The Old Prince 1871
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🐸 Una rana saggia sa quando dividere l’ordine… e quando aspettare il salto giusto.
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You buy shares in the company you just bankrupted. You sell yours before the collapse. Someone builds tracks that lead nowhere. In the end, the one who betrayed the best will win.
WHAT IT'S ABOUT
The world's most convoluted railway, physically and financially
In 1871, construction of the Prince Edward Island Railway began. A year later, the island was on the brink of economic collapse. Criticized as the most corrupt railway in the world, the PEIR was dumped on the Canadian government in 1873 when the island joined Confederation. Designed by Lucas Boyd with graphics by Jan Lipiński, The Old Prince 1871 uses that catastrophic history to explore an alternative narrative of the old island railway.
At the table, you build railway companies, buy and sell shares, lay tracks to connect cities, and generate income. Each round is a cycle of stock auctions, route construction, railway operations, and dividend payments. Companies are tools: you use them to make personal money. The one with the most capital at the end wins, not the one who built the best network. You are an unscrupulous investor, not a civil engineer.
What they say abroad
"Construction began on the Prince Edward Island Railway (PEIR) in 1871 … the rest is a financial catastrophe."
— (Web published)
The map is narrow. Funds are limited. The backstabbing comes early.
— FroGames
The Old Prince 1871
FrogScore · FroGames editorial rating · based on rules, international reviews and game sessionsThe pieces in play
What you move on the map
Railway companies
Separate entities with their own capital, shares, income. You only control them if you have a majority of shares. You use them to get rich.
Track tiles
You lay tracks to connect cities, generate routes, and increase company revenues. Each tile has possible orientations and upgrades.
Stock market
Buying and selling shares moves prices. Sell before the collapse, buy when others panic. Timing is everything.
Personal capital
Your private money. It grows with dividends, it burns by buying shares. In the end, only this matters: whoever has the most money wins.
Come si gioca
Video dimostrativo di gameplay.
🎲How to playThe rules in four steps▼
How to play
The flow of each operating round
Each round is a precise cycle: auctions, business operations, stock market. The structure is fixed, the chaos is all within.
Players bid to buy shares of existing companies or launch new ones. The winner of the auction pays and takes the share. Majorities determine who controls what.
Each company (in order of stock value) lays tracks, builds connections, generates income from active routes. The president decides what to do with the earnings: distribute dividends or reinvest.
Stock prices move based on dividends paid or withheld. Sales cause values to crash. Players can sell shares to cash in before everything collapses.
Check if any company has gone bankrupt (zero capital). If so, it is removed from the game and its shares become worthless. Move on to the next round or end the game.
⏱️Your first gameThe chronicle, moment by moment▼
A game in five moments
What happens at the table
Not the rules. The experience.
The first auctions
Everyone studies the map looking for the spot to launch the first company. Someone overbids to take the presidency. Someone else waits, conserves liquidity. Already here you can see who will play aggressive and who patient.
The first tracks
Companies begin to lay tracks. Someone builds towards a rich city. Someone else blocks a route you needed. You realize the map is smaller than you thought.
The first bankruptcy
A company cannot pay dividends. The stock price collapses. Those who sold in time enjoy the show. Those who stayed in lose a lot of money. Everyone remembers who betrayed whom.
Mergers and stabbings
Now you start selling shares of companies you control to buy others. Someone makes a merger that cuts another player out of a key route. Implicit alliances break. No one trusts anyone anymore.
Final count
Sum up your personal capital and the value of remaining shares. The most ruthless at the right times wins. The companies you destroyed? They were just tools. The board is a mess, but your bank account is full.
🐸Before you know itThree honest things, from friends▼
Before you know it
Three things you need to know
Steep initial learning curve
If you've never played an 18xx game, the first two hours will be confusing. The manual is dense, the two-phase structure (shares vs. operations) is not intuitive. You'll need a patient teacher or at least a video tutorial before starting. The second game will go better.
Variable duration
The box says 120-240 minutes. With experienced players you can stay under 2 hours. With beginners or analytical players, you'll easily exceed 3 hours. It's not a game you shorten: either accept the duration or choose something else.
Fixed map, high interaction
The Prince Edward Island map is small and never changes. After a few games, you'll know the best routes. Replayability lies in interaction: what others do changes everything. If the group is conservative, the game loses its bite.
🏆Victory and defeatWhat the ending rewards▼
How it ends
How to win and how to lose
The game ends when the company deck runs out or when a predetermined closing condition is met. The player with the most total money (capital + share value) wins.
Victory
- You sold shares of weak companies before they crashed
- You held shares of strong companies that pay high dividends
- You manipulated the stock market to buy low and sell high
Elimination or defeat
- You bought shares that were too expensive and held them for too long
- The companies you controlled went bankrupt and you lost everything
- You spent too much in initial auctions and didn't have liquidity for decisive moves
The Old Prince 1871 does not forgive financial mistakes. Every investment counts. Every sale is a calculated betrayal. If you love games where choices have brutal consequences, this railway awaits you.
💬Frequently asked questionsQuick answers before checkout▼
Frequently asked questions
FAQ about The Old Prince 1871
Is this a good starting point for my first 18xx game?
Technically yes, practically no. The Old Prince 1871 is shorter and more compact than other 18xx games, but it retains all the complexity of the series. If you've never played a heavy economic game, try 1830 or 1889 first, which have more educational material and community support. If you already have experience with complex eurogames and aren't afraid to read 20 pages of rules, you can start here.
What mechanics does The Old Prince 1871 use?
Auctions for share purchases, network building with track tile placement, stock capital management, market manipulation, investments, and speculation. The heart of the game is the stock holding system: you buy and sell shares to influence prices and maximize your personal profit.
How well does it scale with 3 and 4 players?
It works well at both player counts. With 3 players, there's more space on the map and less direct competition on routes. With 4 players, the map becomes tight, auctions more aggressive, and blocks nastier. Both configurations are balanced; it depends if you prefer a more economic game (3p) or a more conflict-driven one (4p).
Can I play it even if I don't know railway history?
Absolutely. The game uses the history of the Prince Edward Island Railway as a setting, but you don't need to know it to play. The rules and mechanics are completely abstract. The historical theme is background: what matters is financial and strategic management.
Is it available in Italian?
No, this edition is in English. The game is primarily numerical and iconographic: the cards and components have little text. The manual is dense and technical, so a good grasp of English is needed for the first read. Once the rules are learned, the language barrier is minimal.
The people behind the game
Who invented it, who designed it, who publishes it — and what else they've done.
The Old Prince 1871 is an economic strategy game from the 18xx series for 3-4 players, 120-240 minutes, ages 12+. Designed by Lucas Boyd and published by Grand Trunk Games, it brings classic railway game mechanics to a compact map inspired by the Prince Edward Island Railway. At the table, you manage stock investments, build railway routes, manipulate the market, and seek to enrich yourself at the expense of others. Auction system, network building, stock holding, and financial speculation. English language edition. Available on FroGames.it.
The Old Prince 1871
Frequently Asked Questions
The answers you're looking for, no beating around the bush.
📸Do the images match the actual product?
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📦Does the content of the box match what is indicated?
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