Another go-round with 1846. This time we were able to bring it in right at 4 hours! So it can be done after all. That was a big relief after several 6-hour games which were pretty grind-y. The key seems to be just to understand that you have to buy trains as quickly as reasonably possible; if anyone is hedging, waiting for a better train to become available as one might in some 18xx games, it can really drag. We also did some pencil & paper spreadsheeting and only paid out dividends once per share round, at the end of the set of operating rounds, which I think saved a pretty good chunk of time. Even at a much more reasonable 4 hour playtime I find myself resisting 1846’s charms, and I’m not totally sure why. 1846 really does seem to be about picking your company and running it competently; there are only a couple extra companies in the game so unlike 1830 it’s really an operations game. Interestingly, it seems to be strictly an operations game; in 1853 or 1825 you still need to manage investments in the second-tier companies while running your primary first-tier well. Not sure; 1846 may reveal more subtlety to the investment game as play progresses, but it does retain 1830’s loot-n-dump threat which tends to be incredibly limiting. We’ll see how much more play it gets and how it develops if it does get some table time. #bgg #boardgamegeek #boardgames #gmtgames #18xxgames #18xx (at Game Kastle - Mountain View) https://www.instagram.com/p/BtKagNcjans/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=csd0ccgwos0j
