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Tips eighteenroyalgorgerailsoffremont

2026-10-08T16:21:09Z

Davidk42:

= Strategy Tips for 18RoyalGorge =

== Events of 18RoyalGorge ==
There are several key events in the game. Being aware of them can greatly help plan your moves.

=== When each event happens ===

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Event !! Happens when !! What it does
|-
| Green Phase || the last (4th) 2+ train leaves the deck || Green tiles; two more companies may start; companies may buy privates
|-
| Treaty of Boston || the 2nd 3+ train leaves the deck || Green gorge tiles are placed; Rio Grande gets two more station tokens; Rio Grande and Santa Fe take on debt
|-
| 2+ Trains Rust || the 1st 4+ train leaves the deck || Every 2+ train is removed; its company gets $20 salvage
|-
| Brown Phase || the last (3rd) 4+ train leaves the deck || Brown tiles; one more company may start
|-
| Silver Phase || the last (2nd) 5+ train leaves the deck || Silver tiles; companies may no longer buy privates
|-
| 3+ Trains Rust || the 1st 6×2 train leaves the deck || Every 3+ train is removed; its company gets $45 salvage
|-
| Game End || the 1st 6×2 train leaves the deck || The end of the game is triggered
|}

=== The deck in order ===

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Trains !! Price !! Card uncovered after them
|-
| 2+ ×4 || $80 || Green Phase
|-
| 3+ ×2 || $180 || Treaty of Boston, Santa Fe Debt, Rio Grande Debt
|-
| 3+ ×2 || $180 || —
|-
| 4+ ×1 || $400 || 2+ Trains Rust
|-
| 4+ ×2 || $400 || Brown Phase
|-
| 5+ ×2 || $500 || Silver Phase
|-
| 6×2 ×1 || $650 || 3+ Trains Rust, Game End
|-
| 6×2, unlimited || $650 || —
|}

The train deck display shows the same thing during play: the card
right behind the next train is the one that train will uncover.

=== Trains leave the deck two ways ===

* '''Purchase.''' A company buys the next train in its Buy Trains step.
* '''Export.''' At the end of every set of Operating Rounds, the next train is removed from the game. If it is a 2+, '''all''' remaining 2+ trains go with it.

Export means the deck moves even when nobody buys. The Green Phase
always starts by the end of the first set of Operating Rounds. After
that, one train goes every set, so every event in the table above
arrives sooner or later whether or not anyone pays for it.

== Tips ==

=== Count the trains, not the phases ===

Ask "how many trains until the next card?", not "what phase are we
in?". The answer is always visible in the train deck display. One
3+ left in front of the Treaty means the Treaty is one purchase away.

=== The company that buys the last train of a type sets the timing ===

A new phase starts in the middle of an Operating Round, during the
buying company's last step. That company has already laid its track
for the turn. The companies that operate '''after''' it in the same
round are the first to use the new tile color.

* Operating early and buying the last 2+ hands the Green Phase to everyone behind you this round.
* Operating late, you may be able to wait for someone else to pay for the phase change and then use it at once.

=== Rust arrives with the first train, not the last ===

The two rust events are the exception to "last train of the type":
the '''first''' 4+ removes every 2+, and the '''first''' 6×2 removes
every 3+.

* A company that owns only 2+ trains when the first 4+ is bought has no train on its next turn. If it has a route, it must buy one, and the president pays any shortfall from personal cash.
* The first 4+ can also go by '''export''' at the end of a set. Rust does not need a buyer.
* Salvage ($20 per 2+, $45 per 3+) does not come close to the price of the replacement.
* A company with two trains may still buy the train that rusts one of them. The limit is checked after the rust.

=== The Treaty of Boston comes early ===

It is two 3+ trains into the Green Phase, which can be the same
Operating Round the phase started in.

* If you are president of Rio Grande or Santa Fe, plan for the debt from the start of Green. Only one debt token can be paid per operating turn, the price of a token rises as the game goes on, and unpaid debt lowers the share price at the end of the game.
* Rio Grande's payments go to Santa Fe's treasury. Santa Fe's payments go to the owner of Doc Holliday.
* If you hold neither, buying the second 3+ starts that clock for your opponents.

=== Privates close on the first 5+, one train after Brown starts ===

Several private assets close "when the first 5+ train is purchased".
The Brown Phase starts when the last 4+ goes, and the very next train
is the first 5+. Treat the start of Brown as the last warning: sell a
closing private to a company, or use its ability, before then.

Companies may not buy privates in the Silver Phase, which starts when
the second 5+ goes.

=== The first 6×2 ends the game ===

Buying or exporting the first 6×2 triggers Game End and rusts every
3+ at the same moment.

* '''Bought:''' finish the current set of Operating Rounds, then play one more Stock Round and one more set.
* '''Exported:''' the set is already over, so one more Stock Round and one more set remain.
* With the '''Shorter Game''' option, a purchase ends the game at the end of the current set.

The Silver Phase starts one train earlier, when the last 5+ goes. From
that point the next train out of the deck starts the countdown, and
the end of the current set will export it if nobody buys it.

