1761: From Canal to Rail
1761: From Canal to Rail Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- Contents
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Setting Up the Game
- 3 Overview
- 4 Map
- 5 Phase A Start Map
- 6 Stock Market
- 7 Corporate Entities
- 8 Game Phases
- 9 Stock Rounds
- 10 Operating Rounds - Phases A-C (Canals)
- 11 Operating Rounds Phases 2-6 (Railways)
- 12 Ending the Game
- 13 Etiquette
- 14 Short Game Variant
- 15 Design Notes
- 17 Easy to Miss Rules
Contents
- 1 game board
- 1 stock market and bank pool board
- 162 canal/track tiles
- 8 major company charters
- 9 minor company charters
- 72 major company share cards
- 30 train cards
- 12 private company cards
- 92 wood tokens
- 48 income markers
- 1 priority deal card
- 3 cards for Phases A, B, and C
- 1 short game phase card
- Players must provide a £12,000 bank
1 Introduction
1761 is a member of the "18xx" series of games. The series is based on 1829, by Francis Tresham. 1761 is set in England in the 18th and 19th centuries. Three to six players represent investors in canal and railway companies, spending their initial capital to buy wholly owned private companies and minor companies and later buying shares in (railway) public companies. The public companies are each controlled by the largest shareholder (its director). Minor companies and public companies lay tiles, and public companies run trains in order to earn money. Public company earnings can be paid out as dividends to shareholders or retained to fund further track and rolling stock. A feature of 1761, as with all the other games in the series, is that the interests of a public company's director and the interests of its shareholders are not identical, so minority shareholders need to be careful in their investments. 1761 is a medium to long length game. Experienced, brisk players can expect to take about four to five hours to complete a game. Novices or more deliberate players might add a few hours to that time.
A short game variant that skips the canal building phases in favor of a faster play time is provided at the end of these rules.
2 Setting Up the Game
Lay the map board and stock market open on the table near the players. Place the share certificates and trains on the indicated board spaces. Each pile of share certificates should be arranged with the director's certificate on top. Place the money, sorted by denomination, and the tiles, sorted by type, by the board. At the start of the game, only the yellow track tiles will be used, but the other tiles should be available for inspection. Place the stock price markers (one per public company) by the board, near the share certificates. Place the company charters nearby. Place the round marker on the space marked "SR" (stock round).
Place the station markers near the board. Use the yellow "1" and "2" boats to create a pool that sums to 16. Create another pool of green boats that sums to 12. The colors are simply a play aid to make this easier and serve no other purpose. Place the Phase B card between these pools. Place the Phase C card to the other side of the 12 boats. Place the blue "4" boats on the other side of the Phase C card. The current phase can be placed in an easily visible area, such as near the round marker on the board.
Each player should have enough room for two or three company charters and about a dozen or so certificates, and a pile of money. Most players will find writing materials and a calculator useful. Appoint a player or players as banker, who will bear responsibility for conducting transactions with the bank. The bank size is unlimited, but £12,000 should suffice for most games.
Distribute the starting capital to each player:
- £300 for 3 players
- £225 for 4 players
- £180 for 5 players
- £160 for 6 players
Place yellow and green tiles on the map, as shown in the "Phase A Start Map". Place the nine minor company markers (numbered 1 to 9) on the map in the indicated places.
Determine seating order and initial priority deal at random or by mutual agreement. The game starts with the first stock round (see section 9.6).
3 Overview
The game proceeds in a series of alternating stock rounds and sets of two operating rounds, beginning with a stock round. During stock rounds, players auction private and minor companies, and buy and sell shares in the public companies.
During operating rounds, private companies earn revenue, the minor and public companies lay track, public companies place station markers, minor companies operate canal routes to earn revenue, public companies operate trains to earn revenue, and purchase more trains.
The game starts in Phase A. The game proceeds to Phase B once 16 boats have been bought and Phase C when 28 boats have been bought. The game proceeds to Phase 2 when the first public company operates. Phases 3, 4, 5 and 6 are triggered by the purchase of new types of trains. See sections 11.7, Purchase Trains, and 8, Phases, for details.
4 Map
The map shows most of England from the South Coast to York. Superimposed on the map is a hex grid to regularise track laying. Coordinates are printed on the edges for reference purposes and postal play. Large circles or solid black dots represent large and small cities respectively. Regions beyond the edge of the map are represented by red areas called "red off-board areas". There are also grey areas on the map which cannot be built upon.
5 Phase A Start Map
The Phase A start map (page 3 of the rulebook) is a graphical diagram showing the yellow and green tiles and the nine minor company markers to place on the map at setup. It also reproduces this table:
| Players | Initial Capital | Certificate Limit (0-2 10-share companies) | Certificate Limit (3-5 10-share companies) | Certificate Limit (6-8 10-share companies) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | £300 | 15 | 18 | 21 |
| 4 | £225 | 11 | 13 | 16 |
| 5 | £180 | 9 | 11 | 13 |
| 6 | £160 | 7 | 9 | 11 |
Bank: Unlimited.
