18Rhl: Rhineland (2007)

About this game

18Rhl-Rhineland is an 18xx railway game for 3 to 6 players. The concept is based on 1829 by Francis Tresham. The special features of 18Rhl-Rhineland are the bonus routes between steel mills and coal mines, the crossing of the river Rhine and the Rhinegold-Express. The latter achieves a very high income if it travels all the way from the Netherlands to Frankfurt or Basel. 18Rhl-Rhineland is a revision of 1838: Rheinland. Players buy companies and stock in railroads in a effort to make more money than the other players. The winner of the game is the player with the highest net worth at game end. A small expansion, sold with the copies sold at Essen one year, consisted of a special gray tile for Essen, containing both the city and $20 Krupps factory spot on one of the 6 legs which can be half of a Montan bonus run.

Does it fit your group?

• Group size. Works with 3 to 6.
• Rules load. At 3.6/5 this is a heavy game — read the rulebook before people arrive.
• Age. The publisher suggests 14 and up. That rates the rules rather than the artwork, so judge the box yourself for younger players.