18xx-MARFLOW-GAMES
18SA - South America
Designer | Peter Mette |
Release Date | 2015 |
Location | South Americaq |
Private | 6/7 (Starting Package) |
Minor Companies | none |
Corporations | 11 |
Map Size | 91 Hexes ( 102 total) |
Off-Board | Phase 3/4/5/6 |
Bank | 12.000 Dinero |
Tile colors | yellow, green.brown,gray |
Stock Market | 2D |
Game Description
The map covers the complete South American subcontinent. There are six Private Companies and 11 Railway Corporations. 29 cities, 3 mines and 8 off-board connections may be connected by a railway network.
18SA is a challenge for the finance managers among the 18xx players. The Railway Corporations float after the purchase of the 30% President share, they do receive the money for the sold shares only into their treasury.
There are a lot of decisions to be taken: What is the best Par Price to start a Corporation? How many money should be spend to buy a Private for using its special powers? Should a train be purchased with treasury only or should it be financed by 50% with a loan? Which type of train should be purchased, a passenger train or a goods train?
The share split for each of the 11 Railroad Corporations is the same, one 30% President Share, five 10% shares and four 5% shares. The latter fulfil two purposes; first they reduce the idle money in the players’ private cash, secondly they can be used by the President to release the unsold shares in the Initial Offering. This is necessary as the President may only hold 60% of his Corporation.
All Corporations have the same number of station tokens available. The home station is suita-ble for both types of trains whereas the other five station tokens may be used either as a pas-senger station or a freight yard. Once placed it a station’s functionality can only be changed by paying money. While in other 18xx games a route ends in a hex which is completely occu-pied by station markers of other companies, in 18SA a route can only end there if at least one station marker corresponds with the type of the train.
When a President purchases a train he must decide whether it will be a passenger train of a goods train. Goods trains cost less than passenger trains and can include mines in their routes. Mines generate income but do not count against a goods train’s route length allowance. Therefore the goods trains are better by trend but their number will be reduced towards game end when passenger trains with higher route length capability will become available.
The mine hexes are a specific element of 18SA. No tiles will be placed there. The access to a mine consist of a track ending at the marked sides of the mine hex plus a track link which has to be acquired in form of a mine marker. The number of mine markers per mine hex are limited and once acquired by a Corporation it remains there.