6 Stock Market
The stock market records the current value of public companies, by the position of the company's price marker on the stock market. The stock price is the value of each share in the company, i.e. one fifth or one tenth of the total value of the company.
7 Corporate Entities
There are five classes of corporate entities, called stagecoach private companies, canal private companies, railway private companies, minor companies, and public companies. They are described separately in the following sections. Minor companies and public companies often act in the same way, and the term "company" is used to mean either one. Similarly, the three types of private company often act in the same way, and the term "private company" is used to mean any.
7.1 Private Companies - General
These companies are each represented by a single certificate and are always completely owned by a single player or a public company. The private companies pay a fixed revenue, printed on the certificate, to their owners at the start of each operating round. If owned by a player, the certificate counts towards the number of certificates owned by that player. A public company that owns a private company may not sell it.
7.2 Stagecoach Private Companies
The game includes six stagecoach private companies.
| Name | Face Value | Revenue | Public Company |
|---|---|---|---|
| London to Dover | £25 | £10 | SECR |
| London to Portsmouth | £25 | £10 | LSWR |
| London to Bristol | £50 | £20 | GWR |
| London to Norwich | £50 | £20 | GER |
| London to Manchester | £60 | £25 | LNWR |
| London to York | £60 | £25 | GNR |
A stagecoach private company may not be bought by a company. Instead, during a stock round, a player may use a stagecoach private company as a discount, at face value, towards the purchase of a share in the associated public company. This may be the director's certificate. This action closes the private company.
A stagecoach private company is closed compulsorily at the instant there is a rail (not canal) connection between the two named cities. For the purposes of this rule, station markers do not block and the city circles of major cities (e.g. Birmingham) are connected together. In addition, Liverpool (D2) and Manchester (D4) are considered connected (by the L&M).
7.3 Canal Private Companies
The game includes five canal private companies. Each card shows its revenue by phase (Phases A, B-C, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) and a face value of 3x Revenue.
| Name | Face Value | Revenue | Home hex/hexes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foss Dyke | 3 x Revenue | 10/10/10/5/5/* | Lincoln |
| Great Ouse Navigation | 3 x Revenue | 15/20/15/10/10/5/5 | Kings Lynn and Bedford |
| Nene Navigation | 3 x Revenue | 20/25/20/10/10/5/5 | Peterborough and Northampton |
| Bridgewater Canal | 3 x Revenue | 25/30/30/15/15/10/10 | Liverpool and Manchester |
| Birmingham Canal | 3 x Revenue | 25/35/35/20/20/10/10 | Birmingham |
*The Foss Dyke closes at the beginning of Phase 5.
A canal private company may be bought by a public company from a player for any mutually agreed amount between £1 and its face value (inclusive) from Phase 3 onwards, provided the public company can trace a route from one of its station markers to a home hex of the private (or is co-located). Once bought, replace it with the equivalent income marker(s).
The reverse side of the canal private companies has the same information with larger and higher contrast text.
7.4 Railway Private Company
The game includes one railway private company.
| Name | Face Value | Revenue | Home hexes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liverpool and Manchester Railway | £90 | £30 | Liverpool and Manchester |
This railway private company is not available for auction until Phase C. It may be bought by a public company from a player for any mutually agreed amount between £1 and its face value (inclusive) from Phase 3 onwards, provided the public company can trace a route from one of its station markers to a home hex of the private (or is co-located). During the operating turn of the public company, the public company may place the extra L&M marker in Liverpool or Manchester, free of charge; the company may not place any other marker during that turn. The company is not required to have a connection to the space in Liverpool or Manchester chosen. Subsequently, the L&M marker acts a station marker for that company in the same way as its other station markers.
7.5 Minor Companies
There are up to nine minor companies in the game, numbered 1 to 9.
They represent the major canal companies of the canal age. Each is represented by a charter, which also represents a single share certificate, and once sold is always completely owned by a single player or a public company. Each charter shows its boat cost (£40, maximum 6 boats), home hex, face value (3x Revenue), minimum bid (£100), and its operating round actions: lay/upgrade track; run boats; split dividends; buy boats (from bank or minor). It always pays 50% dividend to the company.
From Phase 3 onwards, minor companies may be bought by public companies in the same manner as canal private companies. Their face value is three times their current revenue. Once bought, replace it with the equivalent income marker(s).
