18MS: The Railroads Come to Mississippi
18MS: The Railroads Come to Mississippi Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- 1. Game Components
- 2. Introduction
- 3. Setting Up the Game
- 4. Overview
- 5. The Map
- 6. The Stock Market
- 7. Corporate Entities
- 8. Game Phases
- 9. Private Company Draft
- 10. Stock Rounds
- 11. Operating Rounds
- 12. End of Game
- 13. Variants
- 14. Appendices
- 15. Acknowledgments/Credits
- 16. Private Company Table
- 17. Index
- 18. Tile Manifest
1. Game Components
- 1 map board with stock market, revenue track, and open market
- 45 major company share certificate cards
- 20 train cards
- 4 player order cards, #1 marked priority deal
- 5 private company cards
- 5 major company charters
- 93 tiles
- 31 company tokens. Six for each company (seven for GM&O): one share price marker for the stock chart, one for the revenue chart, one for par value, and three station markers (four for GM&O).
- 1 round marker
- These rules
- A $6,000 bank must be provided by the players
2. Introduction
18MS is a railroad and stock market manipulation game based on the 18xx game system created by Francis Tresham. Each player takes the part of an investor with the objective to have the most money and stock value at the end. It is intended for 2-4 players and takes about 2.5 hours to play.
Rules that vary from most 18xx games are shown like this to make it easy for veteran players to see the rule differences.
The first major use of each key word is shown in bold.
3. Setting Up the Game
Set up the following components:
- Lay out the board, which includes the stock market, Round of Play chart, initial offering, and the par values chart.
- Place the stock certificates on the board in the marked spaces with the president's certificate on top of each pile.
- Lay out the tiles sorted by color and type.
- Set the company charters and tokens nearby.
- Place the train cards nearby in a stack with the 5D-train on the bottom, the 2D/4D trains on top of it, followed by each of the other trains in 6/5/4+/3+/2+ order, with the 2+ trains on top.
- The players must provide a bank of $6,000. The game end is not determined by the bank size so the exact amount isn't important.
Determine randomly using the provided number cards (or by agreement) where each player will sit, and determine randomly who gets the priority deal card. Discard the other numbered cards from the game.
Each player begins with the sum of money listed below.
| Number of players | 2 | 3 | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting cash | $900 | $625 | $525 |
The rest of the money is set aside as the bank.
The game then begins with the private company draft. See section 9 for details.
4. Overview
The game is played in two types of rounds: stock rounds and operating rounds.
In a stock round (SR), players buy and sell stock in companies. The players take turns in order, clockwise around the table, and each player usually gets multiple turns. The round ends when all players consecutively pass. The turns of players during a stock round are called stock turns.
In an operating round (OR), companies operate. Each company gets one turn. The turns of companies during an operating round are called operating turns.
The Round of Play track indicates the order of these rounds. This is different from many other 18xx type games. Players use a token and move it along this track as the game progresses.
The bank is an abstract entity which is said to own all money and property that does not belong to any player or major company. This includes unowned stock certificates and trains, as well as all tiles which are not currently on the board and all tokens of major companies that have not yet floated.
The bank contains two separate areas for displaying stock certificates, called the initial offering and the open market. The initial offering contains only "new" stock certificates, meaning those which have never been owned by a player. The open market contains any previously-owned stock certificates.
The private company certificates also belong to the bank at the beginning of the game, but once purchased by players, they cannot be sold back to the bank, so they can never be in the open market.
5. The Map
The game map generally represents portions of Mississippi and Alabama. The hex grid overlaying the map is used for laying track tiles. Cities are represented by large circles and towns by small circles. Cities have one or more stations. At the start of the game, all of the cities have one station, except for Jackson, which has two. Stations with company logos in them are the home stations of the indicated company. There are also several red off-board areas along the edges of the map.
6. The Stock Market
Each major company has two values for its stock, which are called the market value and the par value. Each of these is a value per 10% share.
The stock market is a grid that shows the current market value of all the major companies that have floated. The position of the company's market value token on the stock market indicates the market value. If multiple market value tokens are in the same space, they are placed in a stack.
The par value is indicated by the company's par value token on the par value chart. A company's par value is determined when its president's certificate is purchased, as described in section 10.3.
A major company's market value begins equal to its par value, but unlike the par value, the market value will change throughout the game. The market value determines the price per share of all stock purchases from, and sales to, the open market. The par value determines the price per share of all stock purchases from the initial public offering.
Descending market value order is the order of companies' market value tokens from highest to lowest and from right to left. In the case of a tie, the company whose token is furthest right takes precedence. If multiple tokens are stacked in the same space, the order is from top-to-bottom.
The leftmost area of the stock market is colored yellow. If a company's market value token is in this area, the company's share certificates do not count against the certificate limit (section 10.4).
The red outlined spaces are the values at which major companies may start, and correspond to the possible par values.
7. Corporate Entities
The game has two types of companies in which players can invest: private companies and major companies.
7.1 Private Companies
A private company is represented in the game by a single certificate. Private companies have a face value which is printed on their certificate, and determines how much they may be purchased for (by players).
When a private company operates, the bank simply pays a fixed dividend to its owner (the amount indicated on the certificate). A private company can be owned either by a player or by a major company. Private companies are not shown on the game map.
The private companies also have special abilities that can be used if a major company owns the private company. These abilities can only be used during the major company's operating turn. See section 16 for details.
7.2 Major Companies
A major company is represented by nine certificates representing stock in the company (one 20% president's certificate worth two shares, and eight 10% certificates worth one share each). Each certificate may be owned by a player or the bank. No company of any kind can own stock in a major company.
The player with the greatest number of shares (percentage of ownership) in the major company is its president. The president holds the president's certificate and controls all aspects of its operation. In addition, the percentage each player owns determines how much of the dividends they receive when the company pays dividends.
