The Old Prince 1871

1. Setting and map
1830 covers the northeastern United States with a large map and many companies. 1871 takes place on Prince Edward Island (Canada), a much smaller, curving map with fewer hexes but high strategic density, since routes cross each other constantly.

2. The PEIR: the central "meta-company"
The PEIR (Prince Edward Island Railway) is the game's most distinctive element. It isn't a normal company: it is a ghost network made up of up to 7 potential sub-companies, each tied to a PEIR share. During setup, the 7 PEIR shares are shuffled and two are drawn at random to determine the Mainline and the Shortline. The remaining 5 go into the initial auction. This means starting power is different in every game.

PEIR shares never trade on the market and can never be sold. Their only function is to grant the right to found the associated company. Until founded, their stations appear on the map as generic PEIR markers, occupying spots that no one fully controls. If you don't found your PEIR company in time, a rival can block your routes once the map fills up.

When a PEIR company finally floats at 60%, the PEIR share automatically converts into a 10% share of the new company and is removed from the game. The PEIR stations on the map are replaced by the new company's own stations. It's a live, on-the-fly transformation.

3. The Mainline: the company that's born already running
The Mainline is the PEIR company randomly selected during setup as the main one. Unlike every other company in the game, it starts already floated from the very beginning, without needing 60% of its shares sold, with $920 in its treasury and a station already placed on the map. It operates starting from the first Operating Round.

The Mainline has a fixed market price of 92 (the maximum par value) and some of its shares are issued tied to private companies from the initial auction. Whoever wins certain privates may end up receiving Mainline shares as part of the deal. Controlling its presidency from the start is one of the game's major strategic goals.

The Shortline is similar but less privileged: it starts with a token at 86 but unfloated, and its presidency goes directly up for auction.

4. Tranche system
Instead of being able to start companies freely, 1871 uses a staged system: companies open up in successive tranches (tranche 1: 1 slot, tranche 2: 2 slots, tranche 3: 3 slots). A new tranche doesn't activate until all companies in the previous one have operated or been sold off. In 1830 you can float companies with no restriction of this kind. Maximum of 8 companies total in the game.

5. "Branch" companies via splitting
1871 has a split mechanic: the president of a floated company, if they own at least 4 shares of it and the company has 2 stations on the map, may split it into two. All players exchange half of their shares in the parent company for shares in the daughter company. The president then divides the assets (stations, trains, cash) between the two entities however they like, though the daughter always takes at least one station. The daughter receives from the bank its price multiplied by however many of its shares remain there. Nothing similar exists in 1830.

6. Two tile lays per turn
Companies may lay one yellow tile for free and, optionally, a second one for $20. In 1830 it's always a single tile per turn. This makes network development significantly faster.

7. Stricter sell restrictions
In 1871 you cannot sell the president's certificate directly (it only transfers when someone else surpasses your percentage). You also cannot sell more than 30% of the same company in a single stock round turn. And shares of a company that has never operated can never be sold. In 1830 sell restrictions exist but are less rigid.

8. The Union Bank as a player-controlled entity
1871 features a Union Bank with its own charter, controlled by a player. Once per stock round, its owner may buy a share or found a company on the bank's behalf: the bank puts up whatever money it can and the owner covers the rest. The Union Bank never sells shares, can't win presidency ties, and its shares don't count against the player's 60% ownership limit. It's like having a silent partner that amplifies your investing power. There's no equivalent figure in 1830.

9. Dynamic stock round turn order
1871 has two decks of numbered cards. Passing in the stock round gives you the lowest available card, and if you act again you lose your position. After the initial auction, the first turn order is set by remaining cash (less cash = goes first, which compensates whoever paid the most in the auction). In 1830 the order follows the standard priority deal card, which passes to the player to the left of the last buyer.

10. Game end and bank size
In 1871 the bank is unlimited and the game ends with one full cycle of Operating Rounds after the first Diesel train is bought, or if a player goes bankrupt. In 1830 the end is triggered when the bank runs out of money (it has a limited size), which gives a game ending that is much harder to predict and control.