7.6 Public Companies
There are up to eight public companies in the game.
| Name | Home hex | Destination hex | Subsidiary Station |
|---|---|---|---|
| Great Eastern Railway | London (E) | Norwich | |
| Great Northern Railway | London (NE) | Doncaster | Nottingham |
| Great Western Railway | London (W) | Bristol | Bristol |
| Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway | Leeds (W) | Hull | |
| London and North Western Railway | London (NW) | Liverpool | Wolverhampton |
| London and South Western Railway | London (SW) | South West |
Each has a director's certificate, worth 40% or 20% (two shares), and three or eight ordinary certificates each worth 20% or 10% (one share each). The director is always the player with most shares, and if another player owns more than the current director, they swap two of their ordinary certificates for the director's certificate. The director makes all decisions on behalf of the public company. Shares in public companies may not be bought until Phase C.
The public company's charter is not a share certificate, merely a convenient place to put its assets.
If a public company's stock price marker falls below £50, the company is closed and its shareholders receive no compensation. Place trains owned by the company in the bank pool. Discard private companies and income markers owned by the company. Return its share certificates to the marked board space and place the stock price marker and station markers nearby (except for its home station marker, which remains on the map). The public company is available to be restarted later in the game.
8 Game Phases
- The game starts in Phase A. During Phase A
- Yellow tiles are available
- Minor companies may perform one tile operation per operating turn
- Public company shares (and the railway private company) may not be purchased/auctioned
- Red off-board areas may not be used
- Phase B starts once 16 boats have been bought:
- Yellow and green tiles are available
- Phase C starts once 28 boats have been bought:
- Companies may perform up to two tile operations per turn
- Public company shares (and the railway private company) may be purchased/auctioned
- Phase 2 starts immediately before the first public company operates. At the start of Phase 2, halve and freeze the earnings of all minor companies. Discard the minor companies' treasuries to the bank. Reset the board for Phase 2 (see section 11.8). During Phase 2:
- Yellow and green tiles are available
- Red off-board areas count the lowest value
- 5-share companies may own no more than three trains
- 10-share companies may own no more than four trains
- Phase 3 starts on the purchase of the first 3-train. At the start of Phase 3, all minor company revenue is halved (rounding up). During Phase 3:
- Yellow and green tiles are available
- Red off-board areas count the lowest value
- Private and minor companies can be purchased from a player for any mutually agreed amount between £1 and its face value (inclusive)
9 Stock Rounds
A stock round consists of a series of turns, starting with the holder of the priority deal card and usually proceeding clockwise. The game begins with the auction of the stagecoach private companies; on each turn thereafter, the player may sell any number of certificates, subject to the constraints set out below, and then may either buy one certificate of a public company, auction a private company, or auction a minor company. A player doing none of these is deemed to pass. The stock round ends only when all players pass consecutively. Thus, a player selling, buying, or auctioning stock is guaranteed another turn in the current round. At the end of a stock round, the priority deal card is given to the player to the left of the last player to buy or sell stock or win an auction in the round. All stock transfers in a stock round are done between a player and the bank. Players may never buy stock directly from one another.
The certificate limit is the maximum number of share certificates that a player may own. Each private company, minor company, and public company share certificate counts toward this total. A director's certificate of a public company only counts as one certificate. In addition, the certificate limit varies with the number of public companies which have converted to 10-share.
| Number of Players | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate Limit (0-2 10-share companies) | 15 | 11 | 9 | 7 |
| Certificate Limit (3-5 10-share companies) | 18 | 13 | 11 | 9 |
| Certificate Limit (6-8 10-share companies) | 21 | 16 | 13 | 11 |
9.1 Public Company Rights Auction
In Phase C and later, if there is at least one director's certificate unsold, before any other stock dealing, there is an auction for the right to buy director's certificates (and therefore, indirectly, the right to start the companies). Starting with the holder of the priority deal and proceeding clockwise, each player may bid on the right to buy the rights to a company or pass. Bids are in multiples of £5 and the minimum bid is £5. The auction ends when all players pass sequentially. The winning bids are paid to the bank. The winners take the appropriate company charters as an indication of their right to buy the director's certificates in the subsequent stock round. This right lapses at the end of the stock round (the right must be re-auctioned in a later stock round in order to buy the director's certificate).
The priority deal card does not move at the end of this auction.
9.2 Selling Stock
To sell stock, the player transfers any number of share certificates from their holdings into the bank pool, subject to the following constraints:
- Private companies may never be sold.
- Minor companies may never be sold.
- Shares in a company which has not yet completed a turn in an operating round may not be sold.
- Director's certificates may never end up in the bank pool, but there is no other limit on how many shares can be in the bank pool.
The player receives, from the bank, the current stock price for each share sold. If, as a result of selling shares, the holdings of a director drops below that of another player (who must own at least two shares of the stock), that other player becomes the new director. If there is more than one eligible player, the new director is the player with the largest holding - or, in the case of a tie, the tying player closest to the outgoing director's left in a clockwise direction. The outgoing director exchanges their director's certificate for two ordinary shares of the affected company belonging to the new director. This exchange occurs before resolving the rest of the sale.
