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System18

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Steve edited this page Aug 7, 2025 · 38 revisions

Table of Contents

General Information

Rules Highlights

System18 is a format for 18xx microgames. Playtest Feedback Thread (BGG)

  • It is up to the map designer to provide rule differences from the base System18 rules.
  • System18 is expected to be published with two rulesets: Full Capitalization Rules and Incremental Capitalization Rules. These are currently unpublished, but the implementations are generally close to 18Chesapeake and 18Texas. A list of rules differences will be provided later.
  • Game End: Bankruptcy (full capitalization rules), one player remains (incremental capitalization rules), Complete one full set of operating rounds after the final phase has begun (full and incremental capitalization rules)
  • 1846 rules for dealing with bankrupt players' companies if it does not end the game

Map Special Rules

Northeast US (Scott Petersen)

  • Full capitalization rules
  • Add tiles 54, 62, X1-X2
  • Remove tiles 5-6, 12-13, 205-206, 619

France (Scott Petersen)

  • Incremental capitalization rules
  • Add tiles X1, X3-X4

UK Limited (Scott Petersen)

  • Full capitalization rules
  • Remove tiles 12-13, 205-206
  • For the cities that are outlined circles with no fill, when tiles are built in these hexes, the player laying the tile may choose to place it as either a city or plain tile and the hex retains that type for the rest of the game, upgrades are as usual.
  • Trains do not rust based on new train purchases.
  • There is a new tracker for the rusting schedule. At the end of each OR, increment the rusting round tracker. First and second ORs have no effects.
  • At the end of the third OR, the 2-trains rust.
  • At the end of the fourth OR, the 3-trains rust.
  • At the end of the fifth OR, the 4-trains rust.

Twisting Tracks (Scott Petersen)

  • Full capitalization rules
  • Use new 5-train and 6-train (revised rusting)
  • Add new D trains in phases Pink, Purple, Orange, Navy
  • Add tiles X1-X6, 2× 59
  • Remove tiles 1-2, 7-9, 12-13, 23-29, 39-47, 53, 55-56, 61, 69, 205-206
  • Each corporation has three extra "ticket counters." When a company's home hex is upgraded to a 14/15/619 tile, the company that upgrades it must immediately place a ticket counter in that hex as their station marker placement. Ticket counters may be placed in the same hex as a company’s own station marker (maximum one ticket counter and one station marker per company per hex). Ticket counters may also be placed following the rules for placing station markers for $25. Ticket Counters function like tokens (including blocking other companies and operating trains), but each route can only pass through ONE of the company's own ticket counters. Ticket counters can be bypassed if there is an open slot in the city or if the city contains the company's own token.

China Rapid Development (Scott Petersen)

  • Incremental capitalization rules
  • Add tiles X1-X9
  • Remove tiles 12-13, 53, 61, 205-206
  • Corporation value increases one space for each town or city tile company lays/upgrades (may lay 2 yellows or upgrade 1)
  • Corporation must pay half their current market value for each build that contains a town or city (rounded up, move price after each build)
  • If the corporation does not build, its value goes down one space
  • There is no stock price movement for revenue

Poland (Ian Wilson)

  • Partial cap.
  • Extra tiles: Green ‘D’ tile like #12 for Danzig. ’61 Moscow green & brown for Warsaw, plus grey (three slots, value 100). Also, two more #8 tiles, and two grey B tiles (two slots, value 70).
  • Remove tiles #59, #64, #65, #66, #67, #68, #12, #13, #205 & #206.
  • The map is divided into three countries: Russia, Prussia & Austria.
  • Before each SR there is a PR (Parliament Round). In their turn, a player may start an (upwards) auction for the right to start a company in the subsequent SR. Minimum bid $0, bids in multiples of $5. (Use the charters to show the winners.) The round ends when all players pass. Winning bid money is paid to the Bank.
  • The priority does not change during a PR.
  • A player may only buy the presidents certificate of a company if they acquired the rights in the preceding PR.
  • If a player does not buy the presidents certificate, the rights lapse at the end of the SR.
  • Prior to phase 5, a company may not lay a token outside their home country.
  • There is a bonus for running North-South and East-West (see map).
  • If no company is floated during the first stock round, then the game ends immediately at the end of that round.

Britain (Ian Wilson)

Common Rules

  • Partial cap.
  • Mine tokens – place these on the relevant hexes during setup.
  • Before each SR there is a PR (Parliament Round). In their turn, a player may start an (upwards) auction for the right to start a company in the subsequent SR. Minimum bid $0, bids in multiples of $5. (Use the charters to show the winners.) The round ends when all players pass. Winning bid money is paid to the Bank.
  • The priority does not change during a PR.
  • A player may only buy the presidents certificate of a company if they acquired the rights in the preceding PR.
  • If a player does not buy the presidents certificate, the rights lapse at the end of the SR.
  • During its token placement step, if the Company is connected to a hex containing a mine token, the Company may take the token – this incurs no extra cost. Maximum one per Company. Mine tokens are permanent. Provided the Company runs at least one train, the Company’s earnings are increased by an amount (see map).
  • Certain hex-sides incur extra build costs: this must be paid when the link is completed.
  • When upgrading a city, use a tile with as many exits as possible.
  • If a route includes a city/red offboard in Wales and a city outside Wales it gains a bonus (see map).
  • If a route includes a city/red offboard in Scotland and a city outside Scotland it gains a bonus (see map).
  • If a route includes London and a red offboard with a port symbol it gains a bonus (see map).
  • If no company is floated during the first stock round, then the game ends immediately at the end of that round.

