1829 Mainline (2005)

About this game

This game is a departure from the usual style of 18xx game, which relies on no more luck than where you sit in the starting order. In 1829 Mainline, you are dealt a collection of share certificates from which you select your initial portfolio. Further shares become available during the stock rounds. Players may bring additional certificates out from their initial deal, buy shares from the pool, or take a certificate from the draw pile, buying the share certificate they draw or placing it on the discard pile. If you have enough money, you can buy your way down through the discard pile to get what you really want. Each player tends to operate one or more companies from the start of the game, but it is easier to lose control if someone else gets the right certificates from the draw or discard piles. With no phases as such, tiles may be promoted from yellow to green to russet and grey at any time, as long as the usual sequence is observed. With less control over the shares you gain, the challenge is more to do with making the best of what you have been dealt rather than trying to follow your grand design.

Does it fit your group?

• Group size. Works with 1 to 7. It has a designed solo mode.
• Rules load. At 4.0/5 this is a heavy game — read the rulebook before people arrive.
• Age. The publisher suggests 10 and up. That rates the rules rather than the artwork, so judge the box yourself for younger players.