1830 Players;

   The following is a letter that I sent to Avalon Hill recently,
   asking for clarification on a number of "1830" rules issues.
   I asked for permission to share this with the network, and they said
   "Please do".  

   I'm rather satisfied with the answers, I didn't get any real surprises,
   though I did make a mistake or two along the way.

   So here it is.  Someone just hand wrote answers on my laser printed
   mail and sent it back.  Unfortunately they did not sign it, so we don't
   know who.  I have included their comments with an "AH>" preceding the
   lines.  My follow-up comments have a "<<" in front.

        Dave Mitton,
        13-Mar-1992

                                                30-Jan-1992
AH>   [date stamp] FEB 13 1992
                                                David Mitton
                                                13 Swan St.            
                                                Arlington, MA 02174    
                                                617-646-3080

    Avalon Hill Company
    4517 Hartford Road
    Baltimore, MD 21214

    Dear Sirs;

        I have formed a group friends to play your "1830" game somewhat
    regularly, and we have found a number of ambiguities in how the rules
    are written.  We really enjoy the game, but would like to get some
    of these problems out of the way, so we can spend more time playing and
    less time interpreting and arguing.

        This letter has been written to take advantage of your offer to
    answer rules questions by mail.  This is also the second rewrite of
    this letter.  It seems that a number of people that participate in
    the Internet/USENET news group "rec.games.board" also come up with
    questions about the rules.  I have folded some of them into my letter
    so that we may have an definitive answer to most of the typical
    questions.

         A recent contributor mentioned that an interpretation was made
    on a particular issue at an "ORIGINS" convention.  Unfortunately he
    said that it was verbal ruling and he did not have written
    recomendation.  It would be useful to know of any current rules
    conventions typically accepted in tournament play.

        Many of the questions are just clarifications. Some I believe are
    issues not adequately handled by the text and structure of rules as
    published.  It is disappointing to not be able to easily figure out the
    correct play, as a change in interpretation invalidates the results
    of previous games played within the group.  So far it has taken us
    several games to just get the basics consistently correct.  We would
    appreciate your guidance in clarifing our confusion with the rules.

        I have organized the questions by first stating the issue as
    succinctly as possible, then following with discussion, examples, and
    potential impact. My sources are of course the rules themselves, and
    the Question Box in the General (Vol 23, No.6, page 46)  I will
    mention rules references with the notation of
    R<section>.<subsect>.<paragraph>.

    Bidding for Private Companies during the Opening Stock Round (R7.0)
    ------------------------------------------------------------

        1) If you bid on a particular company and someone else bids (the
    obligitary $5 more), on a later turn, do you have to call (match) the
    other's bid?
AH>  No.

        My assumption is that your bid once made, it rides until the
    auction.  Only player's entering the contention must bid an amount $5
AH> Correct    
    above the current high bid, and only once.  If the stock round goes
    around without the auction occuring, the player is free to make other
    actions (ie: pass, buy, or bid on another) in his turn.
AH> Correct    

    Operating Round Order (R16.0.2)
    -------------------------------

        2) If two corporations have the same value and are in the same
    column, shouldn't the corporation with upper row token move before
    any in rows below?
AH> It does.

        The rules clearly state that the corporations move in the order
    of higher value, then if equal value, the corporation whose token is
    further right.  But this ignores the vertical column of equal $67
    values below the starting PAR values. So an extra clause is needed.

    Track Tile Placement (R18.0)
    ----------------------------

        My group has trouble understanding exactly how rigorous the tile
    placement rules are supposed to be interpreted.
AH> Very rigorous

        R18.0.4: "A tile may not be placed so that a track runs off the grid,
    terminates against a blank side of a grey hexagon, or terminates
    against a solid blue hexside in a lake or a river.  It may be placed so
    as to utilize track on a grey hexagon, but this is not required."

