It will be hot winter. One of the most anticipated titles will appear on Kickstarter on December 11!
This title was with us at the beginning when we were getting to know 18xx and even today, when I have to explain 18xx to someone, I often go back to 1889. It is a great merit of the illustrator because the game is beautiful and I can’t wait for what I will see on Kickstarter. I have the impression that the expectation bar is set high because it will not be easy to present something even more interesting and at the same time clear, but Joshua will surely surprise us.
1889 has its pros and cons, just like any title. But if you want to show someone the 18xx system, this is a very good choice. I explained the 18xx rules with 1889 a few times this year. It’s a pity that it is considered as “only to be playing with new players”. This is how it goes in our group. But while writing this text, I had a strong desire to play 1889 only with stagers. Because then it will surely be more interesting and unconventional.
I also had a small talk with Joshua about the trays for this title. He mentioned that perhaps his trays would be similar to ours. By the way, I’m curious what they would like finally. Interestingly, each publisher has his own idea for it, a different size, a different shape. Our trays will also slightly change soon as we are considering the change of opening. Perhaps thanks to this, the extra-low tray will be ready someday. We’ll see …
Funny that when I was getting to know 18xx a few years ago, wooden tokens were a rare addon 🙂
Good luck Joshua and don’t forget the Kickstarter link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/joshuastarr/shikoku-1889
One of my first 18xx games used little buttons instead of wood tokens.
I got the old edition of 1848 with plastic buttons, I created stickers set specially to play the game, but I still have the original buttons somewhere 😉