1888 North China Railroad Board Game Up On Kickstarter

Buying, selling, and trading railroad stocks was an excellent way to make a ton of money back in the 1880s. And now, you can get in on the action with 1888: North China. The game is up on Kickstarter now.

From the campaign:

Railway building in China started in the 1880’s. The map board of “1888” shows the area around the capital Beijing. 

In the game, the players seek to make the most money by buying and selling stock certificates of up to eight railroad companies. The player with the most stock of a particular company in his possession acts as the president of this company.

1888 is a good start to get access to the 18xx world. 

You use the yellow, green, brown and grey tiles to create a rail network on the map. Just as in a real railway business, the track in the game connects railway stations to each other. The trains (train cards) make notional journeys from one station to the next and thereby earn money. The (imaginary) passengers pay for their journeys. The more numerous and the more important the stations on a train’s journey are, the more money it earns for the company and its shareholders.

This money is either divided by the shareholders or kept in the company’s treasure for further investments (like buying better trains or constructing track). This decision influences the value of the company’s shares — and not the player with the most stock or the most beautiful constructed track wins the game, but the player with the most riches in terms of cash and shares.

The campaign’s close to its funding goal with 16 days left to go.

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