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Steam over Holland

Designer: Bart van Dijk

A Dutch 18xx designed to be lighter and more sociable than the classics, set in the Netherlands.

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Steam over Holland Contents

How it works

Setup
  • fl. 600 (2 players), fl. 400 (3), fl. 300 (4) or fl. 240 (5)
  • As many privates as players are dealt out and auctioned in number order
  • Whoever ends with the most cash takes the start card
  • The game lasts 15 rounds: 5 stock and 10 operating
Stock round ×1
  • Sell shares (down one space per share)
  • Start a company: as many shares as the phase number
  • …or buy one share from the treasury (pays the company) or the market (pays the bank)
  • Par price: fl. 65 to fl. 100
  • Max 60% of a company per player
Operating round ×2
  • Private income
  • Each company, highest share price first:
  • 1. Sell or redeem its own shares
  • 2. Buy privates (phases 3 and 4)
  • 3. Two yellows, or one upgrade and one yellow (river: fl. 50)
  • 4. One station (fl. 40, later fl. 100)
  • 5. Run trains
  • 6. Pay out or withhold
  • 7. Buy trains
↻ Repeats until the end
End
  • At the end of round 15 (operating round 5.2)
  • Or at the end of the operating round in which a company reaches fl. 360
  • Most cash plus shares wins; treasuries don't count

Components

Players
  • Cash
  • Shares: 20% president + 10% shares
  • Privates
Companies
  • [NBD], [HYSM], [NRS], [OSM], [AR], [NCS], [NSM]
  • Incremental capitalisation: unsold shares sit in the treasury
  • They sell and redeem their own shares
  • Treasury shares also earn dividends
Privates
  • 7, from fl. 20 to fl. 100; as many come out as there are players
  • Only a company can use the power
  • Close with phase 5
Bank and open market
  • Unlimited bank
  • At most 50% of a company in the market
  • New trains
Map
  • The Netherlands in 1839
  • Rivers: fl. 50 to cross
  • Small cities only add revenue, they don't count toward reach

Where the money goes

  • Players Companies Starting companies and buying treasury shares
  • Players Bank and open market Privates and open market shares
  • Bank and open market Players Dividends, private income, sales
  • Bank and open market Companies Withheld revenue, dividends on treasury shares, sale of its own shares
  • Companies Bank and open market Trains, rivers, stations and share buybacks
  • Companies Players Buying a private (fl. 1 up to its printed value)

Phases

2
Start
2 · fl. 100
Start with 2 shares; 4-train limit
3
1st 3-train
3 · fl. 200
Start with 3 shares; companies buy privates
4
1st 4-train
4 · fl. 300
2s rust; limit 3
5
1st 5-train
5 · fl. 400
3s rust; privates close; high off-board values; limit 2
6
1st 6 or 3E train
6 · fl. 500 or 3E
4s rust; the 3E only counts large cities but doubles them
  • Fixed length: it doesn't end with the bank or the trains, but at round 15.
  • A company raises money by selling treasury shares: the share price drops one space fewer than the number of shares sold.

A round, step by step

Illustrative example with the real rules and map, 3 players with fl. 400 each. We follow [P1] and the [NCS], starting from Utrecht, from the private auction to the end of the first set of operating rounds.

  1. Private auction The [SMAS] Phase 2

    Three privates have come out and are auctioned in number order. The first is the [SMAS] (fl. 20): [P1] opens at fl. 20 and nobody raises. The rivals take the others.

    The minimum bid is the printed value and each raise is at least fl. 5. If nobody bids on a private, it leaves the game.

    [P1] cash
    fl. 380
    [NCS] treasury
    —
    [NCS] share price
    —
    [NCS] trains
    —
  2. Stock round 1 Starting the [NCS] Phase 2

    [P1] has the start card and goes first. They start the [NCS] at fl. 80. In phase 2 you must buy 2 shares at once, which make up the president's certificate (20%): they pay fl. 160, which goes to the treasury.

    In phase 3 it would take 3 shares; in phase 6, 6.

    [P1] cash
    fl. 220
    [NCS] treasury
    fl. 160
    [NCS] share price
    fl. 80
    [NCS] trains
    —
  3. Stock round 1 Two more shares Phase 2

    Over two more turns, [P1] buys two 10% shares from the [NCS] treasury at fl. 80. The money goes to the company. They now hold 40%.

    [P1] cash
    fl. 60
    [NCS] treasury
    fl. 320
    [NCS] share price
    fl. 80
    [NCS] trains
    —
  4. Operating round 1.1 Income and first track Phase 2

    The [SMAS] pays [P1] fl. 5. The [NCS] operates for the first time: it places its station in Utrecht at no cost and its first tile must go on its city. It lays a large-city yellow (20) there and another towards Amsterdam, without crossing any river.

    Each track section crossing a thick blue line costs fl. 50.

    [P1] cash
    fl. 65
    [NCS] treasury
    fl. 320
    [NCS] share price
    fl. 80
    [NCS] trains
    —
  5. Operating round 1.1 The first time always drops Phase 2

    It has no trains yet: no revenue, and the share price drops one space, from fl. 80 to fl. 75. Per the rules, this always happens in a company's first operating round.

