Shikoku 1889
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Shikoku 1889 – Rails, Stocks, and Profits in the Japanese Archipelago
Welcome to the island of Shikoku , Japan. It's the late 19th century, and the first railway companies are vying for control of the territory, amidst rugged mountains and expanding cities. In Shikoku 1889, you enter the heart of the 18xx series, with a compact map packed with tactical choices and ruthless financial competition. If you love deep economic Eurogames ... you're about to embark on the journey of a lifetime.
As a shareholder, you can buy, sell, and speculate on company shares, but also manage them once you have a majority stake. Plan routes, improve stations, replace old trains, and... pay dividends at the right time. To succeed, you'll need to combine financial vision, map control, and a healthy dose of entrepreneurial cynicism.
A perfect introduction to the world of 18xx, with a shorter length than other titles in the series, a challenging strategic curve and all the essence of capitalism on rails.
Shikoku is unforgiving: here's why we're obsessed with it 🚆
- 18xx in compact format: perfect for more agile tables, but with all the depth of the genre
- High interaction between players: each choice shifts balances, dividends and alliances
- Pure financial strategy: Selling at the right time can make all the difference.
- Ideal for 2-6 players: excellent scalability and always tense games
- Unique map: Shikoku is narrow, mountainous… and unforgiving
Shikoku 1889 is a strategic board game for those who love numbers, calculated risk, and well-optimized routes. If your heart beats to the rhythm of dividends, stations, and initial public offerings... this is the game for you. 🐸
Product Details
🐸 HOW TO PLAY
1. Build your own railway company
Each player begins by purchasing shares in Japanese railway companies. Depending on your shareholding, you can become the company's president and control its economic and infrastructural development.
2. Expand the rail network on Shikoku Island
During your company's turn, you build rail routes by placing tiles on the hexagonal map. The goal is to connect profitable cities, improve the value of the routes, and open up new profit opportunities.
3. Buy trains and manage obsolescence
Every company must purchase trains to operate. Trains have a life cycle: when more modern models come into play, the older ones become obsolete and must be replaced, creating financial strain and difficult decisions.
4. Generate revenue and distribute dividends
After completing the train tour, the company decides whether to distribute profits to shareholders or reinvest in its own capital. These decisions influence the stock price and investor confidence.
5. The richest player at the end of the game wins
The game ends when the train tiles run out or the bank runs out of funds. Personal cash and the value of the shares held are added together: whoever has accumulated the most wealth wins.
It's not about building tracks here. It's about making profits move.
A sharp and deep 18xx, where every yen invested can make a difference
Shikoku 1889 – Railways, Finance, and Stock Market Battles in Japan
In the heart of late nineteenth-century Japan, on the island of Shikoku, they don't fight with swords, but with stocks, dividends and rails .
Shikoku 1889 is a strategic board game for experts , in which you will manage railway companies and invest in the stock market with timing and vision .
Every choice—whether it's starting a company or deciding when to let it fail—is a surgical move in a living, ruthless, elegant economy.
Plan your routes through mountains, cities, and obstacles. Buy stocks at the right time. And become a railroad tycoon... or an invisible investor who gets rich in the shadows.
Shikoku 1889 – The Best 18xx to Start with… or Get Stuck in Forever
Shikoku 1889 is an economical board game for 2-6 players , part of the legendary 18xx series. Set on the island of Shikoku, it offers a compact yet intricate map, with difficult terrain and contested strategic spaces.
Players buy and sell stocks, control railway companies, and decide on routes, investments, and train upgrades. Stock market, tile placement, and resource management mechanics blend together in a deep and highly interactive experience where position on the board matters, but the real game takes place in finance .
Perfect for those who love challenging titles and are looking for a competitive, tense and uncompromising railway game , with matches that can change course suddenly thanks to a well-placed sell.
We played it. And it's a classic that touches your heart (and your dividends) 🐸
Shikoku 1889 🐸 was our first real 18xx… and it left us branded for life.
The mix of tight map , business strategies, and low-stakes stock market action is magnetic . It's the kind of game where one wrong move can cost you the game, but one brilliant play can turn everything around even late in the game.
If you are a Frogger who loves to think, plan and dominate with elegance , this is one of those titles you will not forget.
Warning: May be addictive… to 18xx titles.
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I giochi da tavolo non servono a passare il tempo. Servono a viverlo meglio. – La Rana Saggia
Ogni regola è un’opportunità nascosta. Scoprila con occhi nuovi. – Il Girino Curioso
Non so come ho vinto. Ma è stato divertentissimo. Rigioca, se hai il coraggio. – La Ranarock Ribelle
Una buona mossa è silenziosa. La vittoria, inevitabile. – Ranaldo Stratega
Non serve vincere per giocare bene. Serve giocare per stare bene. – Zio Rospo Zen
I giochi da tavolo non servono a passare il tempo. Servono a viverlo meglio. – La Rana Saggia
Ogni regola è un’opportunità nascosta. Scoprila con occhi nuovi. – Il Girino Curioso
Non so come ho vinto. Ma è stato divertentissimo. Rigioca, se hai il coraggio. – La Ranarock Ribelle
Una buona mossa è silenziosa. La vittoria, inevitabile. – Ranaldo Stratega
Non serve vincere per giocare bene. Serve giocare per stare bene. – Zio Rospo Zen
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