If the director (the outgoing director, if there's a change during the turn) sells shares, the company's stock price drops one space on the stock market. If any player other than the director sells shares in a company, the stock price does not move. If the marker moves to a space on the stock market which is already occupied by other stock market markers, it is placed at the bottom of the pile. The player receives the original price for each of the shares sold. If the player sells shares in more than one company of which they are director in a single turn, they decide in which order to sell them. This will decide the order of companies whose stock market markers drop to the same space.
Any player who exceeds their certificate limit must sell stock as soon as possible, so that they no longer exceed the limit.
9.3 Private Company Auction
During Phases A and B, the active player may elect to offer a new canal private company for auction. To do this, they nominate one of the unsold canal private companies and bid a multiple of £5, at least equal to the face value. In order, players may raise the bid in multiples of £5 or pass. A player may not bid more than their cash holding. Once a bid has been made on a private company, a player who passes may not rejoin the bidding on that private company. Once only one player is left in the bidding, they win the auction. The amount paid goes to the bank. After an auction, the next turn in the stock round is taken by the player next clockwise after the player initiating the auction.
From Phase C onwards, the active player may elect to offer a new railway private company for auction. This is done in the same manner.
9.4 Minor Company Auction
During Phases A and B, the active player may elect to offer an unsold minor company for auction. To do this, they nominate one of the unsold minor companies and bid a multiple of £5, at least £100. In order, players may raise the bid in multiples of £5 or pass. A player may not bid more than their cash holding. Once a bid has been made on a minor company, a player who passes may not rejoin the bidding on that minor company. Once only one player is left in the bidding, they win the auction. The amount paid goes into the company treasury. After an auction, the next turn in the stock round is taken by the player next clockwise after the player initiating the auction.
9.5 Buying Stock
To buy stock, the player whose turn it is transfers one certificate from the bank or the bank pool into their own holdings. The director's certificate of the company must be owned by a player. The purchasing player must not already own 60% or more of that company's stock, and must not have sold stock in that company earlier in the same stock round. Only one certificate may be bought per stock turn. The price is paid to the bank. The price for the certificate is the current stock price. Buying stock does not cause the current stock price to change. If, as a result of a share purchase, the player's holding exceeds that of the current director, they become the new director, exchanging the director's certificate for two of their shares.
The active player may purchase the director's certificate of a company provided that the player has acquired the right to start that company (see 9.1). The player first sets the initial price by placing its stock price marker on any of the red-outlined spaces on the stock market (£70 to £120). If the selected space is already occupied, the new marker goes to the bottom of the pile. The cost is twice the initial price, paid to the bank.
A company "floats" after the sale of three shares (60% of the company). Public companies always start as 5-share. At this point, the other two shares are placed in the bank pool, and the company receives its initial start capital, equal to five times its initial price, and two station markers (in addition to the home station marker which is already on the map).
A player at the certificate limit may not buy stock or offer a private company or minor company for auction.
9.6 First Stock Round
At the start of the first stock round, the stagecoach private companies must be auctioned. They are auctioned in the same manner as the other private companies.
Prior to the sale of the last stagecoach private company, the players may only bid on a stagecoach private company or pass. If all the players pass before the sale of the last stagecoach private company, proceed to a pair of operating rounds, and then continue to auction the stagecoach private companies in the next stock round.
After the sale of all the stagecoach private companies, the canal private companies and the minor companies may be auctioned as normal.
9.7 Ending the Stock Round
The stock round ends when all players pass consecutively. The round marker is moved to the next operating round space.
Unlike in many other 18xx games, nothing special happens when a company is fully sold.
10 Operating Rounds - Phases A-C (Canals)
The game is divided into two parts. Phases A through C represent the time when the canal companies operated. Starting with Phase 2 and running until the end of the game, railways are the focus. Railway operation is explained in section 11.
Throughout the game, there are always two operating rounds between stock rounds.
During Phases A through C, in each operating round, every private company and open minor company operates once. The private companies operate first, by paying their revenue to their owners. Minor companies then operate in ascending numerical order.
When a minor company operates, it performs the following activities. Most are optional, but if done they must occur in this order.
- Optionally lay or upgrade track
- Calculate earnings and distribute dividends, if any
- Optionally purchase boats
10.1 Minor Company Routes and Laying Track
Several steps related to establishing routes for the canal and railway companies share the same rules. These rules are explained in sections 11.1 and 11.2.
10.2 Calculate Minor Company Earnings
Minor companies operate boats by tracing a route that crosses no more hex sides than the number of boats it owns. The value of the route is the sum of all the small and large cities it reaches on that route.
Example. Minor #1 has four boats. It has a route from Birmingham, through its home in Wolverhampton, and to the #2's home in Stoke-on-Trent. This route only requires three boats, but it cannot pass through minor #2's station to use the fourth boat. #1's earnings following this route are: £30 + £30 + £20 = £80. Half this amount is paid to the company's treasury and the other half is paid to the owning player.
