18DE: Germany

​​18DE: Germany – This is a more conventional operational game that uses the great merger/conversion system from 1817, but strips out the short selling. It plays fast and it feels like a full game experience in only 3-4 hours. Medium (3-4h) 1817-style game, but with no short sales. Rules changes from 1817: - No short selling - No NY, but there are OO tiles (tile layer chooses orientation and token placement like in 1830). - OO tiles use the route restriction from the NY tiles in 1817 (may not include both cities in a hex on the same route). - New private company auction process - All set out for sale, put $10 chip bonus money on each private company (player that drafts the card gets the bonus money) - PD goes first (keeps PD), may select a private company or pass (out of current round of draft if pass), then take turns around the table drafting or passing a private company until all have passed. - Pass PD to next player and place a $10 chip on remaining private companies. - Repeat this process until all sold, PD goes to the next player in turn order after the player that drafted the last item - New private companies - River Bridge Builders, face value 60 - One time use. Owning company may place a tile of the next available color out of phase in a OO hex following the normal track building rules. - Western Europe Connections, face value 40 - Owning company may place the red “W” tile on Brussels, Amsterdam, or Paris (match orientation). If not placed during its first operation, any company may place it during their operation. - Eastern Europe Connections, face value 40 - Owning company may place the red “E” tile on Warsaw, Prague, Vienna (match orientation). If not placed during its first operation, any company may place it during their operation. - “E” and “W” tiles - This tile now counts as a 10 revenue off-board area. If a route contains both the “E” and “W” off-board areas, it also includes the respective bonuses (“+”) revenue in the route’s value per the phase color. Both hexes must be counted in a single train’s run to earn the bonuses. - E tile (may be placed in Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris--match spikes) - 2 connections, 10 value, +40,+50,+70,+100 - W tile (may be placed in Warsaw, Prague, Vienna--match spike) - 1 one connection, 10 value, +40,+50,+70,+100