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1830: Railways & Robber Barons

2-7 players 180-360 min 7.9 Board Game Geek Rating

1830 is a deterministic railroad investment game where players buy and sell railway company stocks on an eastern US map. Using hexagonal track-building and ruthless stock manipulation mechanics, players compete to accumulate the most personal wealth through strategic share trading and company operations. Victory goes to the richest player when bankruptcy occurs.

Published 1986

1830: Railways & Robber Barons

Get Ready

Setup the game with these step-by-step instructions before diving into your turn.

1
Place the game board in the center of the table with the 1830 Classic side face up
2
Place the bank (all $10, $20, $50, and $100 bills) and track tiles marked with ★'s next to the board
3
Stack the available 2-trains, 3-trains, 4-trains, and 5-trains next to the map board according to the Setup Chart
4
Place one station token on each railroad's home city (even if fewer players)
5
Shuffle charters for active railroads and give one to each player
6
Choose one player to be the banker
7
Give each player their starting money per the Setup Chart
8
Place one station token on each active railroad's charter in the $40 space

On Your Turn

What you can do during your turn.

1
Turn Order:
PRR, NYC, C&O, B&M, NNH, B&O (skip inactive railroads)
2
Turn Structure:
3
Lay/Upgrade Track:
4
Place Station:
5
Operate Trains:
6
Purchase Trains:
7
Phase Changes:

Winning

How to claim victory.

1
Game End Triggers:
2
When triggered, add unused $500 bills to bank and continue until the start of PRR's turn (ensuring equal turns for all players)
3
Winner:
The player whose railroad has the most cash
4
Trains and stations have no value when determining the winner

watch & Learn

Let the pros teach you with these top videos.

Strategy: Early Game and Private Buy Ins

Strategy: Early Game and Private Buy Ins

Instructional

Strategy: Initial Waterfall Auction

Strategy: Initial Waterfall Auction

Instructional

MORE VIDEOS

FULL rules

Looking for the full details? Grab the complete rulebook as a downloadable PDF.

PDF RULEBOOK

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