitalization: when a company floats, it receives all of its capital in its treasury at once. The difference is that the Mainline breaks this rule: it starts already floated from the very beginning, with $920 in treasury and a station already on the map, never needing the usual 60% sold.

3. The PEIR: a meta-company with no equivalent in 1830
The PEIR is a ghost network of shares that never trade or sell; they represent the future right to found one of the numbered corporations on the map. Until founded, their stations occupy the map as generic markers. 1830 has nothing like it: every company there is founded (or not) independently, with no intermediate structure of this kind.

4. Companies founded in tranches, not freely
In 1830, any available company can be founded at any time. In 1871 the game's eight companies open up in four successive tranches (2, 1, 2 and 3 slots), and every company in the previous tranche must have operated or sold out before the next one opens, artificially pacing the growth in the number of companies.

5. The split ("Branch") mechanic, absent from 1830
In 1871, the president of a large enough company can split it into a brand new "Branch" company, dividing shares and assets between the two. It's a way to "clone" the growth of an established network that 1830 simply doesn't have.

6. The Union Bank, an extra partner 1830 doesn't have
In 1871 a player can control a Union Bank with its own treasury that buys shares or founds companies by mixing its own money with the bank's, without any of it counting toward the 60% ownership limit. In 1830, each player can only invest with their own money.

7. Unlimited bank and a different game end
In 1871 the bank is unlimited and the game ends with one extra cycle of operating rounds after the first Diesel train is bought (or if someone goes bankrupt). In 1830 the bank has a fixed size of $12,000 and the game ends when it runs out, making the ending far less predictable than in 1871.

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