Note the distinction between a certificate and a share. One "share" is defined as 10% of the ownership of a major company; thus each stock certificate represents either one or two shares. Shares determine the presidency and the allocation of dividends. However, players can only buy and sell certificates, not shares (even though the price paid or received is based on the number of shares those certificates represent), and the limit on each player's total holdings is counted in certificates. It may be useful to think of certificates in terms of pieces of paper, regardless of the number of shares they represent.
A major company has its own possessions (money, trains, tokens, and private companies), which are kept on a large card called a "charter."
A major company's assets must be kept separate from those of any player, including its president. The president cannot move assets between their own hand and the company's charter, or between different companies they control, except for transactions specifically permitted by the rules.
A major company floats when 60% of its shares have been purchased by players. Floated companies act during operating rounds. A company that has not floated does not act during operating rounds.
During its operating turn, a major company may build or upgrade track tiles, place station tokens, operate trains, pay out (or withhold) the resulting revenue, purchase trains (from the bank or from other companies), and purchase private companies from players. Most of these actions are optional, and some may be forbidden or limited, depending on the current phase of the game. See section 11 for details.
8. Game Phases
The game is divided into phases. When the game begins, it is Phase 2. Phase changes may modify some of the rules of play.
Train obsolescence depends only on the progress on the rounds of play and not the purchase of trains as in most 18xx games. For example, if a 4+ train has been bought prior to the end of OR 4, any existing 2+ trains continue to operate (and count against the train limit) until the end of OR 4 as directed on the Round of Play chart. Likewise, some private companies can be bought by major companies as early as OR 1 as indicated on the Round of Play chart regardless of whether any 3+ trains have been bought yet. Brown and gray tiles are available after certain trains have been bought and are independent of the OR of the game.
The game starts in Phase 2.
During Phase 2:
- Only yellow track is available.
- Red off-board areas count the yellow value until Phase 6.
- Major companies may purchase private companies P1 and P2 (only) from players for exactly face value.
Phase 3 starts at the beginning of OR 2, even if a 3+ train was bought before that.
During Phase 3:
- Yellow and green track is available.
- Major companies may buy private companies from players for 0.5 to 1.5 times face value.
Phase 6 starts on the purchase of the first 6-train.
During Phase 6:
- Private companies and the New Orleans bonus are removed from the game when Phase 6 begins.
- Yellow, green, and brown track is available.
- Red off-board areas count the brown value until the end of the game.
- The remaining 6, 2D/4D and 5D trains are all available for purchase.
Phase D starts on the purchase of the first 2D/4D or 5D-train.
During Phase D:
- The Phase 6 rules are in effect and the gray BHM/MGM tile also becomes available.
9. Private Company Draft
In the private company draft, each player purchases one private company as described below.
Beginning with the player to the right of the priority deal holder (first player) and proceeding counter-clockwise, each player chooses one private company to purchase and pays the face value to the bank. Players may not pass and each player must purchase exactly one private company.
The last player to purchase a private company receives the priority deal card and all private companies that were not purchased are removed from the game. The player holding the priority deal card begins the first stock round of the game.
Private companies are described in section 16.
10. Stock Rounds
In each stock round, the player who holds the priority deal card has the first turn, and play proceeds clockwise around the table.
10.1 Regular Stock Turn
On their stock turn, a player may do either or both of the following:
- Buy one stock certificate
- Sell stock
A player may do either or both of these things in either order. However, they may not sell one or more certificates, buy a certificate, and then sell one or more certificates on the same turn. That is, a purchase (if any) must either precede all sales, or follow all sales, made on the same turn.
Alternatively, a player may do nothing and pass on their turn. A player who does so will get another turn so long as other players continue buying and/or selling.
The stock round continues until all players have passed consecutively.
10.2 Selling Stock
A player may sell any stock certificate(s) of major companies to the bank for their current market value (per 10% share), placing the certificate(s) in the open market. The bank pays the selling player the market value for each share sold. The following restrictions apply:
- No one may sell any certificates to the bank during the first stock round of the game.
- No sale may be made which will cause more than 50% of the shares of any one major company to be in the open market.
A major company does not have to have floated or operated for its stock to be sold.
The president's certificate may only be sold if another player owns at least 20% of the company. All selling restrictions apply. However, president's certificates may never be in the open market. To enact this sale, the president first exchanges the president's certificate for two of the other player's normal 10% certificates. If more than one player holds 20% or more, the exchange is made with the player with the greatest holding. In the case of a tie, the exchange is made with the player who is next in turn order. The selling player then sells the regular certificates.
It is also allowed to sell half of a president's certificate and keep half as long as another player owns at least two shares. To do so, follow the procedure as above but only place one certificate in the open market.
Selling the president's certificate causes a change in presidency, as described in section 10.6.
After selling, move the major company's market value token downward one space for each 10% share of its stock that was sold. If a player sells more than one certificate, they may sell them all at once and then move the token. If this would cause the token to go off the bottom of the stock market, it stops at the bottom row and does not move further. If the token moves into a space that already contains one or more tokens, place it underneath them all.
A player holding certificates in excess of the certificate limit must sell on their stock turn. See section 10.4 for details.
10.3 Buying Stock
On their turn, a player may buy one certificate. The certificate may be from the initial offering or from the open market. If the certificate is purchased from the initial offering, the player pays the company's par value to the bank. If the certificate is from the open market, the player pays the company's market value to the bank.
The first share of a company bought from the initial offering must be the 20% president's certificate. In this case, the player must set the par value of the major company to one of these values: $70, $75, $80, or $90. One of the company's tokens is then placed in the box showing that value in the "par values" chart. Another token is placed in the outlined space with the same value on the stock chart, thus setting the major company's market value equal to its par value. If there are already market value tokens in the chosen space, place the new token at the bottom of the stack. The purchasing player now pays twice the par value to the bank (because the president's certificate is worth two shares). Once the president's certificate has been bought, the remaining 10% certificates of the company are available.