The game can also end when a company's share price reaches the red
spaces of the stock market, or immediately if a player goes bankrupt.

=== These purchases cannot be undone ===

A purchase that uncovers a card is seen by the whole table, so it
cannot be taken back with Undo. The game asks you to confirm first
and names the cards the purchase will uncover. Any other train
purchase can still be undone.

Tips eighteenroyalgorgerailsoffremont

2026-10-08T16:14:32Z

Davidk42: Strategy Tips for 18RoyalGorge

= Strategy Tips for 18RoyalGorge =

=== When each event happens ===

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Event !! Happens when !! What it does
|-
| Green Phase || the last (4th) 2+ train leaves the deck || Green tiles; two more companies may start; companies may buy privates
|-
| Treaty of Boston || the 2nd 3+ train leaves the deck || Green gorge tiles are placed; Rio Grande gets two more station tokens; Rio Grande and Santa Fe take on debt
|-
| 2+ Trains Rust || the 1st 4+ train leaves the deck || Every 2+ train is removed; its company gets $20 salvage
|-
| Brown Phase || the last (3rd) 4+ train leaves the deck || Brown tiles; one more company may start
|-
| Silver Phase || the last (2nd) 5+ train leaves the deck || Silver tiles; companies may no longer buy privates
|-
| 3+ Trains Rust || the 1st 6×2 train leaves the deck || Every 3+ train is removed; its company gets $45 salvage
|-
| Game End || the 1st 6×2 train leaves the deck || The end of the game is triggered
|}

=== The deck in order ===

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Trains !! Price !! Card uncovered after them
|-
| 2+ ×4 || $80 || Green Phase
|-
| 3+ ×2 || $180 || Treaty of Boston, Santa Fe Debt, Rio Grande Debt
|-
| 3+ ×2 || $180 || —
|-
| 4+ ×1 || $400 || 2+ Trains Rust
|-
| 4+ ×2 || $400 || Brown Phase
|-
| 5+ ×2 || $500 || Silver Phase
|-
| 6×2 ×1 || $650 || 3+ Trains Rust, Game End
|-
| 6×2, unlimited || $650 || —
|}

The train deck display shows the same thing during play: the card
right behind the next train is the one that train will uncover.

=== Trains leave the deck two ways ===

* '''Purchase.''' A company buys the next train in its Buy Trains step.
* '''Export.''' At the end of every set of Operating Rounds, the next train is removed from the game. If it is a 2+, '''all''' remaining 2+ trains go with it.

Export means the deck moves even when nobody buys. The Green Phase
always starts by the end of the first set of Operating Rounds. After
that, one train goes every set, so every event in the table above
arrives sooner or later whether or not anyone pays for it.

== Tips ==

=== Count the trains, not the phases ===

Ask "how many trains until the next card?", not "what phase are we
in?". The answer is always visible in the train deck display. One
3+ left in front of the Treaty means the Treaty is one purchase away.

=== The company that buys the last train of a type sets the timing ===

A new phase starts in the middle of an Operating Round, during the
buying company's last step. That company has already laid its track
for the turn. The companies that operate '''after''' it in the same
round are the first to use the new tile color.

* Operating early and buying the last 2+ hands the Green Phase to everyone behind you this round.
* Operating late, you may be able to wait for someone else to pay for the phase change and then use it at once.

=== Rust arrives with the first train, not the last ===

The two rust events are the exception to "last train of the type":
the '''first''' 4+ removes every 2+, and the '''first''' 6×2 removes
every 3+.

* A company that owns only 2+ trains when the first 4+ is bought has no train on its next turn. If it has a route, it must buy one, and the president pays any shortfall from personal cash.
* The first 4+ can also go by '''export''' at the end of a set. Rust does not need a buyer.
* Salvage ($20 per 2+, $45 per 3+) does not come close to the price of the replacement.
* A company with two trains may still buy the train that rusts one of them. The limit is checked after the rust.

=== The Treaty of Boston comes early ===

It is two 3+ trains into the Green Phase, which can be the same
Operating Round the phase started in.

* If you are president of Rio Grande or Santa Fe, plan for the debt from the start of Green. Only one debt token can be paid per operating turn, the price of a token rises as the game goes on, and unpaid debt lowers the share price at the end of the game.
* Rio Grande's payments go to Santa Fe's treasury. Santa Fe's payments go to the owner of Doc Holliday.
* If you hold neither, buying the second 3+ starts that clock for your opponents.

=== Privates close on the first 5+, one train after Brown starts ===

Several private assets close "when the first 5+ train is purchased".
The Brown Phase starts when the last 4+ goes, and the very next train
is the first 5+. Treat the start of Brown as the last warning: sell a
closing private to a company, or use its ability, before then.

Companies may not buy privates in the Silver Phase, which starts when
the second 5+ goes.

=== The first 6×2 ends the game ===

Buying or exporting the first 6×2 triggers Game End and rusts every
3+ at the same moment.

* '''Bought:''' finish the current set of Operating Rounds, then play one more Stock Round and one more set.
* '''Exported:''' the set is already over, so one more Stock Round and one more set remain.
* With the '''Shorter Game''' option, a purchase ends the game at the end of the current set.

