We decided to do a small promo of all AAG games before the Kickstarter starts. We allowed all designers to prepare some stories about their games and publish them with new graphic designs. We hope this way you will know the games a little better and you will know what to buy for sure.
Today: 1822PNW by Kenneth Kuhn.
Our questions list:
What is the length of the game?
1822PNW has a standard length game and a short game variant in the box. The standard game has a very similar length to ’22MX and veteran players can expect to play it in 4-5 hrs once they are familiar with the game. The short game variant takes its inspiration from MRS and can be played in 3-4 hrs.
What is the best number of players?
I personally like it best at 4-player, but it works great at 3-player and 5-player as well. 5-player can feel very cutthroat as there are always less minor available in the SR than their are players, it’s very hard to get a good deal on a minor. 3-player tends to feel like you have a lot more options and flexibility to run a TON of minors, which can be super fun!
Is it working with 2 players?
There will be rules for setting up a 2-player game in the rulebook and it has a very similar 2-player feel as other ’22 games.
Are there other titles similar to the game?
1822PNW is an obvious descendent of the 1822 family. I like to think of it as a rebellious grandchild with a chip on their shoulder. 1822PNW builds on the great foundation of the system, which series fans will love, but also provides some fresh new perspective that may even entice those who’ve never found a place in their heart for other ’22 titles.
The train rush – how fast is the train race? Is it always the trains we buy are running at least once, have there been games in which they did not manage to run even once!
The train roster in ’22PNW is the same as ’22MX, so similar to other ’22 games, the 2T’s seem to stick around for a while and then once the 4T’s come out, the 7/E trains are right around the corner.
Private companies – how much this part of the game is interesting for the players?
Private companies are a big deal in ’22 games, so I really wanted to double down on making the privates special for ’22PNW. In ’22PNW, half the privates are old faithfuls like the Permanent L and 2 trains, dit crushers, and some of the ’22MX favorites like the port tiles and building cube privates. But the other half are completely new and very closely tied to the history of the PNW. My personal favorites are a duo of privates that are tied to the new Timber mechanic in ’22PNW. The Timber mechanic adds revenue to standard trains that run through timber hexes on the board, the “Timber Baron” private doubles the value of those spaces from $10 to $20 and the “Paper Mill” private allows for a city adjacent to a Timber hex to increase its revenue. Combine the two and you can truly live into the Lumber Baron namesake.
Stock exchange – how extensive is the stock exchange, how often do we sell/buy shares, and how much does the sale of shares affect their price?
The stock market of ’22PNW is very similar to ’22MX in that share price decreases once per share sell action no matter the number of shares sold by investors. Unless it is the president selling in which case the share price goes down one spot per share sold.
Operational game type – is the game the opposite of the stock exchange one?
This game takes the operational gameplay of ’22 and turns it up to 11! If you like the opening puzzle of ’22, wherein you analyze the options, make a plan, and try your best to execute that plan, then you will love ’22PNW. Because any unassociated minor can merge with one of the 7 associated minors, the new merge mechanic introduces another layer of planning as players must identify and then successfully link two minors to form their major.
The risk of bankruptcy – how often the game ends with the bankruptcy?
Like other ’22 games, there are no bankruptcy rules, but the loan system will make you wish there were. 😉
The complexity of the rules – how big part of the rules are taken from 1830? Will it be possible to play the game after a short one-two page summary by advanced 18xx players?
The rules are completely different than 1830. But, as you probably guessed, they are quite similar to ’22.
The complexity of the tracks – are they more like 18GB or 1860, or simple ones like 1817/1822?
Seeing as how the predecessor is name in the question, I’m going to have to go with the “simple ones like 1817/1822.”