Once 60% of a major company's stock has been purchased (i.e. is in player hands or in the open market), the company floats and begins operating in the next operating round. Company flotation is covered in section 10.5.
All purchases are subject to the limits given in section 10.4. In addition, a player may not purchase any stock of a major company if they have sold any stock of that company earlier in the same stock round.
10.4 Ownership and Certificate Limits
There are two upper limits on a player's stock ownership.
No player may own more than 70% of the stock of any one major company. No player may ever make a purchase that causes them to exceed this limit.
In addition, the total number of certificates a player owns must not exceed the certificate limit shown below. This limit includes both private company certificates and the stock certificates of major companies. The 20% president's certificate of a major company counts as only one certificate. Stock certificates of companies whose market value token are in the yellow section of the stock chart do not count against this limit. Private company certificates owned by a major company also do not count.
| Number of players | 2 | 3 | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate limit | 20 | 14 | 10 |
No player already holding the maximum number of certificates may purchase another certificate unless it is stock of a company whose market value is in the yellow section of the stock chart, even if the purchase would cause a change of presidency (section 10.6) that would result in the player's holding no longer exceeding the limit.
A player may exceed this limit because another player has made a purchase that caused them to lose a presidency (thus exchanging certificates as described in 10.6), or because a company's stock market value has risen out of the yellow section. In either case, the player keeps the excess until their next stock turn, but on that turn, they must sell enough certificates to comply with the limit once more. A player may use these sales to cause a company's market token to drop into the yellow zone, thereby bringing themselves back under the certificate limit.
10.5 Floating a Major Company
A major company "floats" immediately when 60% of its shares are no longer in the initial offering (that is, when the amount in the initial offering is reduced to 40%). When a major company floats, perform these steps.
- The bank gives the president the company's charter.
- The bank gives the company its tokens that will be used as station tokens. There are circles on the charter showing how many station tokens the company should have.
- The bank pays the company an initial treasury equal to ten times its par value.
10.6 Change of Presidency
Whenever a purchase or sale of stock causes another player to hold a greater percentage of a major company's shares than the president, a change of presidency occurs. A change of presidency does not occur merely because another player holds the same percentage as the president, nor because the open market contains a percentage equal to or greater than the president's.
The player who holds the greatest percentage of the major company's shares is the new president. If there is a tie (which can only happen if a sale caused the change of presidency), the first tied player clockwise from the outgoing president is the new president.
When a change of presidency occurs, the new president takes two 10% certificates of the major company from their own holding and exchanges them for the president's certificate, wherever it is. The major company's charter and belongings are moved in front of its new president.
10.7 End of Stock Round
The stock round continues until all players consecutively pass (take no action on their turns). This ends the stock round, and the priority deal card goes to the player following the last player who took an action on their turn. If no one did anything but pass during the stock round, the priority deal card stays where it was at the beginning of the round.
At the end of the round, if 100% of the stock of any major company is owned by players, move that company's market value token upward one space. If this would cause the token to go off the top of the stock chart, the token does not move. If the token moves into a space that already contains one or more tokens, it goes to the bottom of the stock. If more than one corporation has 100% of its stock owned by players, perform this move for each such company in descending market value order.
If any player has outstanding debt, a further 50% interest charge is added to the debt. See section 11.8.4 for details.
11. Operating Rounds
In an operating round, each private and floated major company operates once.
First, all private companies operate. These can be done simultaneously.
Then, all floated major companies take their operating turns in descending market value order.
11.1 Routes
Many major company activities revolve around routes. A route of a company is a continuous, unbranched length of track, including at least one city or off-board area with a station token on it belonging to the company.
A route may pass through a city only if it has one or more unoccupied circles, or if the company has a station token in the city.
A city is considered "blocked" if all of the stations in that city are occupied by station tokens of companies other than the operating company. The route cannot pass through a blocked city. However, the beginning or end of the route (or both) may be a blocked city.
A route may not backtrack at a fork, and may only follow one side of the fork.
A route may not run through red off-board areas, except for Memphis.
A route may not use any segment of track more than once.
When the route enters a town or city, it may exit on any piece of track connected to that city (except the one from which it came), provided that the city is not blocked by station tokens.
11.2 Operating a Private Company
When a private company operates, the bank simply pays its fixed revenue (stated on its certificate) to the player or major company that owns the private company.
A private company's special abilities cannot be used during its own turn. They can only be used during the turn of a major company which owns the private company.
Private company abilities are described in section 16.
11.3 Operating a Major Company
A major company can do the following on its turn. Unless otherwise stated, each step is optional, but must be done in the order listed. Some actions may be performed at any time; these are noted below. All operations are carried out by the company's president, and unless otherwise stated, all decisions are their own.
- If this is the major company's first operating turn of the game, place a station token in its home city or off-board location, as indicated by the company logo. (Required)
- Lay or upgrade one track tile, as described in 11.4. On its first operating turn only, a major company may lay an extra yellow tile before or after its normal tile lay. (Optional)
- Place a station token, as described in 11.5. (Optional)
- Run trains, as described in 11.6. (This step is required if any player who owns stock in the major company insists)
- Pay out dividends or withhold revenue, as described in 11.7. (Required if trains were run)
- Purchase trains, as described in 11.8. (Required if the company does not own a train)
In addition, the following actions may be performed at any time during the major company's turn:
- Purchase a private company directly from the president of the operating major company. The price paid must be between 0.5 and 1.5 times the private company's face value starting in Phase 3 (which begins at the beginning of OR 2). Additionally, private companies P1 and P2 can be purchased in OR 1 for exactly face value if desired. The amount paid must be stated, and once sold into a major company, that private company cannot be sold again.
- Use any special abilities of private companies which the major company owns. The table in section 16 describes each of these abilities and spells out exactly when it can be used (which is not necessarily at the end of the major company's turn).
