18VA: The Railroads Come to Virginia (2001)

About this game

18VA is an 18xx game set in Virginia as well as pertinent neighboring areas of Maryland and the District of Columbia. 18VA 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. The major hook in this game is the coal trains, which run mainly West-East, taking coal from the mountains to the coast, while the passenger trains run the North-South routes. Also interesting is the fact that all railroads operate with just the President's share sold, and open with 5 shares and expand to 10 at the owner's discretion.

Does it fit your group?

• Group size. Works with 2 to 5.
• Rules load. At 4.3/5 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.