The Wonderful and Brutal World of 18xx Games 

Bessie timestamps: 0:34 5:03 12:57 14:55 15:37 DADDY PAY ATTENTION TO ME!!! 26:00 30:48 38:55

I'm watching this while I'm on a train. I feel thematically relevant !

Experienced player here, so take this for what's it's worth. I know an intro video isn't for me, even if I'm honestly happy to have watched it! So thanks! To the comment about games playing out in much the same way once you get over the initial flush of excitement - I do think there's some truth in that. I'd also say, however, that there tends to be a bit of a dip. It goes from (1) Crazy excitement! to (2) Oh, this feels a bit samey; I think I have it pretty much down, and then back up to (3) Oh, oh, I see - I didn't think you could do that! From there, the excitement comes from the multitude of variables interacting with each other. Even when you think you know what's coming, the details of _how_ it plays out are wild enough to be exciting - just in a different sort of way. I don't want to oversell this point, but for those interested enough to stick with a title past "the dip," there are rewards!

What a fascinating look at a group of games I will never play

I've played 18xx over 150 times. This is a great summary. This is the mountain climbing of boardgaming. It makes no sense to spend your free time with something so taxing, but it's so exciting!

Very fair and reasonable video. It's a shame you made no mention of 18xx.games, though. Particularly with the bit about TTS at the end there.

Great video! It’s great seeing your opinions on all the different titles you tried, plus the rulebook discussion. I’m also happy that you two seem to have similar taste in 18xx games as me (I only played 1846 once and didn’t particularly enjoy it, although a lot of people still seem to love it).

Lol, 1817 just sitting quietly around in a beginner video. That is evil. 1862 and 1849 would have been nice guest villains as well. Fantastic review, thanks for doing this.

I'm a newbie to 18xx, but I felt like the mention of 1846 did it a disservice. I originally thought the operational focus would be a downside, but it ended up being a better gateway game for my group of euro gamers. Everyone had the mindset of "I want to build great companies" and 1846 lets you do that in the 18xx style. It's also short by 18xx standards. A first 18xx experience with company dumps or train rush bankruptcy might have scared them off the whole system. I'm planning to show the group 18Ches and/or 1830 when we finally get out of covid enough to get a big group game night.

Wow!!! That was absolutely incredible. It held my full attention from start to finish. Didn't miss an angle and wasn't afraid to tackle the challenging bits (and did so in an engaging and respectful way). Thank you so much for putting this together and sharing it with us!

We had a great time with 18Chesapeake as a first 18xx. It was easy to teach ourselves from the very clear, short rules (though graphics-light, as you said). Anyone who has learned a heavier euro could easily deal with this. Try it!

The internet needed this video! I’ve been curious about 18XX for a long time and this was a great overview, thank you!

Thank you for all of the time and effort you put into diving into the 18xx genre and making the video. Entertaining and informative, as always!

Thanks for doing this, Efka and Elaine. Wonderfully done.

This was wonderful! I'm an "experienced watcher" of 18xx games, because I haven't yet found group to play. Please know how much I love and value the quality of the work you are doing. I'm going to go put my NPI shirt on now :)

From an 18xx fanatic, I think this review was very fair and an accurate depiction of a lot of the amazing feelings you get when you first crack the door to 18xx. It also helped remind me of where my head was at after my first couple plays and where my non-18xx friends are now. Anyway, I'm definitely a fan of your vids. Thanks for the TIME you must have had to spend on this one. Getting a single 18xx game learned and played is a tremendous commitment. Also, thanks for a fun POV into 18xx that we 18xxers often forget as we tend to get engulfed in our own perspectives and jargon.

This video is really wonderful. I've long been curious about this branch in our hobby and this take was thorough, informative & enjoyable. Props, guys!

Really fascinating deep dive on this part of the industry I had no idea about!

I can appreciate one little comment in this video “loads of experienced players fighting vehemently to keep aspects of the game that limit new players.” I am a relatively younger (40) hex and counter war gamer. I find this sentiment among most players of games first developed in the 60s, 70s, and 80s. It’s 2024, while these games are fantastic in their own right, there’s newer ways to arrange information in a way that will entice people to play. Many of these rulebooks, 18xx included, go off the basis that everyone learns information by having one linear kind of brain and not a spatial learner. And when you’re a spatial learner, long books of text are tough to get through.

You prove to be among the best, time and time again. Thank you. BTW you've rekindled my love for 1830, which I last played 25 years ago.

Great review! I've always wanted to know more about the 18XX games.

Respect this, a ton of work and a real down to earth review!

Love your videos! Your recommendations have put several great games on my shelf

I usually look at board game videos to select games to buy. I usually never look at the same video twice for obvious reasons. I am currently looking at this video for a third time and I really enjoy it. They really really make quality videos!

Great video, very much appreciated. I've always wanted to try 18xx and this is the best intro video I've seen to date. Many thanks.

Superb, NPI you’ve really gone above and beyond here. I can only imagine the time and effort that must have gone into tackling not just a game but this series. You did it with the depth and quality that is synonymous with NPI while also keeping the comedy and social consciousness that makes me hope that board gaming is moving in a positive direction.

