Steam over Holland

1. Setting, map and number of players
1830 covers the northeastern USA for 2-6 players. Steam Over Holland moves the action to the Netherlands for 2-5 players, with a map full of dikes, canals and polders: crossing many water edges costs a flat 50-Guilder toll, a constant expense that doesn't exist the same way in 1830.

2. A fixed-length game: exactly 10 operating rounds
In 1830 the game runs until the bank runs dry or the last available train is bought. In Steam Over Holland the length is fixed from the start: 5 cycles of one stock round plus 2 operating rounds each (10 operating rounds total), and the game always ends when operating round 5.2 finishes, no matter what's happening with trains or money.

3. A second end trigger: hitting the top of the market
Besides the fixed-round ending, if a company's stock reaches the very top of the market (360 Guilders) the game ends right there too. The bank, meanwhile, holds practically unlimited money (99,999 Guilders): it's never the bank that ends the game, unlike in 1830.

4. Bankruptcy doesn't exist
In 1830 a company (and, ultimately, a player) can go bankrupt. In Steam Over Holland bankruptcy is disabled entirely: before a company can run out of cash for a mandatory train, it must issue new shares to the market to raise funds. This safety valve means no one can ever actually go bankrupt.

5. Seven privates, but only as many are used as there are players
In 1830 there are always six privates in play. Steam Over Holland has seven in total, but at the start of the game only as many as there are players are drawn at random (in a 2-player game, for instance, only 2 of the 7 will be in play). They're also not bought through a money auction like 1830's: players pick them in turn from a list, and if everyone passes on the cheapest one, it's simply removed from the game.

6. The floating threshold rises with every train phase
In 1830 every company always floats at 60% sold. In Steam Over Holland that threshold starts at 20% in phase 2 and climbs to 30%, 40%, 50%, and 60% each time the first train of a new type is bought — applying to every company that hasn't floated yet. On top of that, capitalization is incremental: the treasury only receives the money actually paid for shares sold, not 100% of par value as in 1830.

7. Two tile lays per turn, not one
In 1830 each company usually gets a single tile action per operating round. In Steam Over Holland, by contrast, each company gets two: an initial lay-or-upgrade, plus a second additional one (which can't reuse the same hex as the first).

8. A stock market that protects the price unless the president sells
In 1830 any share sale drops the price one space, no exceptions. In Steam Over Holland, some cells in the upper part of the market mean the price doesn't drop at all (or drops by at most one or two spaces) when the seller is a shareholder who isn't the president — the price only falls normally when the president themselves is the one selling.

9. A third rung on the dividend ladder
In 1830 a share price only goes up (on a full dividend) or down (on a withheld one). Steam Over Holland adds a middle step: paying a dividend below the current share price leaves the price unchanged; only a dividend that matches or exceeds the price moves it up one space, and one that's double the price or more jumps it up two spaces at once.

10. Privates with recurring bonuses tied to historic ferries
None of 1830's six privates gives a permanent discount on train purchases or a recurring route bonus. In Steam Over Holland, Werkspoor gives its owner a 10% discount on every train bought from the bank, and the two historic ferries — Enkhuizen-Stavoren (across the old Zuiderzee) and Vlissingen-London — add +20 Guilders every time a route uses their specific hex, round after round.

Steam Over Holland — Schematic summary (vs 1830)

SETTING AND LENGTH

• The Netherlands, 2-5 players; a map with many water tolls (50 Guilders to cross)
• Fixed length: 5 stock-round cycles + 2 operating rounds each (10 ORs total), always ends after OR 5.2
• Alternate ending: a company reaches the top of the market (360 Guilders)
• Practically unlimited bank (99,999 Guilders); never the end trigger

PRIVATES AND FLOATING

• 7 privates total, but only as many are used as there are players, drawn at random and picked in turn (not auctioned for cash)
• Rising float threshold: 20% → 30% → 40% → 50% → 60%, tied to train phase
• Incremental capitalization (only the money actually paid, not 100% of par value)

OPERATIONS AND BANKRUPTCY

• Two tile lays per company per turn (not one)
• Bankruptcy doesn't exist: mandatory share issuance before running out of cash

MARKET AND DIVIDENDS

• Protected upper market zones: the price only drops normally if the president sells
• Dividend below share price = price unchanged; dividend ≥ 2x share price = price jumps two spaces

NOTABLE PRIVATES

• Werkspoor: 10% discount on every train bought from the bank
• Enkhuizen-Stavoren and Vlissingen-London ferries: recurring +20 Guilders on every route using their hex