1830: Railroads & Robber Barons

• Platform: IBM PC Compatible
• Release Date: 1995
• Genre: Simulation
• Style: Business Sim
• Similar Games: Sid Meier's Railroad Tycoon (Macintosh), Transport Tycoon (Macintosh), Sid Meier's Railroad Tycoon (IBM PC Compatible), Transport Tycoon [Classic Series] (IBM PC Compatible)

Game Description

In 1830 Railroads and Robber Barons you play a double role. Your ultimate objective as a baron is to end the game as the richest independent entrepreneur in this world of money and power. But to achieve this lofty goal you must also become the president of a railroad corporation, which is how you gain monetary worth as a baron.

You make money through your decisions affecting dividend and revenue disbursements as corporate president and then, as baron, earn megabucks by investing in the stock market and influencing stock values, especially those associated with your corporation. It is through your role as president of the corporation that you control all aspects of your railroad empire, from laying tracks to building and expanding your territory through guile or might. The game is based on the original board game by Avalon Hill and is set in southern Canada and the northeast United States.

1830 Railroads and Robber Barons features a point-and-click interface that switches between two main screens (stock review/manipulation and varied facets of railroad operations) after basic options including difficulty level, selection (through a bidding process) of private corporations to purchase at the start, and initial stock acquisitions are completed. You compete with five computer (or real) opponents in each game and have options for slow/fast play and random map generation.

Roots & Influences

Many of the entrepreneurs depicted in the game are real-life personages--C.P. Huntington, Thomas Scott, George Westinghouse, Cornelius Vanderbilt--and the game draws deeply from the rich history of corporate business dealings within the train industry. Avalon Hill used its successful board game of the same name as a basis for the computer version, with slight differences where the computer handles controls that were left to the player in the board game.

Review: Overall

For all its other fine qualities, chances are that after playing 1830 Railroads and Robber Barons for any length of time, you will begin to get a feeling of constraint. This isn't to say that the product is seriously flawed or lacking in enjoyment, because it is neither. It's just that, even though the game covers such a large topic, namely the control, marketing, and highly competitive nature of owning a railroad empire, it gives you a limited hands-on involvement in managing that vast scope. Although you find yourself up to your arm garters in cutthroat financial wheeling and dealing, the actual laying of tracks is somewhat limited compared to similar train-based games such as Railroad Tycoon, so if it's a hands-on train-running sim you're looking for, look elsewhere. But if building a fortune from a tiny beginning appeals to you, then 1830 Railroads and Robber Barons may be the ticket.

More than anything else, the game is one of balance. Focus too completely on any given part and you'll find yourself chugging into the final station still chanting "I think I can, I think I can." But parlay your opportunities for empire advancement by investing your profits wisely in the stock market, manipulating your cash and stock to reap the highest rewards and working capital, keeping an eye at all times on the long-term view regarding future technology and upgrades for your trains, planning routes that work toward maximizing investments in time and money, and outsmarting your five human or four computer opponents, and you will be rewarded with the ultimate accolade of becoming the world's greatest "robber baron" and railroad entrepreneur. But, be warned, this is not an easy task, as you have to learn how to employ the best strategies at the right time.

If you're familiar with Avalon Hill's board game of the same name, you'll notice immediately how accurately the company incorporates the essentials in the computer version. Only a few minor changes, all for the better, have been incorporated, and most of those changes are of the convenience and time-saving variety. 1830 Railroads and Robber Barons comes fully loaded with multiple game setup options that allow you complete freedom to set the difficulty level, and various "local" rules to customize game play to your liking. Novice gamers should be able to complete a game in less than three hours and, once familiar with the easy to use controls, even less. The interface is well coordinated and uses a simple point-and-click, menu-driven system that allows for easy play. With the addition of a random map generator (which the board game obviously doesn't have), 1830 Railroads and Robber Barons promises much in the way of replay value, especially when linked to the multiple strategies and fierceness of the computer opponents. With human competition, the variety is endless. In this one, you won't just need your engineer's cap-you'll be needing your thinking cap as well.

Review: Enjoyment

With all the nice bells and whistles, there's still a feeling of opportunity lost here to make the game even better, perhaps an intangible feeling that it could have been more.

Review: Graphics

A little blocky and simplistic but colorful nonetheless. Maps, informational and financial screens are done equally well but are not spectacular.

Review: Sound

Unobtrusive and not especially notable. Sound effects are adequate.

Review: Replay Value

Even if you get the basic game down you can still add elements of control and difficulty to make a different game each time you play; especially nice are the random map and initial bidding options.

Review: Documentation

Extremely well done and visually appealing. Full coverage is devoted to both the operating and stock rounds (which make up most of the game); biographies of the world's top train industry magnates, quick start instructions, and a user-friendly information chart are included.

Production Credits