    [P1] cash
    fl. 65
    [NCS] treasury
    fl. 320
    [NCS] share price
    fl. 75
    [NCS] trains
    —
  6. Operating round 1.1 A 2-train Phase 2

    It buys a 2-train for fl. 100.

    In phase 2 a company can own up to 4 trains.

    [P1] cash
    fl. 65
    [NCS] treasury
    fl. 220
    [NCS] share price
    fl. 75
    [NCS] trains
    2
  7. Operating round 1.2 Reaching Amsterdam Phase 2

    Another fl. 5 from the [SMAS]. The [NCS] lays the yellow Amsterdam tile, the only one that can go there, and now reaches it. The 2-train runs from Utrecht (20) to Amsterdam (30): fl. 50.

    Trains count large cities and off-board connections; small cities add revenue but don't use up reach.

    [P1] cash
    fl. 70
    [NCS] treasury
    fl. 220
    [NCS] share price
    fl. 75
    [NCS] trains
    2
  8. Operating round 1.2 Paying out Phase 2

    The [NCS] pays out: fl. 5 per share. [P1] holds 4 and collects fl. 20. The 6 still in the treasury earn for the company: fl. 30. Since fl. 50 doesn't exceed the share price (fl. 75), it doesn't move.

    Above fl. 75 it would move up one space; above double, two. Withholding would make it drop.

    [P1] cash
    fl. 90
    [NCS] treasury
    fl. 250
    [NCS] share price
    fl. 75
    [NCS] trains
    2
  9. Operating round 1.2 A second train Phase 2

    It buys another 2-train for fl. 100. The rest have gone to the other companies; once they run out, the first 3-train will open phase 3.

    [P1] cash
    fl. 90
    [NCS] treasury
    fl. 150
    [NCS] share price
    fl. 75
    [NCS] trains
    2 + 2
  10. Towards stock round 2 What now? Phase 2

    [P1] can buy another [NCS] share at fl. 75. In the operating rounds, the [NCS] can sell treasury shares: selling 3 brings in fl. 225 and only drops it two spaces. In phase 3 it can buy the [SMAS] from [P1] to lay an extra tile for free.

    [P1] cash
    fl. 90
    [NCS] treasury
    fl. 150
    [NCS] share price
    fl. 75
    [NCS] trains
    2 + 2

Steam Over Holland — Summary

Capitalization type

  • Incremental capitalization: the treasury only receives the money actually paid for shares sold, not 100% of par value as in 1830.

Floating percentage and per-player share limits

  • Floats once 20% of shares are sold (single threshold for every corporation)
  • No player may hold more than 60% (6 of 10 certificates) of a single corporation, no exceptions
  • Certificate limit per player: 2 players — 18; 3 players — 16; 4 players — 14; 5 players — 12

Starting cash by player count

  • 2 players: fl. 600 starting cash
  • 3 players: fl. 400 starting cash
  • 4 players: fl. 300 starting cash
  • 5 players: fl. 240 starting cash
  • The bank has unlimited money; it's never the game-end trigger

End game triggers

  • Fixed length: the game always ends when operating round 10 (OR 5.2) finishes, no matter what's happening with trains or money
  • Alternate ending: if a company reaches the top cell of the market (fl. 360), the game ends right there too
  • Bankruptcy doesn't exist (BANKRUPTCY_ALLOWED = false), so it's never an end trigger

Number of phases

  • 5 phases (2, 3, 4, 5, 6), triggered by the purchase of the first train of each type
  • Every new train phase (3, 4, 5, 6) also raises the floating threshold for every company that hasn't floated yet

Train list and prices

  • 2 train — fl. 100 (5 units; rusts on the first 4-train)
  • 3 train — fl. 200 (4 units; rusts on the first 5-train); buying it raises the float threshold to 30%
  • 4 train — fl. 300 (3 units; rusts on the first 6-train); buying it raises the float threshold to 40%
  • 5 train — fl. 400 (3 units); buying it closes the privates and raises the float threshold to 50%
  • 6 train — fl. 500 (6 units; buying it raises the float threshold to 60%); a 3E variant is available for fl. 600 (distance 3, ×2 multiplier, ignores towns)

List of private companies

  • 1. Spoorweg Maatschappij Almelo - Salzbergen (SMAS) — fl. 20, revenue fl. 5 — one free extra tile; closes after use
  • 2. Koninklijk Korps van Ingenieurs (KKI) — fl. 40, revenue fl. 10 — pays the cost of crossing a river once; closes after use
  • 3. Veerdienst Enkhuizen - Stavoren (VES) — fl. 75, revenue fl. 15 — recurring fl. 20 bonus for using the old Zuiderzee ferry (hex D9)
  • 4. Veerdienst Vlissingen - Londen (VVL) — fl. 75, revenue fl. 15 — recurring fl. 20 bonus every time a route starts or ends at Vlissingen (hex J1)
  • 5. Rijks Waterstaat (RW) — fl. 80, revenue fl. 20 — lets its owner lay a free station token; closes after use
  • 6. Werkspoor (W) — fl. 100, revenue fl. 20 — 10% discount on type 3, 4 and 5 trains bought from the bank
  • 7. Koninklijke Ondersteuning (KO) — fl. 100, revenue fl. 10 — comes with a share of the NRS
  • There are 7 privates in total, but only as many are used as there are players (drawn at random at the start)