11.4 Laying and Upgrading Track Tiles
Major companies may build track by laying a yellow tile in one of the printed hexes on the map, or by upgrading an already-placed tile.
At the beginning of the game, only yellow tiles are available for building. Green, brown, and gray tiles become available in later phases, as listed in section 8.
All tiles which are not on the map are available for anyone to use for building. Tiles cannot be owned by any player or company.
11.4.1 Requirements and Restrictions
Each tile placed must either extend a route of a major company, or include a city already on the route of a major company ("semi-restrictive" tile laying).
Exception: on a company's first operating turn, if there is no tile in their home city hex, the company may lay a yellow tile there.
No tile may be laid on a red or gray area, or off the hex grid.
No tile may be placed such that track runs into a blank side of a red area, or off the hex grid. A company may connect track to the arrows in the red off-board areas.
The supplied quantity of each tile is a hard limitation. If the supply runs out of a given tile, it is unavailable until it is returned to the supply when it is upgraded.
No tiles may be placed in Jackson, Mississippi (hex E1).
11.4.2 Laying Yellow Tiles
Yellow tiles may only be laid in pale green hexes on the map.
A major company may normally only lay one yellow tile per operating turn. On its first turn only, a major company may lay a subsequent yellow tile.
White circles on a tile represent cities (each circle represents a station), and can only be laid in places where the map shows a city circle. No tile without such a circle may be laid in those places. (Upgrading a city from one station to two stations, or from two to three, is allowed.) Station tokens may be placed in these stations, as described in section 11.5.
Towns are represented by a slash (on yellow tiles) or a dot (on green tiles). These tiles can only be placed in places where the map shows a town.
Plain track may not be placed in city or town hexes.
11.4.3 Upgrading Tiles
Green tiles may only be placed to upgrade existing yellow tiles. Similarly, brown tiles may only be laid to upgrade existing green tiles, and the gray tile only upgrades a brown tile.
When a tile is upgraded, all existing track, cities, and towns on the old tile must be preserved. They need not be in exactly the same places, but all edges that were connected must remain so, and any town or city that was connected to an edge must remain so. All station tokens on the old tile (or hex) are moved to the new tile, and the old tile (if any) is removed from the board and becomes available for reuse.
The brown "Mob" tile may only be used to upgrade a green tile in Mobile.
The gray "BHM/MGM" tile may only be used to upgrade a brown tile in either Birmingham or Montgomery.
11.4.4 River Costs
Laying or upgrading track does not cost anything, except where the map shows rivers. The first time a tile is laid on each of those hexes, the company must pay the bank the dollar amount (if any) shown in the hex. This represents the cost of building bridges.
11.4.5 Special Chattanooga Bonus
The first major company to build track to Chattanooga immediately receives a one-time $50 bonus from the bank to represent a connection to the Appalachian coalfields.
11.5 Placing a Station Token
If the major company has any station tokens remaining on its charter, it may place one in any unoccupied station in any city to which it has a route, subject to the following restrictions:
- No major company can have more than one station token in the same city.
- In each city that is the home of a major company which has not yet placed its home station (including major companies which have not yet floated), one station must be left open for that purpose.
The major company must pay the bank $40 if this is its first station other than the home station, or $100 otherwise. Once placed, a station cannot be moved for the rest of the game.
Only one station token may be placed per operating turn. A company's home station, which is placed at the start of its first operating turn, does not count against this limit.
11.5.1 Special New Orleans Bonus
The first major company to place a station token in New Orleans gets a one-time bonus payment of $100 immediately after placing the token there. In addition, that company (and only that company) scores an extra $10 for every run to New Orleans it makes until the first 6-train is purchased. In other words, New Orleans scores as a $60 city for that company until the first 6-train is purchased. The town adjacent to New Orleans is separate and additional to this bonus.
Note that the $100 payment is not made until after the company places and pays for the token.
11.6 Running Trains
The major company may run any or all of the trains it owns. Each train runs on a route, as described in section 11.1.
In addition, a train's route must connect two or more cities, towns, and/or red off-board areas.
The route cannot include any city, town, or off-board location more than once. Different arrows in the same red area are considered to be the same location. Thus only one route to Atlanta is allowed per company.
The route cannot pass through an off-board location, even if it contains a station of the company (except for Memphis). Off-board locations such as Chattanooga, Atlanta, Tallahassee, and New Orleans can only be used as the beginning or end of a route.
The total number of cities and off-board areas must be equal to or less than the train type number.
A 2+ train may run to two cities, or one city and one town or off-board location (plus any amount of towns). Towns do not count toward the train number limit for 2+ trains, 3+ trains, and 4+ trains but do count for the permanent trains (trains that never become obsolete; see section 11.9). A 4+ train can run to a maximum of four cities or off-board areas, and can include any number of towns on its route. However, a 4D train can only run to a maximum of four total cities, off-board areas, and towns.
The minimum length of any run is two stops. A run consisting only of a city with a station token is not legal.
When a major company operates more than one train on a turn, no section of track, no matter how short, may be shared by the routes of different trains. Multiple trains may run to the same city, town, or off-board area, so long as the tracks used by each train are separate.
Each train run generates revenue equal to the sum of the revenue values of each of the cities, towns, and off-board locations on its route. The revenue value of a town or city is shown in a small circle next to that town or city. For off-board areas, two values are shown in a box; the first value in yellow applies until the first 6-train is purchased, and the second value in brown applies for the rest of the game.
The 2D, 4D, and 5D-trains are an exception to this formula. These trains generate double the normal revenue for each city, town or off-board location they run to.
The combined revenue of each train's run is the company's earnings. A major company must run its train(s) each turn for the greatest earnings possible, if any player who owns stock in the company insists. However, players who spot a better paying route or combination are not required to point it out.
