The Depot: 1899: Chris Lawson's Gamekit

The game is an 1830 variant based on a map of Northern China/Korea. There are new rules that detail the Private Companies and other additions such as Mail Train Revenue. The game itself uses the same number of Companies, Privates, Trains, etc as 1830 but it plays very differently due to the Map and the rule additions.

The original idea came from Ingo Meyer and was published in an unknown (amateur?) German magazine / fanzine. Dirk Clemens (in Germany) then developed the game further and offered his version as a b/w photocopied gamekit. This required major assembly work and required use of most of the components from 1830. I have now produced a new version of the Gamekit that includes an A2 (16" x 24") Map along with a separate A3 (12" x 16") Stock Market, both are full colour photocopies (which compare equally with the commercially produced 18xx games). It still requires 1830 to play (for the full rule set) but everything else has been supplied in the Gamekit now.

I can offer two varieties, the Standard or Enhanced Gamekit.

Both come with:
Game box (A4 bookcase size box 2" high)
Rule Sheet that cover the changes over 1830 (in English)
Company Certificates, Shares and Tokens (on A4 coloured 160gm card)
Trains and Private Companies (on A4 160gm card)
Yellow, Green and Brown track tiles (on A4 coloured 160gm card)
Money $1,2,5,10,20,50,100,200,500 (on A4 coloured 80gm paper)
1/2" counters (used to mount the Station Markers)
14mm dia. sticky labels (for use on Tiles)
Ziploc bags (to hold Tiles, shares, money, etc)

As this is a gamekit, you will be required to cut out the components. It is possible to use 1830 components (Tiles, Trains and Money) and thus reduce the number of items to be cut down to 1/3rd.

The Standard gamekit has:
Full colour map (on 2 x A3 size 160gm card)
Full colour Stock Market (on A3 size 160gm card)

For the Standard gamekit, I have recently obtained the colour photocopies to be printed onto 160 gram card, this allows them to used as is. It is a cheaper alternate to the hand made mounted board (of the Enhanced Gamekit).

Costs (this INCLUDES postage and packing)

UK	£11
Europe (Air)	£12
Europe (Air)	£12
US (Air)	$22
US (Surface)	$18

For further details, please contact:

Chris Lawson
7 Cornfields
Yateley
Hampshire GU46 6YT
England

c.r.lawson@bra0108.wins.icl. co.uk

+44 1252 875515 (Home)
+44 1344 473250 (Work)

The Stationmaster's comments on Chris's work: The 1899 kit is, simply put, the best bargain in a home-brew game kit I have encountered. It is a quality product, from the mounted map and share price index to the sequentially-numbered money. In addition, you don't have to raid your copy of 1830 for parts (or have another copy)! What more could you ask!

Chris has provided some images that show what the kit looks like. Warning! Large (100k+) image files!

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dmreed@bihs.net last updated 9 August 1996