10.3 Distribute Minor Company Earnings
Minor companies pay half of their earnings to their owner and the other half is placed in the minor company's treasury.
10.4 Purchase Boats
While a minor company has fewer than six boats, it may buy a boat. Boats are bought one at a time by the operating minor company. The boat may be from another company, with its director's consent; the price is any amount, at least £1 and not exceeding the active company's treasury. Otherwise, boats are bought from the bank.
Each boat costs £40 from the bank, and adds one more hex range to the route the minor company can potentially operate.
Treat boats like a currency and make change with any entity as needed. The company may buy multiple boats each operating round if it has the room and resources.
11 Operating Rounds Phases 2-6 (Railways)
There are two operating rounds between stock rounds. In each operating round, every private company, open minor company, and floated public company operates once.
The private companies and minor companies operate first, by paying their revenue to their owners. Public companies that have income markers or own the railway private company receive their income.
The public companies operate next, in descending order of stock price. If the stock market markers of two or more public companies are on the same space on the stock market, the one on top operates first. When a company operates, it performs the following activities. Most are optional, but if done they must occur in this order.
- Optionally lay or upgrade track
- Optionally convert to 10-share
- Optionally place one station marker
- Run train(s), if any, to establish earnings
- Distribute dividends, if any
- Optionally purchase train(s)
These activities are described in the next sections. In addition, from Phase 3 onwards, a public company may buy one or more private companies or minor companies at any point during its turn. The price paid is any mutually agreed amount between £1 and its face value. When buying a canal private company, take income markers equal to the current revenue of the private company and discard the certificate; similarly, with a minor company, take the income markers and discard the charter. All decisions made on behalf of the company are made solely by its director.
At the end of each operating round, the round marker is moved, following the arrows, to the next space.
11.1 Routes
A route of a company is a continuous track segment, including on it at least one city with a station marker on it belonging to the company. It may not reach or pass through any small or large city or red off-board area more than once. It may not pass through any city completely filled with station markers belonging to other companies. It may not use any segment of track more than once.
Only public companies may visit red off-board areas. If a route visits a red off-board area (except Harwich) it must terminate there.
For cities such as London, which have two or more separate disconnected spaces, a route may not include two or more such spaces.
11.2 Lay or Upgrade Track
The active company may, per operating turn, lay a yellow tile or upgrade one yellow, green, or brown tile or map hex to green, brown, or grey respectively when available. Each tile operation costs a minimum of £10. For an additional fee of £10, a company may do a second tile operation in a different hex. From Phase 4 onwards, for an additional fee of £10, a company may do a third tile operation in a different hex. All two or three operations may be upgrades but they must all be in different hexes. Minor companies pay for tiles in the same manner.
Green tiles are available from Phase B, brown tiles from Phase 4, and grey tiles from Phase 6. The supplied quantity of yellow track is intended to be sufficient for most games; if it runs out more should be constructed. The tile mix of all other track is intended to limit play. If a vital tile is in play, then it must first be upgraded in order to free it.
When laying a yellow tile, it must be placed on and aligned with one of the pale green hexes on the map. While there is no track in the company's home hex, the company may lay any suitable city tile there, and may not lay a tile anywhere else. Otherwise, the track on the tile must extend a route of the company. Track laid may not run off the hex grid or into the blank side of a red or grey area, nor may it run into an impassable hex-side shown by a thick blue line.
If the hex is labelled with a sum of money, representing difficult terrain, the public company must immediately pay that sum to the bank instead of the normal £10; a minor company pays half the sum.
If the map hex is marked with a large open circle, representing a large city, then so must the tile. If the map hex is marked with a dot representing a small city, then a tile with a bar must be used. If the map hex does not contain a dot or open circle, then plain track (i.e. track without a city) must be used.
When upgrading track, the old tile is removed (and is available for reuse) and the new tile substituted. Plain track, small city, normal city, and special city tiles must be replaced with corresponding tiles. Track segments on the old tile must be represented, in the same orientations, on the new one. New track on the tile may not run off the hex grid or into the blank side of a red or grey area, nor may it run into an impassable hex-side shown by a thick blue line. For all upgrades, at least some part of the track (not necessarily a new part) on the new tile must be part of a route of the company. If the tile has one or more station markers on it, those are replaced on the new tile. There is no extra charge for upgrading track in difficult terrain.
The board already contains a number of hexes on which yellow track is printed. These hexes should be treated as though a yellow tile has been placed there already; yellow tiles may not be built there, but such hexes may be upgraded.
When upgrading London to green, ensure that the GER home is aligned eastwards towards the grey hex (containing Chatham).
11.3 Convert to 10-Share
A 5-share public company may, at its director's discretion, convert to a 10-share company providing it can trace a route from its home station marker to its destination hex (see 9.1, routes). The procedure is as follows:
- Place the other five shares in the bank pool
- The director may buy one of these shares (at the current stock price)
- The company receives five times its current stock price from the bank
- The company receives two more station markers (one of which may, of course, be placed this OR)
From this point, each share receives 10% of the dividend.
