1859: The Railroad Card Game

1859: The Railroad Card Game is a pure card game, comprised solely of 72 “protean pieces of pasteboard.” In that year, the railroad industry in the United States was still in its infancy. Your simple goal is to be a better railroad baron than your opponent. You do this by winning contracts to build track which connects one USA city to another in a series of competitions. The major elements you need are materials, labor and cash, although interesting people (contacts, investors, etc.) and effects such as material shortages and labor unrest will come your way. Engaging in a little trickery won’t hurt you, either.

A game of 1859 is played over eleven competitions (rounds). At the beginning of each competition, one player will choose a card from two which show the possible routes to be contested. Each player has a hand of five cards.

After a player plays a card, a replacement is drawn from the deck, replenishing his hand back to five cards. After a number of competitions, usually eleven, the game ends. The player who earned the most profits wins the game.

—description from the designer