11.7 Earnings Distribution
Once the major company has run its trains, if any, and calculated the earnings they produce, its president must choose to either pay out dividends, or withhold the earnings in the company.
If the company pays dividends, each player who owns shares in the company receives a dividend from the bank equal to the same percentage of the earnings as the percentage of the company's shares they own. For example, if the total earnings from the runs is $70, a player who owns 70% of the company's stock would be paid 70% of $70, or $49. An easy way to compute this is to divide the total earnings by 10, and multiply the result by the number of shares.
If there are shares of the major company's stock in the open market, the bank pays the dividend for those shares into the company's treasury.
No dividends are paid for shares in the initial offering.
If a company's earnings are $0, it cannot pay dividends.
If the major company pays out dividends, move its market value token one space to the right on the stock market. If the token cannot move to the right because it's at the end of a row, move it upward one space instead. If it's already at the upper right corner, it does not move.
If the company withholds its earnings, the bank pays the earnings into the company's treasury, and nothing to any player.
If the major company withholds its earnings, or does not run any trains, move its market value token one space to the left on the stock chart. If the token cannot move to the left because it's in the leftmost column, move it down one space instead. If it's already in the lower left corner, it does not move.
If the token moves into a space that already contains one or more tokens, place it at the bottom of the stack.
11.8 Purchasing Trains
A major company may purchase trains from the bank, from other major companies, or some of each, in any order.
If a major company has a legal run (a track route on which it could run a train) but does not own a train during the train purchase step of its turn, it must buy at least one train.
Exception: If there are no trains left in the bank, the company is relieved of its obligation to buy a train.
If a company must buy a train but cannot afford one, a forced train purchase is triggered, as described in section 11.8.3.
Trains in the bank are kept near the initial offering.
All trains in the bank must be purchased in increasing order of type; that is, all the 2+ trains must be purchased before any major company is allowed to buy a 3+ train, and so on. For this reason, all trains in the initial offering are kept in a single pile, except that the next train currently on offer and those of its type can be fanned out to show how many are left.
| Train | How many | Price | Salvage value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2+ | 4 | $80 | $20 |
| 3+ | 4 | $180 | $30 |
| 4+ | 3 | $300 | $60 |
| 5 | 2 | $500 | N/A |
| 6 | 2 | $550 | N/A |
| 2D/4D | 4 | $500/$750 | N/A |
| 5D | 1 | $850 | N/A |
Exception: after the first 6-train has been purchased, all of the remaining trains (the other 6-train, the 4D/2D-trains, and the 5D-train) become available immediately. A company with sufficient funds could therefore purchase the first 6-train, and then the 5D-train.
Trains in the bank are purchased at face value.
Trains may also be purchased from other major companies, for any agreed price of at least $1 each up to the amount in the company's treasury. The price is public information. It is legal to do this in any phase of the game.
Throughout the game, major companies are not limited to buying at most one train from the bank each turn (as in 18MS version 1). Purchases of trains from the bank or other major companies are limited only by a major company's available cash and the ongoing limitation of owning no more than three trains at any time as described in section 11.8.1.
No company may ever purchase a train that has operated during the current OR and is scheduled to be obsolete at the end of the current operating round; see section 11.9 for details about train obsoletion.
In most 18xx games, when the first train of a new type is purchased from the initial offering, a phase change occurs. However 18MS differs in that trains are removed from play only as directed by the Round of Play chart.
11.8.1 Train Limit
A major company may own no more than three trains at a time. A company which already owns three trains is not allowed to buy another from any source until either some are removed from play as directed by the Round of Play chart or another company purchases one or more of its trains.
Note that trains do not become obsolete until after the operating round. Therefore, major companies may not purchase trains if they are at the train limit, even if some of their trains are scheduled to become obsolete at the end of operating rounds 4, 6, and 8.
11.8.2 Presidential Contributions For Permanent Trains
A company must pay for a train using its own funds. However, as an exception, the president may contribute their own money to purchase a permanent train (5-train, 6-train, 2D, 4D, or 5D train). This may only be done under the following conditions:
The operating major company must own at least one train at the moment of the presidential contribution. (Otherwise, the major company would be in a forced train purchase as described in section 11.8.3.)
The major company must have at least 50% and less than 100% of the cost of the train to be purchased with presidential contribution. For example, for the president to be eligible to assist the major company in purchasing a $500 5-train, the major company must have at least $250 and less than $500 in its treasury.
The train to be purchased must be the next available train from the bank. If a 6-train has already been purchased, any remaining train may be purchased with presidential contributions subject to the restriction in the previous paragraph.
The price of the train being purchased with presidential contribution is increased by $50. Players may wish to think of this increased cost as a fee for presidential contribution. The major company is not required to have 50% of this fee in its treasury at the time of the purchase, only 50% of the desired train.
The company must use all its treasury toward the purchase.
Example 1: If a $550 6-train is being purchased, the final cost is $550 + $50 = $600, but the major company is only required to have at least $275 in its treasury at the moment of the purchase.
A player wishing to contribute for a train purchase must have the necessary cash at the time of the purchase. No stock sales are allowed to assist the president in this optional train purchase.
Example 2: The Frisco has operated with a single 4+ train and has $310 in its treasury. The next train for sale is a 5-train and the president wishes to assist the railroad in buying the first 5-train which costs $500. The Frisco places all of its treasury cash in the president's personal cash. The Frisco president then pays the bank $550 for the 5-train (the $500 face value of the train plus an additional $50 as required). The Frisco places the new 5-train on its charter.
Example 3: The Frisco has operated its single 6-train and has $390 in its treasury. The president may contribute the following amounts of money for an additional available permanent train for the Frisco: either $110 for a 2D train, or $360 for a 4D train. The president may not contribute $460 to buy an available 5D train because the Frisco had less than 50% of its $850 cost. The president must add an additional $50 for whatever train it purchases for the Frisco.
