The Depot: Stuart Dagger's Combined Boards Variant for 1829

I must stress that there is not, as far as I know, an official set of rules for combining the two 1829 boards . Indeed, when the northern board was published back in 1982, Francis Tresham specifically advised against putting the two boards together, because he believed that the result would be too unwieldy. The first person that I heard of going against that advice was a British pbm GM called Richard Gooch who came up with a version which he then ran by post.

My version had two inspirations: one was being sent a copy of Richard's rules, and the other was a comment made by a friend soon after 1830 came out that it would be interesting to play 1829 with an 1830-style share price chart. This is the result. It is obviously not the only way to do things, but we have played it quite often over the years and it works. So, if nothing else, it should give you a starting point for a version of your own.

The Map

Take the obvious map got from putting the two boards together but remove two mountains in the North West of England:

1. The hex east of Preston (just to the north of Liverpool and Manchester) which is a mountain on the Southern board but not on the Northern one is NOT a mountain on the combined board.
2. The hex east of Barrow is NOT a mountain on the combined board, even though it is one on the Northern one. (Although this region of England is quite hilly, there is a flat coastal strip that the railway goes along and so the hills here are irrelevant in terms of the west coast line to Scotland.)

General Rules

1830 rules apply except where modified below. In particular, 1830 practice rather than 1829 governs tile promotions, the effect of garrisons and the use of small stations as termini. 1829-style survey parties are used but in a modified form.

Share Tokens and Prices

Company		      Tokens		 	Starting Share Price
LNWR			6	  			100
GWR			6				 90
NER			6				 90
MR			6				 82
LSWR			5				 76
NBR			5				 76
CR			5				 72
GNR			5				 71
LBSC			5				 67
L&YR			5				 67
GER			5				 64
GCR			5				 61
GSWR			4				 58
HR			4				 56
SECR			4				 56
FR			4 				 53

Share Launches

As soon as all the private railways are sold, the LNWR, GWR and NER are put on sale. Their launch is simutaneous, the only restriction being that in any company the first certificate sold must be the director's. After 3 operating rounds the MR is put on offer, provided that the three earlier companies have been floated. Otherwise it becomes available as soon as they have floated. After 5 operating rounds the LSWR and NBR are put on offer simultaneously. As with the MR (and as with all subsequent launches) this is again subject to all previous companies having been floated. After 7 operating rounds the CR and GNR become available. After 9 operating rounds the LBSCR, L&YR, GER and GCR become available. After 11 operating rounds the last four companies become available. These last four companies all have director's certificates equivalent to three ordinary shares. With the earlier companies the director's certificate is worth the usual two.

Recommendation: The company in the North of Scotland becomes more worthwhile if you dispense with the Highland Railway and replace it by the GNSR (Great North of Scotland Railway). (This was an actual company, older and more profitable than the Highland, and so no liberties are being taken with history!) To do this, keep the certificates, share price etc of the Highland but shift the home base from Inverness to Aberdeen.

Private Railways and Packets

Railways: S&M, A&F, C&HP, C&W, S&D, L&M

Packets: Hull, Barrow, Holyhead, Harwich, Stranraer, Dover, Aberdeen.

These all have the same price and pay the same dividends as in 1829. Where the companies have the same price they are offered simultaneously. A special rule governs the L&M: As soon as the L&YR floats, the L&M closes and its owner receives a free share in the L&YR. So, in effect, he or she receives the seventh share in the company. This does not affect the his or her buying rights in that share round. Private companies count towards a player's final valuation --- as in 1829.

Initial Capital

Unless there are eight players, divide 3780 equally between the players. If there are eight players, divide 3800.

Share Price Movement

As 1830 except:

1. A company which pays a dividend only goes up if the dividend paid per share is greater than 5% of the current share price. The markers of companies paying less than 5% stay stationary.
2. If a company's share price drops as a result of shares being sold, it rises again if the shares are rebought in the same opearting round. Losses due to sales in earlier rounds can not be undone in this way; nor can shares bought early in a share buying round be offset against ones sold later.

Survey Parties and Track Building

Survey parties are used as in 1829 but with the following modifications:

1. Track can only be built and existing track upgraded if some at least of the track on the tile laid is part of a legal route from one of the company's railheads.

2. Survey parties can only be used to block other companies if the hex where the blocking takes place is one on which the blocking company could, but for the presence of hostile survey parties, legally lay a tile.

3. A player may ``park'' his or her survey party on a home station and thus avoid the obligation to move it each time. To do this just move it there using legal survey party moves and then leave it there.The survey party may be activated again later. (This is not intended to be a source of tactics; it is just to save time in the later stages.)

Share Certificate Limits

4 players: 34
5 players: 27
6 players: 23
7 players: 20
8 players: 17
9 players: 15
10 players: 14

(Not that I am suggesting you try the game with 9 or 10. If you do, take along a book so that you have something to do while waiting for your turn.)

Tiles and Trains

Tiles: 3 of tile 1; 3 of tile 2; 3 of tile 3; 10 of tile 4; 6 of tile 5; 6 of tile 6; 6 of tile 7; 13 of tile 8; 16 of tile 9; 5 of tile 10; 5 of tile 12; 5 of tile 13; 5 of tile 14; 5 of tile 15; 2 of tile 16; 1 of tile 17; 1 of tile 18; 3 of tile 19; 3 of tile 20; 1 of tile 21; 1 of tile 22; 6 of tile 23; 6 of tile 24; 3 of tile 25; 3 of tile 26; 3 of tile 27; 2 of tile 28; 2 of tile 29; 2 of tile 30; 2 of tile 31; 1 of tile 32; 1 of tile 33; 2 of tile 34; 2 of tile 35; 2 of tile 36; 2 of tile 37; 10 of tile 38; 2 of tile 39; 2 of tile 40; 3 of tile 41; 3 of tile 42; 2 of tile 43; 2 of tile 44; 2 of tile 45; 2 of tile 46; 3 of tile 47; 1 of tile 48; 1 of tile 49; 3 of tile 50; 5 of tile 51; 3 of tile 60; 6 of tile 67.

Trains: 10 of type 2; 9 of type 3; 6 of type 4; 5 of type 5; 5 of type 3T; 3 of type 6; 3 of type 2+2, 6 of type 7.

(This assumes that you have got the small expansion kits with the extra trains. If you don't, make suitable increases to the numbers of the standard ones.)

Option: Type 5E trains, which pick the five best stops on a run of unlimited length for the same price as the 4+4E, can be also added to the train mix. If included, add two to the above mix and make them available as an alternative purchase in phase 4.

Duration of the Game

30 operating rounds, though this can be shaded down as far as 26 and still leave you with a satisfactory game. If you don't like playing a limited number of operating rounds, try playing with a bank one and a half times the size of that in standard 1829.

The yellow region is 35 to 49; the orange is 20 to 34; the brown is below 20.

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dmreed@bihs.net last updated 24 January 1996