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1836Jr56

Designer: David Hecht

The same short, kid-friendly 18xx, this time built from 1856's components.

View on BoardGameGeek → View the rulebook → View on Ludoya →

1. Setting, map and number of players
1830 covers the northeastern USA for 2-6 players. 1836Jr56 shares the same Netherlands-and-Belgium map as its sibling 1836Jr30 (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Brussels, Antwerp...) and the same 2-4 player range, but instead of being built on 1830's system, it's literally built on 1856's rules engine: staged capitalization, loans and nationalization are all present from the start, none of which happens in its 1830-based twin.

2. Three-stage capitalization, not full from the start
In 1830 a company floats at 60% sold and always receives 100% of par value immediately. In 1836Jr56, exactly as in 1856, a company only needs 20% sold to start operating (with capital held in "escrow"), then moves through an incremental capitalization stage, and only reaches full capitalization (100%) in a later phase of the game. Its twin, 1836Jr30, keeps 1830's immediate, full capitalization instead.

3. Nationalization: the MESS, a direct heir of 1856's CGR
This mechanic doesn't exist in 1830 at all. When the first type-6 train is bought, a nationalization event fires that removes tokens from the map and spins up a new state company, the MESS (Maatschappij tot Exploitie van de Staats-Spoorwegen), formed from leftover shares of other companies. It's exactly the same concept as 1856's CGR, just with a Dutch name and setting.

4. Corporate loans, absent from 1830 and from 1836Jr30
Up through phase 6, companies in 1836Jr56 can take out loans to fund themselves — a feature pulled straight from 1856 that doesn't exist in either 1830 or its 1830-based twin.

5. Only four privates, two fewer than 1830, 1856, and 1836Jr30
1830 has six privates, and 1856 also has six (same as 1836Jr30). 1836Jr56 cuts that down to four, going further than the reduction already made in its 1830-based sibling.

6. Régie des Postes: a private that leaves a permanent mark on the map
This private, exclusive to 1836Jr56 (it doesn't exist in 1836Jr30), lets its owning company place a "+20" marker on any city or town: from that point on, every time one of that company's trains passes through it, the location is worth 20 Guilders more, forever. Nothing like this exists among 1830's six privates.

7. Seven operating companies, roughly half of 1856's count
1856 has twelve companies (including the CGR). 1836Jr56 has seven: the six regular companies (as in 1836Jr30) plus the nationalized MESS. 1830, meanwhile, has eight and no national company at all.

8. A fixed certificate limit, not dynamic like in 1856
In 1856 the certificate limit is recalculated after nationalization, based on how many companies remain in play. In 1836Jr56 that limit stays fixed (20/13/10 depending on whether there are 2, 3, or 4 players) regardless of whether nationalization has already happened — a deliberate simplification compared to 1856.

9. Bank and starting cash cut roughly in half, following the same pattern as 1836Jr30
1856 has a $12,000 bank and starting cash of $500/$375/$300/$250 depending on player count. 1836Jr56 cuts both figures nearly in half: a $6,000 bank and starting cash of $450/$300/$225 for 2, 3, and 4 players respectively — the same scale-down that 1836Jr30 already applies to 1830.

10. 1856's trains, with an optional switch to pick a Diesel instead of the type-8 train
1836Jr56's train prices ($100/$225/$350/$550/$700/$1,000 for types 2 through 8) are exactly 1856's, not 1830's. By default the game ends with the type-8 train, just like 1856; but an optional rule replaces it with a $1,100 Diesel using the same $300 trade-in discount from 1830, meant to offer a more familiar ending for groups coming from 1830 or 1836Jr30.

1836Jr56 — Schematic summary (vs 1830)

SETTING

CAPITALIZATION AND LOANS (LIKE 1856, NOT LIKE 1830)

COMPANIES AND PRIVATES

ECONOMY AND TRAINS