11.8.3 Forced Train Purchases
If the major company is required to buy a train but cannot afford to buy one from the bank, and its president cannot (or chooses not to) arrange to have the company purchase one from another company, then the president must contribute sufficient funds from their own personal cash to enable the company to buy a train.
Note that if the company has enough money to buy one or more trains that are available, one of those must be bought, even if the president would prefer to contribute funds to buy a more expensive train.
If the company cannot afford the cheapest available train from the bank, and the president contributes any money at all to assist in the train purchase, any available train can be bought from the bank. The following restrictions apply:
- No train may be purchased from another major company if the president contributes personal funds.
- Only one train may be purchased.
- The president may contribute only enough cash for the purchase. That is, after the purchase, the company cannot have any cash left.
If the president does not have the needed cash, they must sell stock. The normal rules for stock sales (described in section 10.2) apply. However, the president may only sell just enough shares to raise the needed cash (that is, the president's personal funds after the train purchase must be less than the smallest amount they receive for selling any one certificate); and they may not make a sale that would cause a change of presidency of the operating company.
These sales are not considered a stock turn. The priority deal card does not change hands, and it is not required to sell shares to bring the player into compliance with the certificate limit at this time.
11.8.4 Loans
If during a forced train purchase the president is unable to raise the needed cash, even after selling all the stock they are allowed to sell, they must borrow any remaining money needed from the bank. Note the amount on paper. This amount must be repaid as soon as possible. Loans may only be taken as part of a forced train purchase.
The amount to be repaid is the original amount borrowed plus 50% interest (rounded down). In practice, this happens when the player simply announces that they wish to repay an amount and repays the bank, interrupting the game when it happens.
A player may not spend personal cash on anything else until the loan is paid off. If the amount owed (including interest) is not repaid by the end of the next stock round, treat any remaining balance as a new loan and add 50% interest to be repaid by the end of the next stock round. Any loan balance at the end of the game is subtracted from a player's final score.
11.9 Train Obsolescence
At the end of ORs 4, 6, and 8, the 2+, 3+, and 4+ trains are respectively made obsolete. Obsolete trains are immediately removed from play, and the salvage value shown on the train card is paid to the owning company immediately.
| Train | How many | Price | Salvage value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2+ | 4 | $80 | $20 |
| 3+ | 4 | $180 | $30 |
| 4+ | 3 | $300 | $60 |
This occurs after all major companies have operated and immediately prior to the beginning of a stock round.
If the owning company has no trains and would otherwise be required to own one after this salvage value has been paid, it cannot correct this situation until its next train buying phase during its next operating turn.
If any obsolete trains have not been purchased from the bank, they are simply removed from the game.
No company may ever purchase a train that has operated during the current OR and is scheduled to be obsolete at the end of the current operating round.
In most 18xx games, when a phase change makes trains of a certain type "obsolete", they are simply removed from play immediately. However, in 18MS obsoletion occurs solely by the sequence of turns shown on the Round of Play chart.
12. End of Game
The game ends at the end of operating round #10 as shown on the Round of Play chart. The winner is the player with the greatest total of:
- Cash less any unpaid loans
- Stock, valued at its current market value
Only assets owned by the player are counted. Assets owned by major companies are not counted.
13. Variants
For a slightly different game, add one operating round immediately after the tenth operating round with no intervening stock round for a total of 11 ORs. This could alter the decision as to whether to withhold to buy extra late game trains. Note that this makes it possible to reach the highest value position on the stock chart.
Another variant is that players may choose to allow major companies to purchase trains that have run during the current OR and are scheduled to become obsolete at the end of the OR. This variant makes it considerably easier to move money between companies, but also makes it more risky to own multiple shares, but not the presidency, of a company.
14. Appendices
14.1 Frequently Asked Questions (Q&A)
- If a major company has no train and does not have enough money to buy one from the bank, is it required to buy one from another major company controlled by the same player?
- No, but that may be the best choice.
- When does the higher value score for off-board areas shown on the map such as Memphis and New Orleans?
- The higher value is scored after the first 6-train is bought.
- If a major company uses the special ability of private company P1 or P2 to lay an extra yellow tile after green tiles are available, can the "normal" tile lay be used to upgrade a yellow tile just played?
- Yes.
- Can a 4D-train be bought if there is a remaining 6-train for purchase?
- Yes, any gray train can be bought as long as at least one 6-train has been bought.
- Can private companies be bought by major companies before OR 2, even if a 3+ train has been bought?
- No, except for P1 and P2; see section 16.
- Is a railroad's home station placed during the stock round when it floats?
- No, it is placed at the beginning of its first operating turn.
- Can players sell shares in a major company that has not yet operated?
- Yes (but not in the first stock round of the game).
- May a player refuse to repay a loan in order to lower their final score?
- No.
- If a player sells stock of multiple major companies in one turn, and their market values end up in the same space on the stock chart, can they choose the order in which they sell them in order to arrange their market value tokens in any order they like?
- Yes.
- May a train that runs to its maximum number of stops also run to (and count) towns before the first city, or after the last city?
- Yes, with 2+ trains, 3+ trains, and 4+ trains only.
- Do red off-board hexes or Jackson, Mississippi pay double revenue when a 4D-train runs to them?
- Yes.
- Is the amount of money a player has known to other players?
- Yes.
- Must railroads in a forced train purchase situation always buy the cheapest train available from the bank?
- No (if the railroad has less than the amount to buy the cheapest available train and the president contributes funds).
- Do towns count as stops for trains?
- Only for permanent trains; they are free stops for 2+, 3+, and 4+ trains.
- Could the Chattanooga bonus allow a company connecting to it on its first turn of operation to move forward on the stock chart even without a train?
14.2 Design Notes
This new version of 18MS is a revised edition of the original version previously published as a part of 18Dixie. The original version shared some existing components from 18Dixie. In addition to improved components that don't have to be pulled out of a copy of a different game, this version of 18MS makes several changes that affect game play significantly. For the benefit of players who have played 18MS version 1, please refer to section 14.4 for a summary of these changes.
