Ameritrash Sunday (10/7)

[waylander]

We are only a little over a week away from the next big day of gaming at the store. I will not be able to be there this month. So I am starting the thread!

What are people interested in playing? There has been some talk of trying some 18XX games. This is a series of train games.

www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgamefamily/19/18xx

I am sure Robert will want to play Eclipse as well...

So any other games people want to try? Let us know...


Thanks
Rod

[bankrupt]

Rod,

Thanks for the encouragement. However, my original post about 18XX said "winter." I am not available the next two Ameritrash Sundays.

Temis though has several 18XX games he could bring.

The first two of the three 18EZ introductory games are short enough for Wednesday nights. I'll try to interest others in these and introduce the genre that way.

Again though, not until Oct. 17th and I've promised to bring Trajan then.

Rick

[waylander]

Thanks Rick. At least people will start thinking about 18XX. I know I would like to give it a try. As I have actually never played any of the games.

[kv1e]

I will bring 1830 which is Railroad building in NE US and 1861 which is set in Russia and the more interesting game to play , IMO.
It is also takes no longer to play than 1830, It is also more forgiving of new player mistakes and insures that every one has has an RR to run at the start of the game
Temis

I assumed that 18ez and 1830 were the same game because both have 3 levels of play but while they are similar they are two different games

[bankrupt]

The "levels" in 18EZ and 1830 are not congruent. 18EZ is much simpler to understand than the beginning scenario of 1830. The first level, laying track, plays in an hour or less. The stock market and ownership of companies in level two are simplified. Level three has private companies and minor RR's merging into a system but does not add the complexity of the stock manipulation allowed for shares in 1830's shaded areas.

For anyone confused by all the fuss, 18XX is a genre of railroad operation and stock manipulation games that has been around since 1976. Almost all of them have titles that begin with "18." 1830, recently reprinted, is the most widely owned. There are over 100 games, so far. Many are designed to faithfully follow the development of early railroading in a particular geographic area. This is largely implemented by restricting the initial origination point on the local map but many other ideas are used in particular games.

They have a common set of game mechanisms: laying hexagonal track tiles, buying progressively more advanced trains that after a while "rust" earlier trains, players buying shares of stock in corporations with the majority shareholder operating the railroad, and lots of opportunity to advance your fortunes through crafty stock manipulation and close dealings between the companies you control.

Once you learn the "system" you can hold your own in any 18XX game by using a cheat sheet showing the unique mechanisms in the particular game you are playing.

There is a dedicated following of 18XXers, at least one annual convention devoted only to this genre, and significant cadres of players at most major gamecons. Carnage is slightly odd in not having a room devoted to 18XX. Most cities in the Western World have groups that meet to play 18XX regularly. There are for example at least at least two that meet monthly in southern New Hampshire.

For some, this genre is as engaging as Ameritrash, I mean "thematic," games. I wouldn't want a steady diet of 18XX but they are fun, mathy, thinky, thematic, offer many opportunities for "gotchas," and have absolutely no luck except the order you sit around the table, usually set by a random drawing.

Rick

[bradward]

Is Carlo going to be around for this Ameritrash Sunday? I saw his "Hunger Games BSG" variant in the Carnage booklet and was interested, but Im already scheduled to run something at that time slot. If possible, I would play that.

Otherwise, Im thinking Rex would be fun.

[waylander]

I have heard Carlo is thinking about coming down for this Ameritrash Sunday. I will put another bug in his ear.

[vorpalgens]

There is a lot of magic words that have been pronounced...

18XX and BSG...

18XX system is in my top 5 games... 18EZ indeed plays faster as it uses only 6k instead of the typical 12k.

I believe 18EZ is a nice one to introduce players and 1846 that i own but never tried is also an excellent one. 18EU & 1856 are very nice as well.

Using a excell sheet helps playing faster and can save more than an hour to the game...

Ok like i said lots of magic words... BSG

I cannot let that call unanswered and that magic word is above anything else ;D

Brad, try to recruit 3 people for sunday to play with me, you & Kristin... as the Hunger games needs to be played with 6 players... I'll get it ready for sunday

[vorpalgens]

I will also bring Chaos in the old world that has been a long while since i had the chance to play it...

Hunger games plays fast so we'll have time for both