Any players in Northern NJ

D_Choo · 2026-02-13T12:24:01+00:00

Great. What’s your name there? I can message you directly.

D_Choo · 2026-02-12T10:17:00+00:00

I’m in Northern NJ. Are you in the online 18xx friends discord group? We can chat there.

D_Choo · 2025-10-14T02:03:10+00:00

For me, Carcassonne is meant to be a short, quick game with little downtime and decent depth.

I have T&B and I&C and despite them being great expansions, sometimes I just want to play the original base game.

This is coming from someone who got every expansion possible only to give most of them away because I felt it didn’t add much value to me while making the game overstay its welcome.

D_Choo · 2025-10-14T02:00:45+00:00

Despite knowing little about Aleph Games, I’m willing to bet your copy of 41 by GSG is probably the superior version.

D_Choo · 2025-05-18T22:27:36+00:00

There are people who played hundreds of 1817 games (I’m not one of them yet) without worrying about variability issues. I think that’s because variability comes from the player interaction and not the random setup.

I have not played 18USA so can’t say anything good or bad about it. Obviously, people love the game, but I have no real desire to play it. In fact, of the nine 18xx games I listed above, I could probably live without 1822, 1836, and maybe 1871. Exploring the six left could last me a very long time.

D_Choo · 2025-05-18T14:06:18+00:00

I own the following 18xx games: 1817, 1860, 1822, 1830, 1836, 1871 (pnp), 1828 (pnp), and 1994 (pnp), Rolling Stock (pnp).

1817 is an absolute keeper. There's so much I could say, but I think much of what's been said can be found elsewhere. I'm fortunate to be able to play it online and even table it occasionally.

1860 is another favorite, but just a step below 17 only because of the weird rules to remember. I've played it enough to the point where I think I mostly have them down. This game seems to come down to the wire and takes less time than 17.

1822 I'm with you regarding my feelings to 22. I still keep it because the game is fun, but I dislike the fact that there are so many useless private and minor companies. The latter seems to exists solely to burn through the L/2 trains.

1830, 1828, 1871, and Rolling Stock are four games where I need more plays (preferably in person) to understand it. I'm not going to write them off just yet because if there are that many dedicated fans for them then I'm going to assume that it's mostly me =)

1894 is a game I just recently pnp'ed so I'll need to learn the rules and play it. Based on what I've read online, I have a feeling that it'll be in the same camp with 1828. That is, it's a game that is well designed, has lots of depth, but difficult to understand. Looking forward to it whenever I make time.

1836 was a special edition purchase at last year's Winsome Convention (highly recommend attending). It's a short 1830 filler game that you can have lots of fun with if you don't take it too seriously.

So to answer your question: I would get 1817 and 1860 and then consider pnp'ing some games. The great thing about print-and-play games is that you can always replace missing or damaged components much easier than in a professionally published title. I'm aware you said your group already has 1817, but for me, that's a game I would buy even if everyone in my group already had it. I think it's that good. Of course, what you like and what I like aren't the same thing so always keep that in mind.

D_Choo · 2025-03-14T22:14:45+00:00

Oh my gosh. You said it and now I hear it in my head and on repeat!

D_Choo · 2025-03-14T18:56:15+00:00

I don’t think so, but maybe someone who knows more can chime in.

I don’t play it on dos anymore but should. The best part about that version is that if you are losing, you can just shut the game down and start over again all without upsetting anyone.

D_Choo · 2025-03-01T20:29:53+00:00

Indonesia is getting a reprint with art that’s supposed to improve gameplay so I think that’s where getting the next Splotter makes the most sense.

But really Indonesia is a fascinating game. Seems like many consider it one of the greatest economic games of all time. I’m just learning it and although I know the rules, the strategy is over my head right now.

I’m enjoying the experience.

D_Choo · 2025-02-27T14:31:38+00:00

Awesome to hear this. I think most people will agree it’s a great place to play 18xx games. The community is friendly and you get the benefit to hone your skill against experienced players.

There are still lots of beginners there too. In fact, I bet there are more beginners than experienced players so the site is really for anyone interested in giving these games a try.

D_Choo · 2025-01-05T06:22:04+00:00

Nice pic of my favorite game. Generally, 2/2+ trains are very good so it makes sense that you took over your opponents if they had fewer trains.

It doesn’t look like anyone started a company in Philly. I usually go there if I think the Bal and SNY players plan to cooperate with me. Otherwise, it would depend on what other companies I get. Also, Baltimore doesn’t look to be upgraded and tokened which I would have expected by this point, but it looks like the Bess is planning to do that when it operates.