11.4 Place Station Marker
A public company may place one of its station markers each operating round on a vacant large city space which is part of a route of the company. No more than one station marker of any public company may be placed in any hex. Once placed, station markers may never be moved. Each public company has five station markers (but only three as a 5-share), but minor companies only have one. Placing additional station markers costs £10 times the distance between the company's nearest existing station marker and the new site. The distance is measured in hexes without regard to track.
Certain companies have the ability to place a subsidiary station marker on a specific city for a cost of £40, without the requirement of it being on a route. This may be done at any point in the company's turn (including before laying track). The company may not place another station marker in the same turn. One space on each of these cities are reserved for those companies and must be left open until they place a station marker there (even if they no longer have any station markers left to place).
This subsidiary station marker behaves like a home hex token and the company may lay track from the marker.
11.5 Calculate Earnings
If a public company has one or more trains, it runs them to establish earnings. Each train runs on a separate route. These routes may not share any track segments, but they may meet or cross at cities or red off-board areas. For 2+ and 3+ trains, the route may include no more large cities and red off-board areas than the number of the train; intermediate small cities do not count toward the number of the train, but do add to the value of the route. For 4, 5, and 6 trains, small cities are optional (i.e. they may be skipped) but large cities may not be skipped; only non-skipped cities on the route count towards the value of the route (no more than the number of the train). A route may start and/or end at a small city.
The value of a route is normally equal to the sum of the values of the non-skipped cities or red off-board areas it passes through or reaches. The value of a city is the number printed in the small circle, and ranges from £10 to £100. The value of a red off-board area is one of the numbers printed in the rectangle; the lowest value in Phases 2 and 3, the second value in Phases 4 and 5, and the highest value in Phase 6 (see section 8, Phases).
The earnings of a public company is the sum of the values of the routes run by its trains. The highest legal earnings announced by any player must be declared, but players are not obliged to announce earnings higher than those declared by the director.
Each train must include at least two cities or red off-board areas on its route.
11.6 Distribute Earnings
A minor company pays half of its earnings to its owner and the other half to the company treasury.
A public company may keep all of its earnings, pay all of its earnings as dividends, or pay half (rounded up to the next multiple of £10, as necessary) and keep the rest. 20% of the dividend is paid to the holder of each share of a 5-share company, and 10% of the dividend is paid to the holder of each share of a 10-share company. Payments for shares in the bank pool are lost.
If the public company keeps all of its earnings, or if the earnings are zero, its price marker is moved one space down on the stock market. If ten times the dividend per share is at least equal to the current stock price, the price marker is moved one space up. If the company is 10-share, and ten times the dividend per share is at least equal to twice the current stock price, the price marker is moved two spaces up instead. In any case, if the price marker moves to a space which is already occupied, the marker goes to the bottom of the pile; if the marker does not move to a new space, it retains its position relative to the other markers in the same space.
Example 1. The LNWR is 5-share with a stock price of £100. It earns £150 and pays half. The company receives £75 and the dividend is £15 per share. Since 10*£15 is at least equal to £100, the stock price rises one space.
Example 2. The LYR is 10-share with a stock price of £120. It earns £470 and pays half. The company receives £230 and the dividend is £24 per share. Since 10*£24 is at least equal to 2*£120, the stock price rises two spaces.
11.7 Purchase Trains
While a company has fewer trains than the current limit, it may purchase a train. The train may be from another company, with its director's consent; the price is any amount, at least £1 and not exceeding the active company's treasury. The train may be any from the bank pool, or the cheapest new train in the bank; the price paid must be the face value.
The company may buy multiple trains each operating round if it has the room and resources, but the effects of each purchase apply immediately after each is bought. A company currently below its train limit may purchase a train even if this triggers a phase change which causes the company to be over limit. Conversely, if the company currently has as many trains as the current limit, it may not buy a new train even if this would trigger a phase change to bring it within limit. If the purchase of a train lowers the train limit, companies with too many trains discard the excess into the bank pool without compensation. If more than one company has excess trains, they decide which to discard in operating order.
Obsolescent trains may not be purchased between companies, nor do they count toward the train limit.
If the public company has no train at the end of its operating turn, its price marker on the stock market is moved one space down (in addition to any previous movement based on dividend payment).
| Train | Cost | Number | Rusted by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2+ | £100 | Unlimited (10 provided) | 4 |
| 3+ | £200 | 5 | 6 |
| 4 | £400 | 4 | Permanent |
| 5 | £500 | 3 | Permanent |
| 6 | £600 | Unlimited (8 provided) | Permanent |
At the end of the operating round during which the first 2+ was bought, remove the remaining 2+ trains - the next train available will be a 3+.
