1822: The Railways of Great Britain — Medium Regional Scenario

1822MRS — Summary

Capitalization type

• Incremental capitalization by default, same as base 1822: the company collects the par price each time one of its shares is actually sold.
• Once the first 6-train is bought (phase 6), majors that float from then on switch to full capitalization.

Starting cash by player count

• 2 players: £750 starting cash
• 3 players: £500 starting cash
• 4 players: £375 starting cash
• 5 players: £300 starting cash
• 6 players: £250 starting cash
• 7 players: £215 starting cash
• The bank always starts with £12,000, same as 1822GB, regardless of player count

End game triggers

• The bank runs out of money: the current full operating round set is finished (or the next operating round, if it happens during a stock round)
• A share price reaches a market cell marked "e" (500e/550e/600e depending on the row): unlike 1822GB (which only has one "e" cell, at 700), MRS has a lower end-game threshold, and the game ends at the next end of an operating round
• Bankruptcy is disabled in this game: it's not an end-game mechanism

Number of phases

• 7 phases (1 through 7), with the same structure as 1822GB (concessions convertible from phase 2, pending concessions close on the first 5-train, full capitalization on the first 6-train, phase-revenue privates close on the first 7-train)

Train list and prices

• L train — £50 (14 units; rusts once the first 3-train is bought; cheaper than 1822GB's £60); convertible into a "2" train for £80 (or £70 from phase 2 onward) before it rusts (own variant, distance 2, £120, available from phase 1, rusts once the first 4-train is bought)
• 3 train — £200 (7 units; rusts once the first 6-train is bought)
• 4 train — £300 (4 units; rusts once the first 7-train is bought)
• 5 train — £500 (2 units; buying it closes all pending concessions)
• 6 train — £600 (3 units; buying it triggers full capitalization for new majors)
• 7 train — £750 (unlimited; express variant "E", unlimited distance, ×2 multiplier, £1,000)
• Special trains granted by privates: 2P (permanent 2-train, free, 2 units), LP (permanent L-train, free, 1 unit), 5P (extra 5-train, £500, 1 unit), P+ (Pullman car, free, 2 units)

List of private companies

• Uses a subset of 15 of 1822GB's 21 privates, with no fixed price (won at auction with limited bidding tokens): P1 (5-train), P2 (removes a small station), P5 (free token in the English Channel), P6 and P7 (mail contracts), P8 (discount on hills/mountains), P9 (declares double cash on hand), P10 (discount on rivers/estuaries), P11 (advances access to the next tile color), P12 (extra tile or additional upgrade), P13 and P14 (Pullman cars), P15 (revenue ×10 per phase), P16 (Tax Haven, never acquired), P18 (swaps an exchange token)
• The optional "Starter" (trims to P1, P2, P5-P14) and "Advanced" (uses P1-P12 instead of the default subset) rules change this list slightly.

List of corporations

• 7 major companies (out of 1822GB's 10), each founded by converting a concession won at auction: London and North Western Railway (LNWR) — London/M38; Great Western Railway (GWR) — London/M38; London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LBSCR) — London/M38; South Eastern & Chatham Railway (SECR) — London/M38; Midland Railway (MR) — J29; Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway (LYR) — G22; South Wales Railway (SWR) — H33 (the Caledonian, North British, and North Eastern from 1822GB are left out, being in Scotland/the north, outside this trimmed map)
• 16 "minor" companies (M7-M21 and M24 from 1822GB's roster): Warrington & Newton (7), Manchester Sheffield & Lincolnshire (8), East Lincolnshire (9), Grand Junction (10), Great Northern (11), Eastern Union (12), Headcorn & Maidstone Junction (13), Metropolitan (14), London Tilbury & Southend (15), Wycombe (16), London & Southampton (17), Somerset & Dorset Joint (18), Penarth Harbour & Dock (19), Monmouthshire Railway & Canal (20), Taff Vale (21), and The Swansea and Mumbles (24)

Game-specific mechanics

• Same engine as 1822GB (simultaneous auction of privates/minors/concessions with limited bidding tokens, minors merging into majors, priority order by cash on hand, initial "L" trains), but on a map trimmed to England and parts of Wales and Scotland
• "Southwest Peninsula" optional rule (2 players only): replaces two random minors with M22 and M23, with a token at D39 (southwest England)
• "Starter" and "Advanced" optional rules that adjust the range of available privates to fit the learning curve

Comparison with 1830

1. Map trimmed from 1822GB, still denser than 1830
1830 covers the northeastern USA on a fixed map. 1822MRS is played on a region of England and parts of Wales and Scotland, trimming the most extreme areas of 1822GB's full map. Compared to 1830, it remains a much denser map in terms of cities.

2. Shorter than 1822GB, in line with 1830
Thanks to the smaller map, an MRS game typically runs 3.5 to 4.5 hours, noticeably shorter than a full 1822GB game and in line with a typical 1830 game among experienced players.

3. Everything is bought at auction: privates, minors, and major "concessions"
In 1830 only the privates go up for initial auction. In 1822MRS, as in 1822GB, every stock round simultaneously auctions privates, "minor" companies (2 shares), and "concessions" to found major companies.

4. Minors merge into majors to create or grow them
This concept doesn't exist in 1830. In 1822MRS, a minor must have operated at least once before it can be absorbed by a major, bringing its already-built track along.

5. Initial "L" trains and conversion to 2-trains
In 1830 the first generation of trains is already the normal 2-city train. In 1822MRS the game starts with special "L" trains (£50, even cheaper than 1822GB) convertible into 2-trains before they rust.

6. Fewer companies than 1822GB, but still more than 1830
With 7 majors and 16 minors possible (versus 1822GB's 10 majors and 24+ minors), MRS scales down from the full map, but still supports far more active entities at once than 1830.