North

  • Four majors – one of the majors is new (Pegasus).
  • Extra tiles: Two grey OO tiles (two slots, 6-ways, value 70), two each of #8 and #9, and one #448 (brown plain city K-shape).
  • 2-3 player. Start capital 480/320, cert limit 16/11.
  • Trains: 4x2, 3x3, 2x4, 2x5, 1x6, unlimited 8 (no D).
  • When building or upgrading hexes on the southern edge of the map, it is allowed to point track off the edge (towards the other map).

South

  • Four majors.
  • Extra tiles: One grey OO tile (two slots, 6-ways, value 70), two each of #8 and #9, two #448 (brown plain city K-shape), and one #895 (grey plain city, value 50).
  • Remove tiles #53, #59 & #61.
  • 2-3 player. Start capital 480/320, cert limit 16/11.
  • Trains: 4x2, 3x3, 2x4, 2x5, 1x6, unlimited 8 (no D).
  • When building or upgrading hexes on the northern edge of the map, it is allowed to point track off the edge (towards the other map).

Combined

  • Six majors. Two choose which of two places to place their first token when they first operate – the other place will then be no longer reserved.
  • All majors have 4 tokens – 4th token costs 100.
  • Extra tiles: As North and South together, plus one each of #23, #24, and #25.
  • 3-5 player. Start capital 420/315/250, cert limit 16/12/10.
  • Trains: 6x2, 4x3, 3x4, 3x5, 2x6, unlimited 8 (no D). Also unlimited 4D (cost 1000): these run as a D, count 4 stations (one of which must have a token of the Company) and double income (including all bonuses, except mine); available after purchase of first 8.
  • If a Company wishes to lay a yellow tile which has “run out”, it may – as part of its tile lay action – upgrade a relevant tile to green and then lay the yellow tile. The upgrade must otherwise be legal in all respects.

North Italy (Ian Wilson)

  • Partial cap, except use 2D stock chart with full cap share movement rules and special zones.
  • Extra tiles: grey tiles for Turin, Milan & OO, plus one each of #513 and #895. Also, two more #8 tiles.
  • Remove tiles #12, #13, #205 & #206.
  • 2-4 player. Start capital 480/320/240, cert limit 20/13/10.
  • Trains: 5x2, 4x3, 3x4, 2x5(cost 450), 1x6, 1x8, unlimited D. 5 rusts 3 & D rusts 5.
  • The map is divided into four regions.
  • Before each SR there is a PR (Parliament Round). In their turn, a player may start an (upwards) auction for the right to start a company in the subsequent SR. Minimum bid $0, bids in multiples of $5. (Use the charters to show the winners.) The round ends when all players pass. Winning bid money is paid to the Bank.
  • The priority does not change during a PR.
  • A player may only buy the presidents certificate of a company if they acquired the rights in the preceding PR.
  • If a player does not buy the presidents certificate, the rights lapse at the end of the SR.
  • Prior to phase 5, a company may not lay a token outside their home region.
  • No half-pay, no double-jump, any payout to move right (as full cap rules).
  • A company may, as its last action in the OR, issue its shares to the Pool. This drops the price down one space per share sold. This cannot be done on its first operating turn (except for EMR).
  • EMR: issuing shares drops the price one space per share sold.
  • If a player goes bankrupt, they drop out of the game with a score of zero, and the game continues. Their remaining assets are sold to the Pool (in this special case, presidencies and over 50% can be in the Pool); this money is given to the company in EMR and must be used to buy a train if possible.
  • If bankruptcy causes another player to become director of the company in EMR, the new director must carry on with the EMR process.
  • Cert limit does not change with a bankruptcy.
  • If no company is floated during the first stock round, then the game ends immediately at the end of that round.
  • Game end is triggered by the purchase of the first D-train (not 8).

Mississippi (Ian Wilson)

  • Full cap.
  • Extra tiles: grey tile for B (2 slots, 4 exits), two #895, plus three more of #8 and one more #9 tiles.
  • Remove tiles #12, #13, #205 & #206.
  • Trains: 4x2, 3x3, 3x4, 2x5(cost 450), 2x6, 2x8, unlimited D. D rusts 5.
  • Bank size: $8000.
  • Setup: randomly select five out of the nine companies. Place their home tokens and destination tokens on the map.
  • Each company has a destination (see map). Their third token is not available until the company does its ‘destination run’ (see below).
  • At the beginning of the game, after setup but before SR1, there are a series of auctions to determine seating order. Minimum bid $0, bids in multiples of $5. Winning bid money is paid to the Bank.
  • Maximum one new train per company per OR.
  • The 8-trains become available once the first 6 has been bought, Similarly, the D-trains become available once the first 8 has been bought.
  • EMR: a company may buy a more expensive train if more than one kind is available.
  • Once per game, in its operating turn, a corporation may do a ‘destination run’ (after laying track and before laying a token). The run must have one train running a route which includes its home station and its destination hex. The destination hex is doubled (for this train only). Other trains (if any) run as normal. The earnings may either be paid out as dividends or withheld; in either case, the share price does not move.
  • Game end is triggered by the purchase of the first D-train.
  • The final set of rounds is a triple.
  • Alternatively, the game end can be triggered by the bank busting. Finish the current set of operating rounds. Ignore the bank busting if a D-train is bought before the end of the set.

Rules Clarifications

  • None

Implementation Notes

  • Mississippi map: To make the implementation easier, players cannot pass on first player, second player, etc auctions if no-one has bid yet.

Open Issues

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