Play 18CZ, the newest in the 18XX series

The club just received its kickstarter copy of 18CZ.
We want to try out the new game. So setting up a play session.

This is the newest of the 18XX series with some interesting rules combinations.

18CZ highlights (Czech Railways)

• Game is timed by turns, not until the bank is broken, 13 operating rounds with 8 stock rounds

• Privates:

• 3 types of local railways, Small, Medium and Large, They pay 5, 10 and 20 each operating round

• They all provide 2 one time game benefits during the game when owned by a company; ignore build cost on tile lay; lay purple tile in addition to normal tile lay

• increase in share price (value) each operating round from 40 to finally 120

• After B trains bought, private can be sold to company for 1 to share price

• Count as a certificate in players hand for certificate limit

• Can be sold to bank during company’s turn for current share price and removed from the game.

• Rail Companies (5 each class)

• Small, shares are 50 / 25 / 25, can only own small privates and trains

• Medium, share are 40 / 20 / 20/ 20, can own small or medium privates and trains; but can only run medium (plus trains)

• Large, share are 20 / 8 x 10, can own any private or train, can only run large trains (E-Trains)

• Private Sale Round, 15 available, 5 of each size

• Players buy in order with switch back (1-2-3-4 then 4-3-2-1)

• Smalls go from 25 to 45; Mediums go from 40 to 60; Large go from 55 to 75

• Round ends when all players have passed in a row, remaining privates are out of game

• Reorder players based on least cash to most remaining, then Start the 1st Stock round

• Stock Rounds

• Sell as much as you want then buy 1 certificate

• Initially on small companies available, mediums after b train, large after d train

• Once 50% purchased company floats immediately, smalls get 4 x price, medium 5 x price and large 10 x price

• Player can own 60% of Medium or Large companies; 75% of a small company

• Initial Prices; Small 50 to 70; Medium 60 to 100; Large 90 to 120

• Shares are always bought and sold at market price (no IPO price)

• No selling in first stock round

• Selling only drops price 1 step (diagonally), not 1 per share

• All shares in players hands at end, move up 1 diagonally

• Operating Rounds

• Privates pay dividends, then companies run from high price to low price

• Build Track, On first operating round a company can lay 2 yellow tiles

• Buy and place station markers

• Run Trains; small count each revenue spot, medium count city and town separately city + town; large can ignore town spots

• Withhold, stock moves 1 left

• Pay Stock moves 1 right (large companies move 2 right)

• Acquire one or more smaller companies for 50 to 150% of current stock price

• Smaller company director must agree

• The companies do NOT have to be connected by track

• Larger company buys each player share (not bank) using its treasury only

• Larger company gets all treasury, local railway, trains and station tokens

• Trains can be immediately upgraded to a larger train by paying difference in cost, if any (this is the only time upgrade is allowed), scrapped or kept as acquired

• Buy Trains, max 3 trains, decreases as phase changes, different rules depending on company size.

• Forced Purchase, must have train you can run (correct size)

• Director chooses train to buy (does not need to be cheapest)

• If treasury insufficient then director makes up difference from cash only (cannot sell stock) or takes a loan, interest charge one time equal to amount borrowed

• If director assists, train must come from bank or train pool (not another company)

• No stock can be purchased by directory until loan is paid off

• Interest charge is never paid, just deducted from wealth at end of game

• Train progression and scrapping

• When a train is bought it can be bought three different ways as a small, medium or large train

• Only trains of the class purchased will be scrapped

• 4, 4+4 and 5E or better trains are permanent

• At end of every set of OR (before stock round ) a train is exported, removed from bank pool out of the game. This counts as a train of each size being purchased for obsoleting older trains.