18Scan (2005)

About this game

18xx meets Scandinavia -- Railroads on Skis Intro from the manual: "18Scan is an '18xx' game set in the Scandinavian peninsula of Northern Europe. It includes most of Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland. 18Scan is a small game, in the style of Mark Derrick’s 'one-state' games 18GA and 18AL, and is intended as a change from the more robust 18xx games often played." From the Designer Notes: "This is my second attempt at a 'small, short' 18xx game: the first, 18VA, has matured -- alas! -- into a solid, medium-length performer, but has become quite unsuited for a quick 'fill-in-the-cracks' session. I am hoping that 18Scan will not only prove to be a better short game, but will be sufficiently straightforward that it can also be used as an introduction to the 18xx system. In 18Scan, I hope to bring to the table a simple game, yet with some strategic options, and a forgiving game -- unlike, say, 1830: Railways & Robber Barons. At the same time, 18Scan has a number of subsystems (Minor Companies, a merger railroad, Destinations, various categories of trains) that provide a panoply of the wide variety within the 18xx gaming space."

Does it fit your group?

• Group size. Works with 2 to 4.
• Rules load. At 3.7/5 this is a heavy game — read the rulebook before people arrive.
• Age. The publisher suggests 12 and up. That rates the rules rather than the artwork, so judge the box yourself for younger players.