11.8 Starting Phases 2, 3, and 5
At the start of Phase 2, before the first public company operates, perform the following actions:
- Calculate the current earnings of each minor company which operated this round. Place income markers equal to half the earnings in the minor company. This will be the fixed income the minor company provides its owner. Put any cash in the minor company treasuries into the bank. Remove the boat tokens.
- Remove all tiles from the map, except for Birmingham, Bristol, Liverpool, London, and Manchester. If those cities have not been upgraded to green tiles, do that now.
- Place the normal (non-"Phase A/B/C") "BLM" green tile on Leeds.
- Place the home station markers of the public companies on the map.
From now on, minor companies pay a fixed income to their owners in the same manner as the private companies. At the beginning of Phase 3, player-owned minor company's income markers are halved and the sum of the income markers owned by a public company are halved (rounded up to the nearest £5 in both cases); the same thing happens at the beginning of Phase 5. The minor company station markers may be left on the map, but they no longer occupy city spaces (and so cannot block routes).
12 Ending the Game
The game ends at the end of an operating round when a company's stock price marker exceeds the dashed red line on the stock market.
Each player's total wealth is the value of their stock, at current prices, plus their cash on hand. Private and minor companies are worth face value (the face value of a minor company is three times its current earnings). Company assets, including treasury and trains, count for nothing. The richest player wins.
13 Etiquette
Players should attempt to speed play as much as possible. Determining what share to buy, and which tile(s) to lay should preferably be done in other players' turns. The banker especially should remain alert at all times. All personal and corporate assets are public knowledge, and must be disclosed to any player on request. Assets should be kept neatly so that the need for explicit requests is minimised.
14 Short Game Variant
The following is a variant for those who want a shorter game, or one without building canals. The rules from the main game apply with the following changes.
14.1 Setup
Set up the board as in the start of Phase 2: the six major cities in green (including Bristol), but no other track. Place the Short Game start card on the board over the phase chart. Place the home tokens of the eight public companies. The minor company tokens can also be placed (for information only). The tile marked "Phase A/B/C" is not used.
Starting capital is:
- £600 for 3 players
- £450 for 4 players
- £360 for 5 players
- £320 for 6 players
Place income markers on the minor companies:
- #7, #8 & #9 = £50
- #1, #2 & #4 = £60
- #3, #5 & #6 = £70
14.2 Initial Round Sequence
First Stock Round. The game starts in Phase A (20 items are available - not the L&M). Play a "switchback" start e.g. player order 1-2-3-4-4-3-2-1-1-2-3-4-4-3-2-1, etc. Each turn, a player may purchase something at face value or pass.
Face value for minor companies (in SR1 only) is two times their income. Items may be bought in any order. At the end of the round, priority goes to the left of the last purchaser.
First Operating Round. No tiles are laid. Pay out as Phase A, but the income paid by the minors is halved (£25, 30, or 35).
Second Operating Round. No tiles are laid. Pay out as Phase B, and the income paid by the minors is full (£50, 60, or 70).
First Auction Round. Phase C starts. Auction the rights to the public companies.
Second Stock Round. Railway shares may be bought. L&M is available.
Third Operating Round. Pay out the private and minor companies as Phase C, then the public companies operate in Phase 2. Then continue as in the standard game. Note: the minor company incomes are not halved.
15 Design Notes
1761 is a medium size "18xx" game, with a small "17xx" game attached to the beginning. Consequently, it may take a little longer than normal to finish. The design was influenced by certain features of 1826 and 1846.
Through the 17th and 18th centuries, various English rivers were improved for navigation, since the transport of goods by road was inefficient. 1761 saw the opening of the first "modern" canal in Britain; the Bridgewater Canal linked some coal mines (owned by the Duke of Bridgewater) with the growing new city of Manchester. By 1773, it had built a branch to the Mersey at Runcorn, thus linking Manchester with the port of Liverpool. The engineer, James Brindley, conceived a plan - the "Grand Cross" - to link the four major rivers of England (Thames, Severn, Trent, and Mersey) by canal, and thus link the industrial Midlands with the main ports of London, Bristol, Liverpool, and Hull.
Brindley built the Trent and Mersey (1777) which linked the Bridgewater Canal with the River Trent near Derby. Backers included industrialists like Josiah Wedgewood, whose pottery factory in Stoke-on-Trent needed a more reliable method of transport.
The Trent and Mersey was linked to the River Severn (at Stourport) by the Staffs & Worcs Canal (1772). The Birmingham Canal (1772) linked that important city to the network. The final piece of the Grand Cross was the Oxford Canal; this ran into financial difficulties and only completed the final section to Oxford in 1790. It relied on the Coventry Canal (1789) to make the northern link to the Trent and Mersey.
The first major improvement to this network was the opening of the Grand Junction Canal (1805). This avoided the much longer route from London to the Midlands via Oxford. It joins the Oxford Canal south of Rugby at Braunston.