Great video! Thanks. I've only played 18CZ and look forward to playing more 18XX games in the future.

I remember playing 1830 Railroads and Robber Barons the PC game back in the 90s, it was amazing. Anyone else remember that?

I think this is the best video you guys have ever produced. I've always been marginally aware of this series but I had no idea it went back to the 70's. I really appreciate your dissection of the moral issues behind the theme that are normally glossed over.

This might be your best video. I will never tough an 18XX game but learning the basics of them beyond just "trains" was fascinating.

Top notch review as always. Looking forward for the next installment in ' Everything Arkham Horror '

Apart from a unique genre and other characteristics, 18XX really has a well balanced pace in tabletop experience. You do not wait too long in between each action (unless you manage no companies). You do not wait too long only to find out you do not have much meaningful things to do. The game progresses steadily for each round to feel a bit more complicated than the previous. Of course it depends on who you play with. Sometimes you group builds a good railway empire and network with far reach. Sometimes you group compete so fiercely by placing their stations so close. Sometimes you group advances so fast that the game ends before you even realise. It is a good game which allows possibilities. There can be optimal strategy but that is not quite important here.

Closest I’ve gotten my friends to 18XX is “Trick of the Rails” - a kickstarter card game that still uses stock, but it is a tiny box, fast card game, and not a map-tile kind of game.

1830 was my intro to 18xx and I loved it. lol I now have a copy of it and hope to get more over the years.

Another brilliant look into a genre of board games I've heard much about but haven't had the courage to try! Perhaps soon I will...

You two are the MVP's of boardgame reviews.

It took 3-4 full games before I fully grasped the how to win of this genre. My favorite genre now for three years. Well worth the investment for board gamers into heavy strategy.

really interesting video, thanks for this!

Thank you for making this video. It is the best introduction to 18xx I have been able to find on the internet. I preordered 18Chesapeake on your recommendation.

Amazing review and expose on 18xx games. I definitely fall into the category of knowing about it but mostly ignoring it. I tend to gravitate toward other games so getting a primer on this was helpful. I'd definitely more interested in trying one of these now.

Excellent work!

I have to aplaud your work and thank you for introducing the concepts of play for this family of games, It's just so astoundingly intimidating! I for one am marveled at how much work you did put in this series and how well digested the rules are for us to understand if this game is for us or not. I am pretty sure there must be people who loves crunchy and demanding games like this, but I am not one of them and my group definetively would not be all too happy to invest time in this type of games. They are simply not for us and now I have a clear picture of why I will steer clear from them. I am still marveled at the overarching complexity and how an economic simulator like this gets to emulate stock market this close to reality. Thank you for making this video and putting the work tomake it happen. I am for sure going to join your patreon because this amount of work is worth rewarding.

Thanks for another deep and thoughtful review

Fantastic vid. Thank you.

Many thanks for this video, and thanks to the commenters who mentioned 18xx.games! I'm in the early phases of my first 18xx game on there and I'm really looking forward to seeing how it plays out!

Playing 18xx since i found 1829 in a nice little boardgame store at the age of 12 and hearing you saying it's the pinnacle of complexity makes me.....somehow a proud trainkeeper.

Finally found time to watch this... amazing

This video convinced me to try 1830 and really helped me learn to play it. thanks!

Well. That was an entertaining video. I am now very much secure in the knowledge that I never, ever want to play one of these games. I am fairly sure I checked out on the rules and heard white noise for a few segments before tuning back in. You made it as digestible as possible, but it all just sounded like gobbledygook to me. I'm sure these are fascinating creatures to some people but not for me I think - good job putting in all the work for this though was a very interesting watch about a part of the board gaming world I knew little about.

Great video, thanks for posting this. I printed and crafted a copy of '1889 Shikoku Railways' and when I got to the rulebook my brain melted and the whole project 'derailed'. I know this video wasn't intended as tutorial, but now a lot of the pieces seem to click into place better. I'm willing to give it another go. (Also very interesting to hear it may get a new KS edition.)

Great work guys, will you still be doing your annual kickstarter?

Great video :)

This was an incredibly thorough, interesting and even handed review. Well done!

Now please make some videos about the complex world of wargaming :) This video is a great value to the community!

Such a wide-ranging, interesting insightful well-produced review of so many intensely complex games! It’s obvious the incredible time and effort you’ve put in, very impressive! I’m a gamer but was clear from nearly the start I’m never going to play these games and I STILL watched the whole piece because the story and discussion was so compelling.

Incredible good review.

Very nice review. I've played these games several hundred times, many differing variants of which I own nearly 20. They are not for the weak of heart for sure, but they can be a lot of fun....

"Welcome to Elaine's guide on how to pass Go and not go directly to jail." Absolute gold.

awesome video! I just started playing 1830 and I love it! Its hard to find these games especially in India but I am really looking forward to acquiring a few in the coming time.

“Bring in dosh by the caboose load” is my favourite RU-vid line of 2020.

So... nice video! What an endeavour! Just out of curiosity, where would you place Knizia's Stephenson's Rocket? A simpler 18xx, something completely different, sort of in-between?