The Silver Phase starts one train earlier, when the last 5+ goes. From
that point the next train out of the deck starts the countdown, and
the end of the current set will export it if nobody buys it.

The game can also end when a company's share price reaches the red
spaces of the stock market, or immediately if a player goes bankrupt.

=== These purchases cannot be undone ===

A purchase that uncovers a card is seen by the whole table, so it
cannot be taken back with Undo. The game asks you to confirm first
and names the cards the purchase will uncover. Any other train
purchase can still be undone.

Gamehelpeighteenroyalgorgerailsoffremont

2026-08-23T20:41:47Z

Davidk42: A 2–4 player 18xx railroad-and-stock game where investors bankroll competing Colorado railroads racing to control the Royal Gorge, with gold mining and steel supply woven into the economy.

== Overview ==

Colorado, the 1870s: the Denver & Rio Grande and the Atchison, Topeka
& Santa Fe are locked in a real historical standoff — the "Royal
Gorge War" — over the only practical rail route through a narrow
canyon on the Arkansas River. 18RoyalGorge drops players into that
moment as financiers rather than railroad men: you buy private
assets, found and capitalize railroad companies, lay track across
the map, and run trains for revenue, while the stock market rewards
well-run companies and punishes neglected ones. Two side industries —
Colorado Fuel & Iron (steel) and Victor Gold (gold mining) — feed
income back into the whole table. Highest personal net worth when the
game ends wins.

18RoyalGorge is a fan-made, from-the-ground-up design built for the
Colorado market and railroad history, playable standalone without
owning any other 18xx title.

* '''Designer/Publisher theme:''' Colorado railroads, 1870s–1880s
* '''Players:''' 2–4
* '''Playing time:''' ≈ 90 minutes
* '''Complexity:''' Moderate–heavy (18xx family); best for players comfortable with stock-and-route economic games
* '''BGA status:''' Alpha

== How you win ==

At game end, each player totals:

* Cash on hand
* Market value of every share held
* Value of privates still personally owned

Highest total wins; ties are settled by most cash on hand.

== The game loop ==

Private Asset Auction (once, at game start)
↓
Stock Round <---------------------+
↓ |
Operating Round 1 |
↓ |
Operating Round 2 |
↓ |
End-of-Round Upkeep --------------+
(repeats until a game-end trigger fires)

One Stock Round is always followed by '''two''' Operating Rounds before
the upkeep step runs and the cycle repeats.

== Private asset auction ==

The game opens with a one-time auction of five private assets — two
yellow, two green, one brown tier — sold left to right in ascending
$5 bids. Winning a private grants its owner a small ongoing income
and, later, a special ability once the private is sold into a
railroad company. Whoever finishes the auction with the most cash
gets first priority in the opening Stock Round.

== Stock Round ==

Players buy and sell railroad shares. Selling shares moves a
company's stock price down; a company whose shares are entirely held
by players (none left in the bank pool) sees its price tick up at
round's end. Buying a company's president's certificate is how new
railroads get founded — the buyer sets a starting share price, pays
double into the company treasury, and places its home station on the
map. Whoever holds the most shares in a company is its president and
runs it during Operating Rounds.

== Operating Round ==

Each company, richest stock price first, takes a turn to:

# '''Lay track''' — extend or upgrade tiles across the map
# '''Build a station''' — plant a token to claim a city for its routes
# '''Run trains''' — choose the best-paying route(s) for each train
# '''Pay or withhold''' — send revenue to shareholders (raises share price) or keep it in the treasury (drops share price)
# '''Buy trains''' — from the bank or another company, to keep pace as the available train fleet advances through phases
# '''Buy a private''' (optional) — absorb a private asset's income and ability directly into the company

As the newest trains are bought, the game phases forward
(yellow → green → brown → silver), unlocking new tile colors, letting
more companies start, and eventually rusting out the oldest trains.

== Colorado-specific flavor ==

* '''Colorado Fuel & Iron (steel)''' — every tile laid consumes steel from a shared market; money spent on steel accumulates and is paid out as a dividend to CF&I shareholders.
* '''Victor Gold & gold mining''' — companies can ship gold cubes from gold-mine hexes for bonus revenue; that income likewise builds toward a dividend for Victor Gold shareholders.
* '''The Royal Gorge itself''' — a contested set of hexes with reserved station space; the historic '''Treaty of Boston''' event auto-resolves the standoff mid-game, handing Rio Grande extra station tokens and saddling both feuding railroads with debt they must pay down before the game ends.

== Game end ==

Play continues until a game-end trigger fires (bank runs low, or a
specific end condition described in the rulebook), after which the
current set of Operating Rounds finishes before final scoring.

== Full rules & in-game reference ==

* The complete rulebook PDF is linked from the BGA game page.
* For a dense mid-play lookup (turn-by-turn rules, tables of costs and thresholds), see the in-game '''"How to play?"''' tab, sourced from <nowiki>Gamehelpeighteenroyalgorgerailsoffremont.md</nowiki> in this same directory.