Davidk42 at 16:21, 8 October 2026

2026-10-08T16:21:09Z

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	= Strategy Tips for 18RoyalGorge =		= 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 ===		=== When each event happens ===

Davidk42: Strategy Tips for 18RoyalGorge

2026-10-08T16:14:32Z

Strategy Tips for 18RoyalGorge

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= 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.

Tips eighteenroyalgorgerailsoffremont - Revision history

Davidk42 at 16:21, 8 October 2026

Davidk42: Strategy Tips for 18RoyalGorge