Both versions of 18MS were intended to function as a smaller 18xx game that might serve as an introduction to 18xx games. However, it should be noted that the game differs from many 18xx games in several ways, particularly in the use of the Round of Play chart to limit the game to exactly 10 operating rounds. The train progression is very different also. It might be more accurate to say that it is an attempt to create a shorter 18xx-style game that could be useful in teaching some basic concepts to newer players.
The name comes from the postal abbreviation of the State of Mississippi, which is where most of the game takes place.
Hopefully, this game captures the flavor of the 18xx system but should be much faster than most other 18xx games. To that end, there are only five railroad major companies and there is a maximum of four players.
Players should try to buy early permanent trains even more in 18MS because the game is limited in length and it is vital for major companies to earn high income as soon as possible. Also, because the president may now contribute for permanent trains, the rate of purchases of non-permanent trains can be faster than in the original version.
18MS also treats towns a little differently than the standard "whistle stops." In other 18xx games, players tend to avoid towns because they pay so much less than the bigger cities. The rule of not having them count towards the length of runs of early train types should ensure that railroads treat them as they did historically. That is, they are worth serving and sometimes served as important junctions along routes. Early railroads should generally build through towns if the opportunity presents itself. Note that later in the game, small towns became less important and later in the game railroads may find it attractive to build tracks around some of the same towns they were eager to serve earlier in the game.
The longest train in the game is a 6-train and the game includes diesels. Diesels are the most expensive trains in the game and are represented by the "2D", "4D", or "5D" designation. It is possible that major companies might be able to arrange to obtain multiple permanent trains through withholding. That could be a winning strategy depending on the situation.
14.3 Historical Notes
For the most part, railroads built into interior Mississippi from New Orleans and from Memphis along the Mississippi River. Meridian, MS was first served by the Mobile and Ohio Railroad in 1855. The M&O had been formed in 1837 and later would become the Gulf, Mobile and Ohio from the merger of the Mobile & Ohio and the Gulf, Mobile & Northern Railroad. Its connection to Mobile, Alabama harbor was a very profitable one until after World War II.
The Mississippi Central Railway was completed between Canton, Mississippi and Grenada, Mississippi in 1860. The Mississippi Central was forced into receivership in 1875. The Southern Railway of Mississippi was chartered and built east out of Jackson, Mississippi and completed its connection in 1861. A land grant was given to the NE & SW Alabama Railroad to eventually connect to Chattanooga, Tennessee. It was bankrupted by the Civil War, though and later reorganized as the Alabama Great Southern Railroad in 1877.
The Meridian and Bigbee River Railroad (later the Meridian and Memphis Railway) was chartered in 1917 to connect to the Bigbee River at Myrtlewood, Alabama. This 50 mile section was completed in 1935 and connected to the existing Louisville and Nashville Railway facilities.
The Illinois Central Railroad made traffic agreements with several smaller railroads to operate in Mississippi after the Civil War and through later acquisitions beginning in the 1870s. A train wreck that killed an engineer in 1900 near Vaughn, Mississippi became famous when the story of "Casey" Jones was turned into a popular song. The formation of the Illinois Central Gulf Railroad in 1972 led to the abandonment of much duplicated track in central Mississippi. All passenger traffic was turned over to Amtrak in 1979 and daily service between New Orleans and Washington, D.C. passes through Mississippi to this day.
14.4 Changes From 18MS Version 1
The following is a summary of the changes from the original version of 18MS as published as part of 18Dixie by Deep Thought Games. These are not in any particular order of importance.
- A bank size of $6,000 should be sufficient for this revised version of 18MS.
- Private P1 now allows a single free tile placement by an owning major company.
- Privates P1 and P2 can be purchased in OR 1 now and any other private companies can be purchased by major companies from OR 2 onwards.
- The revenue of some of the private companies have been changed.
- The current tile mix is different compared to version 1.
- Prices for several train types have been changed from version 1.
- The prohibition of purchasing more than one train from the bank per OR by major companies has been lifted.
- The Illinois Central Railroad now has a total of 3 tokens available on its charter (up from 2).
- In certain situations, the president of a major company may contribute player cash to assist it in buying an additional permanent train. For details see section 11.8.2.
- The yellow area of the stock market is expanded.
- Players are no longer allowed to purchase private companies from other players.
15. Acknowledgments/Credits
18MS was designed by Mark Derrick, based on the 18xx game system developed by Francis Tresham. Production was by Mark Derrick, John Tamplin, and Jeff Heuer. Playtesting for version 1 was by Mark Derrick, Jeremy Vipperman, Scott Petersen, John Jones, Jim McDanold, Jeanette Allen, Lisa Leopold, David Williams, and Jim Ferguson.
Playtesting for version 2 was by Mark Derrick, Jeanette Allen, Randy Brown, Anthony Carver, Richard Clyne, Nick Cougernis, Kevin Delger, Dan Domme, Lyndon Gurr, John Jones, Jacob Klopfenstein, Debbie Lane Renard, Bob Lecuyer, David Lionett, Frank Muscarella, Scott Petersen, Mary Ross, Jonathan Sabean, Jacob Schacht, John Tamplin, and Craig Taylor.
References:
- Brian Hollingsworth, The Illustrated Encyclopedia of North American Locomotives, Salamander Books, 1984.
- Brian Hollingsworth, The Illustrated Encyclopedia of the World's Steam Passenger Locomotives, Salamander Books, 1982.
- The Historical Guide to North American Railroads, Kalmbach Publishing, 1994
- The Handbook of American Railroads, Robert C. Lewis, Simmons-Boardman Books, 1956
Trademarks:
- Francis Tresham and Hartland Trefoil Ltd originated the 18xx Rail Tile Game System.