List of corporations

  • Noord Brabantsch Duitsche Spoorweg Maatschappij (NBD) — home at K12
  • Hollandsche IJzeren Spoorweg Maatschappij (HYSM) — home at F9
  • Nederlandsche Rhijnspoorweg (NRS) — home at F9 (a different city from HYSM)
  • Overijsselsche Spoorweg Maatschappij (OSM) — home at E14
  • Société Anonyme des Chemins de Fer d'Anvers à Rotterdam (AR) — home at J7
  • Nederlandsche Centraal Spoorweg Maatschappij (NCS) — home at H9
  • Nijmeegsche Spoorweg Maatschappij (NSM) — home at I12
  • All float at an initial 20% (a threshold that rises up to 60% as train phases advance)

Game-specific mechanics

  • Crossing a water edge costs a flat fl. 50 toll, a constant expense with no direct equivalent in 1830
  • Two tile lays per company per turn: an initial lay-or-upgrade, plus a second additional one that can't reuse the same hex as the first
  • Bankruptcy disabled: if a company can't pay for a mandatory train, it must issue new shares to the market before it can ever run out of cash
  • Protected upper market zones: the price only drops normally if the seller is the president; some cells limit the drop to 0, 1 or 2 spaces when another shareholder sells
  • A middle rung on dividends: paying below the current share price doesn't move the price; matching or exceeding it moves it up one space, and doubling it or more jumps it up two spaces at once

Emergency sell

Unlike 1830, the corporation must issue its own treasury shares to the market first — before the president's personal cash or personal shares are even available as options. Only once it has nothing left to issue does the standard president-cash-then-forced-sale sequence kick in, with no more than one bundle of a given corporation's shares sold per emergency episode. One more departure: a trainless corporation with nothing left to issue, whose combined corporate and owner cash still can't reach even the cheapest train, isn't forced into personal bankruptcy the way 1830 works — it's simply closed instead.

Comparison with 1830

1. Setting, map and number of players
1830 covers the northeastern USA for 2-6 players. Steam Over Holland moves the action to the Netherlands for 2-5 players, with a map full of dikes, canals and polders: crossing many water edges costs a flat fl. 50 toll, a constant expense that doesn't exist the same way in 1830.

2. A fixed-length game: exactly 10 operating rounds
In 1830 the game runs until the bank runs dry or the last available train is bought. In Steam Over Holland the length is fixed from the start: 5 cycles of one stock round plus 2 operating rounds each (10 operating rounds total), and the game always ends when operating round 5.2 finishes, no matter what's happening with trains or money.

3. A second end trigger: hitting the top of the market
Besides the fixed-round ending, if a company's stock reaches the very top of the market (fl. 360) the game ends right there too. The bank, meanwhile, has unlimited money: it's never the bank that ends the game, unlike in 1830.

4. Bankruptcy doesn't exist
In 1830 a company (and, ultimately, a player) can go bankrupt. In Steam Over Holland bankruptcy is disabled entirely: before a company can run out of cash for a mandatory train, it must issue new shares to the market to raise funds. This safety valve means no one can ever actually go bankrupt.

5. Seven privates, but only as many are used as there are players
In 1830 there are always six privates in play. Steam Over Holland has seven in total, but at the start of the game only as many as there are players are drawn at random (in a 2-player game, for instance, only 2 of the 7 will be in play).

6. The floating threshold rises with every train phase
In 1830 every company always floats at 60% sold. In Steam Over Holland that threshold starts at 20% in phase 2 and climbs to 30%, 40%, 50%, and 60% each time the first train of a new type is bought — applying to every company that hasn't floated yet. On top of that, capitalization is incremental: the treasury only receives the money actually paid for shares sold, not 100% of par value as in 1830.

7. Two tile lays per turn, not one
In 1830 each company usually gets a single tile action per operating round. In Steam Over Holland, by contrast, each company gets two: an initial lay-or-upgrade, plus a second additional one (which can't reuse the same hex as the first).

8. A stock market that protects the price unless the president sells
In 1830 any share sale drops the price one space, no exceptions. In Steam Over Holland, some cells in the upper part of the market mean the price doesn't drop at all (or drops by at most one or two spaces) when the seller is a shareholder who isn't the president — the price only falls normally when the president themselves is the one selling.

9. Privates with recurring bonuses tied to historic ferries
None of 1830's six privates gives a permanent discount on train purchases or a recurring route bonus. In Steam Over Holland, Werkspoor gives its owner a 10% discount on type 3, 4 and 5 trains bought from the bank, and the two historic ferries — Enkhuizen-Stavoren (across the old Zuiderzee) and Vlissingen-London — add fl. 20 every time a route uses their specific hex, round after round.

A term you do not recognise? They are all explained in the 18xx glossary. Glossary →