1822: The Railways of Great Britain — Medium Regional Scenario

1822MRS (Medium Regional Scenario) uses exactly the same rules engine as 1822: The Railways of Great Britain (see that entry for the full detail on auctions, minors, mergers, and phases). What changes is the scope of the map and the length of the game.

1. Reduced map: England and parts of Wales and Scotland
Instead of the full map of Great Britain from 1822GB, the MRS is played on a smaller region covering England and parts of Wales and Scotland, trimming off the most extreme areas of the north and southwest. Compared to 1830, it's still a map denser in cities, but much more manageable than the full 1822.

2. Shorter game: 3.5-4.5 hours
Thanks to the reduced map, an MRS game typically lasts between 3.5 and 4.5 hours, noticeably less than a full 1822GB game and in line with the usual length of an 1830 game among experienced players.

3. Fewer companies in play
With fewer hexes and cities available, the number of minors and majors that end up floating is lower than in 1822GB, although the auction mechanism (simultaneous privates + minors + concessions) is identical.

4. Same minor and merger rules as 1822GB
Minors still start at a fixed price of 50 in phase 1 and at a price determined by the bid from phase 2 onward, and can merge into a major that traces an unblocked route to them, exactly as in 1822GB. The difference from 1830 (where this concept doesn't exist) is the same as described in the 1822GB entry.

5. Trains and phases identical to 1822GB
The same initial "L" trains convertible to 2-trains and the same numbered phase progression are used, unlike 1830 where the first generation of trains is already the standard 2-city train.

In summary: the MRS is a way to play 1822 with all its differences from 1830 (simultaneous auctions, mergeable minors, L trains, priority by cash on hand) but in a shorter format and a smaller map than the full 1822GB.

1822MRS — Schematic summary (vs 1830)

SETTING

• Regional map: England + parts of Wales and Scotland (a subset of 1822GB)
• 3.5-4.5 hour game, shorter than the full 1822GB

RULES ENGINE

• Identical to 1822GB: simultaneous auctions of privates/minors/concessions, minors mergeable into majors, initial "L" trains, numbered phases, priority by cash on hand
• See the 1822GB entry for the full detail of every difference from 1830

SCALE

• Fewer active companies than 1822GB due to the reduced map
• Length closer to a standard 1830 game than the full 1822GB