- Use of trademarks without acknowledgment is not intended to disparage or challenge the intellectual property claims made by authors or publishers. The above enumeration is not intended to be exhaustive. Enumeration of certain individuals or companies is not intended to disparage others.
Publisher Note: 18xx games include historically-based routes and companies but the gameplay itself doesn't acknowledge the history of enslaved people that built these railroads. As we "reenact" the development of these companies and railroad networks, do not forget the true history of their establishment. Many railroad companies in the 1800s were among the largest slaveholders in the South.
16. Private Company Table
| # | Company | Face value | Revenue | Special abilities |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alabama Great Southern Railroad | $30 | $15 | This private company may be purchased in OR 1 by a major company for exactly face value. The owning major company may lay an extra yellow tile at no cost. This extra tile lay must extend existing track and can be used to extend from a yellow or green tile played as a company's normal tile lay. This ability can only be used once, either before or after the company's normal tile action. Using this ability does not close the company. |
| 2 | Birmingham Southern Railroad | $40 | $10 | This private company may be purchased in OR 1 by a major company for exactly face value. The owning major company may lay either one or two extra yellow tiles at no cost, in addition to its normal tile lay. Any extra tile lay must extend existing track and can be used to extend from a yellow or green tile played as a company's normal tile lay. This ability can only be used either before or after (or split before and after) the company's normal tile action. This ability can only be used once. Using this ability does not close the company. |
| 3 | Meridian & Memphis Railway | $50 | $15 | The owning major company may lay a token at half price. This is not an extra token placement. This ability can only be used once. Using this ability does not close the company. |
| 4 | Mississippi Central Railway | $60 | $5 | The owning major company must exchange this private for a special 2+ train when purchased. This exchange occurs immediately when the purchase occurs. If this exchange would place the major company over the train limit of 3, the purchase is not allowed. If this private company is not purchased by the end of OR 4, it may not be sold to a major company and counts against the owner's certificate limit until it closes upon the start of Phase 6. |
| 5 | Mobile and Ohio Railway | $70 | $5 | A major company which owns the Mobile and Ohio Railway may purchase an available 3+ train or 4+ train from the bank for a discount of $100. This action closes the private company. |
17. Index
- Birmingham, 11.4.3
- buying stock, 10.3
- certificate limit, 10.4
- certificates versus shares, 7.2
- Chattanooga bonus, 11.4.5
- descending market value order, 6
- dividends, paying, 11.7
- earnings distribution, 11.7
- end of game, 12
- floating major companies, 10.5
- forced train purchases, 11.8.3
- game overview, 4
- game phases, 8
- loans, 11.8.4
- major companies
- overview of, 7.2
- floating, 10.5
- operation overview, 10.3
- ownership limits, 10.4
- presidency changes, 10.6
- the map, 5
- market value versus par value, 6
- Mobile, 11.4.3
- Montgomery, 11.4.3
- New Orleans bonus, 11.5.1
- off-board areas
- and routes, 11.1
- and track placements, 11.4.1
- trains running to, 11.6
- operating rounds, 11
- earnings distribution, 11.7
- private companies, 11.2
- routes, 11.1
- station tokens, placing, 11.5
- track, laying and upgrading, 11.4
- train obsolescence, 11.9
- trains, purchasing, 11.8
- trains, running, 11.6
- par values
- overview of, 6
- setting, 10.3
- presidency changes, 10.6
- priority deal, assigning
- start of game, 3
- stock round end, 10.7
- private companies
- overview of, 7
- ability use, 11.3
- descriptions of, 16
- drafting, 9
- operating, 11.2
- Round of Play track, 4
- routes
- overview of, 11.1
- and train ownership requirement, 11.8
- and trains, running, 11.6
- selling stock
- certificate limit forcing, 10.4
- forced train purchases, 11.8.3
- on stock turns, 10.2
- setup, 3
- starting cash, 3
- station tokens, placing, 11.5
- the stock market, 6
- stock rounds, 10
- buying stock, 10.3
- end of, 10.7
- player actions, 10.1
- selling stock, 10.2
- track, laying and upgrading, 11.4
18. Tile Manifest
| Tile # | Color | Quantity | Upgrades to |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Yellow | 3 | 87, 88, 143, 204 |
| 4 | Yellow | 3 | 87, 88, 204 |
| 5 | Yellow | 2 | 14, 15, 619 |
| 6 | Yellow | 3 | 14, 15, 619 |
| 7 | Yellow | 4 | 26, 27, 28, 29 |
| 8 | Yellow | 10 | 16, 19, 23, 24, 25, 28, 29 |
| 9 | Yellow | 10 | 19, 20, 23, 24, 26, 27 |
| 57 | Yellow | 3 | 14, 15, 619 |
| 58 | Yellow | 3 | 87, 88, 143, 204 |
| 14 | Green | 3 | 63 |
| 15 | Green | 3 | 63, X31 (Mobile only) |
| 16 | Green | 1 | 43 |
| 19 | Green | 1 | 45, 46 |
| 20 | Green | 1 | 47 |
| 23 | Green | 4 | 41, 43, 45, 47 |
| 24 | Green | 4 | 42, 43, 46, 47 |
| 25 | Green | 2 | 40, 45, 46 |
| 26 | Green | 1 | 42, 45 |
| 27 | Green | 1 | 41, 46 |
| 28 | Green | 1 | 39, 43, 46 |
| 29 | Green | 1 | 39, 43, 45 |
| 87 | Green | 2 | None |
| 88 | Green | 2 | None |
| 143 | Green | 2 | None |
| 204 | Green | 2 | None |
| 619 | Green | 3 | 63 |
| 39 |
Note: the tile manifest is presented graphically in the printed rulebook, showing each tile's track pattern alongside its number, quantity, and upgrade path; this table transcribes the tile numbers, colors, quantities, and upgrade relationships shown there.