Leicester was connected to the Trent via the Soar Navigation. The Leics and Northants Canal (1809) started south from Leicester with the intent of reaching Northampton but only reached Market Harborough. It was linked to the Grand Junction by the Old Grand Union Canal in 1810.
The Kennet and Avon Canal (1810) was more successful, linking Newbury with Bath and therefore providing an inland route between London and Bristol.
Conceived during the Napoleonic Wars as a safer link between the capital and Britain's primary naval base, the Wey and Arun Canal (1824) was completed long after the wars were over and consequently was not a great success.
In the north, the Rochdale Canal (1804) linked Manchester with Leeds using many locks to climb over the Pennines. The Huddersfield Canal (1811) chose instead to use a long tunnel. The Leeds and Liverpool Canal (1816) used a more northerly route through the Skipton Gap, and connected several industrial towns to the network.
These canals, and the many more which followed, were a crucial ingredient for the success of the First Industrial Revolution (1780-1830). The advent of the railways in the 1830s did not initially push the canals into decline, but it did reduce their profitability. It was the stagecoach business which was unable to compete. By 1850, the backbone of the rail network was complete, linking all the major cities of England and Scotland. In contrast to the canal age, the railway age saw considerable technological improvement, with the size and speed of trains steadily increasing.
17 Easy to Miss Rules
(The rulebook numbers this section 17; section 16 is the credits, which are not transcribed.)
Private Companies
- Stagecoach Private Companies. Gameplay starts by auctioning the stagecoach private companies. No other companies are available until all of them are sold. These pay a fixed revenue until they are connected by a public company. May be traded for a discount on a public company share, but may not be sold to a public company. This must be done before it is connected to a railway or else it closes with no compensation. After all the stagecoach private companies are bought, canal private companies and minor companies become available.
- Canal Private Companies. Pay variable revenue based on game phase.
- Railway Private Company. The one railway private company becomes available for auction in the Railway Age. It may be bought by a public company that can trace a route to Liverpool or Manchester for £1 to face value from Phase 3. The owning public company may use its one station marker placement per operating turn to place the L&M marker in either city, even without a route to it.
- Minimum bid for a private company is its face value.
Minor Companies
- Are bought during an SR auction like private companies.
- Buy boats at the end of their turn for £40 per boat from the bank and at least £1 from another company. As with public companies, they do not pay out on their first turn.
- Earnings are the sum of all small and large cities on the route. Route may cross a number of hexsides equal to the number of boats (boat limit is 6). Other stations block.
- Minor company income is halved and frozen at the beginning of Phase 2 (thereafter pays full income to its owner). Minor company income is halved two more times during the game (at the start of Phases 3 and 5). All halving is rounded up.
Public Companies
- A public company rights auction is held before each SR starting with Phase C. Players take turns bidding on any director's certificate (at least 5, bid in 5 increment), for right to start public company. The player must start company in next SR or the rights are lost.
- 60% (three shares) are needed to float. Upon floating, place the remaining two shares in the bank pool and give the company 5x its stock price into its treasury.
- All public companies start as 5-share and are converted to 10-share during an operating turn. Upon conversion, the extra five shares are placed in the pool and the company receives 5x the current price. The director only may buy one of these shares.
Stock Round
- Sell then buy [or] auction private company [or] auction a minor company.
- Certificate limit depends on number of 10-share companies and all paper counts toward the limit.
- The public company must have operated to sell.
- No limit on shares pool can hold (may not sell director's certificate).
- Share price drops one space per block of shares sold by the director only.
Operating Round
- Operate private companies (including paying income markers), then minor companies in order, then public companies.
- All private and minor companies (except stagecoaches) can be bought for £1 to face value from Phase 3. Must be able to trace a route to a railway station or be colocated in a hex. Replace with income markers when bought (except L&M).
- Public companies and minors pay £10 per tile laid/upgraded unless paying for other terrain. All may be placements/upgrades, but must be in different hexes.
- Yellow track is unlimited.
- Convert to 10-share: must be able to trace a route from home token to the destination hex, place 5 shares in pool, director may buy one, give company 5x stock price, company has two more station markers
- Subsidiary stations cost £40, need not have a route to another station, behaves like a home hex token.
Trains
- Plus (+) trains count earnings for small cities, but don't count against the train number, normal trains may skip small cities.
- Minors always pay half, but earn nothing on their first OR.
- Public companies may pay full, half, or withhold. Earn and pay out 10x stock price, move up one space. Pay out 20x stock price, move up up two spaces (10-share only).
- Obsolete trains cannot be bought and do not count toward the train limit.
- Companies are not required to have a train, but their stock price moves down a space if a company does not have a train.
- At the end of the operating round during which the first 2+ was bought, discard all remaining 2+ trains: the next train available will be a 3+.
Game End
- The game ends at the end of an OR when a company crosses the dashed line.