18Tokaido

18Tokaido — Summary

Capitalization type

• Full capitalization: on floating (60% sold, or 50% with the "Limited Express" variant), the corporation receives its entire capital (par price × 10) into the treasury at once.

Floating percentage and per-player share limits

• Floats once 60% of shares are sold (single threshold for every corporation); drops to 50% with the optional "Limited Express" variant
• No player may hold more than 60% (6 of 10 certificates) of a single corporation, no exceptions
• Certificate limit per player: 2 players — 24; 3 players — 16; 4 players — 12

Starting cash by player count

• 2 players: ¥820 starting cash
• 3 players: ¥550 starting cash
• 4 players: ¥480 starting cash

End game triggers

• No ending tied to the bank running out: the game doesn't use that trigger
• The trigger is the D train: the game ends 3 operating rounds after the first D train appears (bought or exported)
• A company goes bankrupt and can't complete payment for a mandatory train: immediate end

Number of phases

• 6 phases (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, D), triggered by the purchase of the first train of each type
• At the end of each set of operating rounds (up through the first D train), the oldest train type still available in the bank is exported (removed), even if nobody bought one

Train list and prices

• 2 train — ¥80 (7 units, or 8 with 4 players; rusts on the first 4-train)
• 3 train — ¥180 (5 units; rusts on the first 6-train)
• 4 train — ¥300 (4 units; rusts on the first D-train)
• 5 train — ¥500 (3 units); buying it closes the private companies
• 6 train — ¥630 (3 units, or 2 with the "Limited Express" variant)
• D train — ¥900 (20 units, ¥1,100 with the "Limited Express" variant); available from phase 6; triggers the end of the game when bought or exported

List of private companies

• Kyoto Railway Company (KRC) — ¥20, revenue ¥5 — blocks hex D8
• Sasago Railway Tunnel (SRT) — ¥40, revenue ¥10 — ¥20 discount when laying mountain tiles
• Fish Market (FM) — ¥60, revenue ¥10 — assigns a port (C13/E3/F10/G1/J10) that adds ¥10 to every route reaching it; never closes
• Stationmaster Tama (SMT) — ¥60, revenue ¥10 — grants an extra station token (¥40 cost) when bought by a corporation
• Sleeper Train (ST) — ¥80, revenue ¥15 — adds ¥10 for every city visited by one of the company's trains; never closes

List of corporations

• Yokohama-Shinbashi Line (YSL) — home at I9
• San'yo Railway Co. (SRC) — home at B12
• Kansai Railway Co. (KAN) — home at C11
• Aichi Railway Co. (ARC) — home at F8
• Nippon Railway Co. (NRC) — home at J8
• Shinano Railway Co. (SHI) — home at J2
• Nanao Railway Co. (NAN) — home at F4
• All float at 60% (50% with the "Limited Express" variant); in 2-3 player games, one is randomly removed at the start (unless the "No Discard" rule is used)

Game-specific mechanics

• Requires the components of another game (18 Los Angeles) to play; not a fully standalone title
• No initial private auction by default: privates are bought directly during the stock round, always at face value (an optional classic auction or snake draft variant exists)
• Trains export every set of operating rounds (up through the first D train), not just when a new one is bought
• Game end calibrated precisely around the D train, unrelated to the bank running dry
• Several optional variants: "Newbie" (extra tiles, no yellow market zone), "Limited Express" (one fewer 6-train, 50% float, 1882-style market) and alternate priority/discard rules

Comparison with 1830

1. Depends on another 18xx title's components
18Tokaido (All-Aboard Games) requires the components of another game (18 Los Angeles) to play, a concept that doesn't exist in 1830, which is fully standalone.

2. No initial private auction
In 1830, privates are auctioned off at the start of the game. In 18Tokaido, by default, there's no auction: players can buy a private directly during their stock round turn, as just another buy action, from the very first round; the price is always the printed face value.

3. Seven companies, one fewer with low player counts
The game includes seven railroad corporations; in 2-3 player games, one is randomly removed at the start. 1830 doesn't reduce the number of available companies based on player count in the same way.

4. Trains "export" instead of all rusting at once
After each set of operating rounds (up through the first D train), the oldest train type still available in the bank is removed ("exported"), even if no company bought a new one. In 1830, a train type is only removed once the next generation is bought.

5. No bank-driven ending
Unlike 1830, where the game can end once the bank runs dry, 18Tokaido doesn't use that mechanism: the ending depends only on D trains and possible bankruptcies.

6. Game end calibrated around the D train
The game ends 3 operating rounds after the first D train appears; if the D train gets exported before being bought, it ends right after the following set of operating rounds; if a company buys it, there's still one stock round and one final set of operating rounds. 1830 has no such specific schedule tied to a single train type.

7. Small box, built for quick games
With a reduced tile manifest and without the extra components of a full 18xx game, 18Tokaido is positioned as a lighter, faster experience than 1830.

8. Set on the Tokaido corridor, from Osaka and Kyoto to Tokyo
While 1830 takes place in the Northeastern USA, 18Tokaido moves the system to one of Japan's most iconic railway corridors.