1830 is brilliant but it does go on too long. I'm personally interested in 1889 Shikoku and just recently the Kickstarted Railways of the Lost Atlas which differentiates itself with a tight 4-6 rounds, a super neat art style and a randomised map and set-up. The postman with the poo sandwich line was charming!

Great video. I've always wanted to get into those games.Now I have the confidence to step up to the challenge and be the robber baron I know I was born to be. Side note what poker chips were you using ?

I felt like a genius learning Brass. This knocked me down a few pegs

Thanks for this vidéo. I was Lucky to begin with 1860 then I bought 1825 Unit 1/2/3 and 1829 mainline. Each game was outstanding...

Almost 60 plays done on 18xx.games, everyone should play there! Amazing site.

Excellent video

Fantastic video

I saw those keyforge decks under your monitor Efka!

I now know why my friend, the chartered accountant, wants me to play these games.

Just have to comment, this is the best board game video made so far in the history of internet

I just wanted to say that I bought 1830 and played with my girlfriend and a couple of friends. One of them loves boardgames, just like me, while both my girlfriend and his just kind of play for the social interaction. The four of us absolutely loved it and even the girls were excited to meet again next weekend to play and said this one was great. Thanks for the amazing video!

Just an FYI. There is white noise in the background of when Elaine talks about the games in the end. That can be filtered out with a free program like Audacity

Excellent video guys! This really got me interested in the genre. I wanted to know if you could help me. I was about to order a copy of 18chesapeake and then I realized that the KS for1889 will be opening a late pledge. Have you by any chance read the updated version of the 1889 rulebook and, if so ,would you recommend me to wait for the LP or order 18Chesapeake instead. Thx in advance =) (sorry for the bad english :c) Translate

Nice video in the spirit of SUSD! I enjoyed it.

The interesting thing about 18XX: there is NO luck other than determining initial player order. So in theory, since you have perfect knowledge of all the game info, if you win or lose it is ALL on your ability to cajole, influence or read other players to make your best possible response.

Good on you for the Glenn Miller background music.

BRAVO!! Standing Ovation. 👏

Thank you for making this video. I've always been curious about the genre, and it looks really fun, if also a form of torture for my friends who get significantly less enjoyment out of spreadsheets than I do...

I started watching a different video, then I realized Bessie will almost certainly appear somewhere in this one.

Amazing video! Thanks for the insights!

Great video. This is something I have always wanted. Thank you so much...I know this took an increadible amount of work.

Thank you for a very informative video on this genre of games. It really helped me clarify if this type of game is for me and my game groups. I especially appreciated the discussion at the end of the video about the social and cultural challenges og games based on pre-civil war railways in the USA.

Guys. I have an idea which I think will appeal to many gamers. Why don't you do something similar to 18xx video but with a focus on specific designers. For example you could delve into the world of Lacerda games presenting games as a summary and a general feel and some bio background on author. Or Phil Eklunds hardcore games like pax series or bios. Or any other author worth attention. Cheers

I never thought about the games before... Now I want to try 18xx game.

Remarkable. It's like being introduced to Baklava for the first time, only having to eat an entire pan of it.

NPI is getting better and better, thank you guys!! I have been in the hobby for about 8 years now, and was always wondering about these.Amazing video!

The original 1830 computer game from Avalon Hill is one of the few computer games they made that's still playable today. The AI is brutal in its collusion against you, and at first you want to rage at how much they screw you over turn after turn. But in the end this is what makes it a challenging puzzle that you *can* defeat once you work out the tricks. It also has a surprisingly playable random map generation algorithm that makes you rethink about which companies are the best to buy into at the beginning.

I see so after I become a master of Arkwright I should move onto 19xx

I'm absolutely loving the awareness regarding the board games themes as of late!

Now I have to get the games and a group of players that want to spend time playing with them without worrying about the 19andemic. Great video as always! You always make my wallet bleed!!!

I will almost certainly never ever play an 18xx game. But even to me this video was amazingly interesting. Thanks for making it, and making it so well.

Informative videp! Now I can't wait for an 18xx to have a system that simulates the country-wide rail worker strikes that happened every decade after the Civil War in the US.

Love 18OE and 1830. Would love to get a chance to play 1817

This is it, this is the best board game review ever made. This is equal to, and perhaps surpasses, anything SU&SD have ever done, and I mean that as the highest praise for both NPI and SU&SD. Thank you so much for putting this together, Efka & Elaine & accomplices.

Fantastic video from start to finish, and thanks very much for including the historical context! I come out of this video having confirmed the suspicion I had going in: These aren't for me. But as always, you have done a stellar job presenting a complex subject in a fascinating and fun way. :)

Explaining how to commit fraud in a board game was not something i expected.

Awesome Review! Does anybody know what jetons/pokerchips they are using? Name? Company?

Oh no! I think my friends would be really overwhelmed by these game yet I still wanna play them. Especially 1844 | 1854, cuz I'm swiss and stuff.

How do I nominate the 15:37 time stamp as the greatest 5-second long edit in NPI history? I’m dying over here.