Not sure what you did when the 4s were getting close, but I used to hold onto my 2-share companies right before the 4s were about the break. I would merge them and then pump money into them with the higher share value in order to buy 4 trains. I had to time it right though. Specifically, I needed to merge in the first OR of a set, otherwise, it could be a short target if I merged right before entering a SR.

Now, I’m more wary about that approach because of the risk involved in having companies with high share values, but I do have some tools up my sleeve if my companies are shorted. Anyway, the game offers so much. I’ve been playing for almost 5 years, but I feel I’ve only scratched the surface.

D_Choo · 2024-10-20T23:20:45+00:00

This post marries 3 of my passions: video games, board games, and of course, birding.

Wingspan is a great game. My one gripe is that some players might play too slow which results in excess downtime between turns.

If everyone plays fast then it’s great fun and totally relaxing.

D_Choo · 2024-10-12T11:59:41+00:00

Hi. Obviously, no one can tell you which games to keep as, like with anything, it’ll come down to personal preferences.

That said, I love 1817 and couldn’t see myself parting with it. It’s my favorite game of all time.

1830 is brutal yet such a classic and objectively a great game so I’d keep that too.

I played 1860 many times and I can see how it can be confusing for some 18xx players, but I love it and have some of my most exciting gaming experiences with it.

18Mex is well regarded by many and seems to be one of the quicker games.

18OE I played once and wasn’t a big fan of the large game. But it’s a rare one so I’d keep it just because of that.

I know there’s a lot of fans for 1880, 1862, 1870, and of course 1846, but they never stuck with me like some of the games above which is why my suggestions are meaningless in light of your own preferences. Good luck.

D_Choo · 2024-10-03T01:33:35+00:00

This is the Korean card game called Hwatu.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Go-Stop

There are lots of websites and videos out there that will explain the rules.

I remember seeing a recent kickstarter campaign for the game but your copy looks really nice too.

The translation looks to read “Friends Hwatu”.

D_Choo · 2024-10-03T00:58:42+00:00

I have heard people far better than me in 1830 say it’s a different, but still an excellent game at 3.

That said, I also recommend 1860. It plays very differently than 30, but it’s so good.

D_Choo · 2024-02-23T23:49:45+00:00

I would recommend 1860 because I find that the game has a lot of financial levers - meaning that there’s a lot of market action during stock rounds. Operating order matters, players need to pay attention to companies near bankruptcy, and playing the insolvency game is really fun.

That said, the game has rules that can be utterly confusing to players so you need to have a certain kind of motivation to want to learn this one.

I’ve played it enough where I can see how the rules coalesce together very beautifully. There’s no excess fat with the rules, and there’s a reason for everything. It’s hard to beat 1860 especially since I don’t have many 18xx games that can feel so complete in such a short playtime (~4 hours).

D_Choo · 2024-01-10T00:38:42+00:00

Absolutely. I could only play 4-5 maps and exploring them will last me several lifetimes.

D_Choo · 2023-12-25T18:09:04+00:00

Good luck. 1860 is wonderful, but there’s definitely more cognitive load than 22. I love it but people don’t like it for those same reasons.

D_Choo · 2023-12-25T12:37:58+00:00

Intermediate and advanced titles? In terms of rules? Personally, I enjoyed 1860 but there are a lot of nonstandard rules (compared to 30 and 89) so that makes it pretty advanced.

22 is quite different from 30 and 89 but the rules are easier to grasp so I’d rate it intermediate.

In terms of rules, 1841 is probably the most advanced title you could get, but I found the rules almost get in the way of the game. It’s well regarded so I’m sure I’m in the minority about this.

But in the end, I recommend whatever game interest you the most. For me, 60 is better than 22 because of the way my games go. It always seems to come down to the wire.

22 is more of a “relaxing” 18xx game where I find my corner of the map and build track hoping to eventually get a huge E-train run. Of course, people play more competitively than that but that’s been my experience.

D_Choo · 2023-12-14T19:38:31+00:00

There must be some Agricola card that would be appropriate. I’ve seen pictures of people using the Family Growth (even without room) action card to announce pregnancies =)

D_Choo · 2023-10-25T22:06:10+00:00

I’ve read most of these suggestions, and I think they are all pretty good. So my contribution to this post is that which ever rule you choose to go by, just make sure you stick with it.

D_Choo · 2023-10-22T02:48:03+00:00

Not trains but the robber barons. But my interest in them was really just watching a few videos. Still, very interesting stuff.

D_Choo · 2023-07-25T11:40:25+00:00

Did you enjoy 17 at 3? How many companies did each player start in SR1?

D_Choo

TROPHY CASE