        3a) Our confusion stems from situations that often arise along
    the coastline or the Great Lakes, where track might be played that
    "goes out to sea", with the intent of later upgrading it to a more
    useful path.  Is this legal?  
AH> No

        One interpretation that says No, this is an example of "running
    off the grid".  These "edges" of the grid are dark green hexes or
    light blue lake or sea.  On the other hand it seems to make some
    drastic restrictions on how tiles may be played near the coasts.

AH> Yep. The restrictions are there on purpose.

    Other more specific examples follow.

        3b) Can the NY tiles indeed only be played in one orientation?
AH> Yes.
        ie: is there any orientation where a connector leads off the
    coast that is legal given Q3a above?
AH> No.    

        3c) Can a brown city tile #63 (a track in all 6 directions) be
    played on any of city hexes: J14, K15, F22, F4, B16?  

AH> No. Also K15 is a grey hex and cannot be played at all.
<<  Whoops! I was using a xerox copy of the board and missed that.

        Each of these cities border on water.  (In fact only cities: H16,
    H10, H4, F16 don't border on water)
AH> and E19
<< Whoops again.  Forgot about Albany, the NYC logo camouflages the city
<< on my copy.

        3d) For example, on Hex B10, are there only two positions of tile
    #57 that can be played here? (ie: those that connect to the Canadian
    West; 30, or 330 deg)
AH> Correct. Only those placements are legal.    

        O-O tiles:
        4a) Do the O-O tiles have to be placed so that no tracks lead into
    the water or green?  Examples: Erie hex E11, or C&A hex H18.
AH> Correct, or grey hexsides.
<<  Hmmm... I thought grey hexsides were explicitly allowed, as I
<< stated in the next paragraph.  However, a page break happened here.

        (Note: The Detroit/Windsor hex E5 has grey land drawn on the
    150-deg. side, part of grey Cleveland hex F6, this is allowed
    explicitly by the blank grey side clause of rule 18.0.4 above.)

        4b) Do disconnected tracks have to be preserved when upgrading?
    (see also question 5a below)
AH> Yes.

        4c) Does the connectivity of the O-O tiles have to maintained when
    upgraded?
AH> Yes.

        The green O-O tiles have two cities with one track each.  The
    brown O-O tiles have two cities with a through track that creates two
    connections per city.  It is tempting to upgrade a green O-O tile
    with brown tile that connects the original two tracks with one
    through track connecting one city.  Some people consider this a
    change in connectivity and should not be allowed.  

AH> [picture drawn]

             +         +
           /   \     /   \
         /       \ /       \
        +         +         +
        |       A |         |
        ==============O     |
        |         |         |
        +         +    O  B +
         \       / \    \\ / \
           \   /     \   \\    \
             +         +  \\     +
             |         |  //     |
             |         ====      |
             |         |         |

AH> Note that each city connects to a different route.  If you assume a
AH> token in each location, then any upgrade that connects hex sides A and B
AH> will change an existing route.  Therefore, such an upgrade is not allowed.

        5) Rule 18.0, para 2, says "...(In the case of tiles which
    portray 2 different pieces of track it only necessary for one of them
    to form a legal extention.)"  From this we can assume that this rule
    affects tiles; 1,2,55,69,56, 16,18,19,20,54(NY), 59(O-O), 62(NY),
    64-68(O-O).
AH> Yes.

        For the tiles that can be upgraded, if the second track is still
    disconnected, does the upgrade tile have to preserve the same track
    exits?  (note that this is a general variant on 4.d above)
AH> Yes.

        6a) Some disagreement has come up in our group over the following
    issue:  Can a corp. lay/upgrade a track tile such that it has a
    "trailing point switch"?  (eg: a track junction that would require a
    reversal or backtrack if you were running a train on that route)  
AH> No.

        Actually I don't see why not, as I explain below, because you can
    reach that tile directly.  But the following is harder for people to
    accept.

        6b) Can a RR corp. continue laying tile extending a track that it
    could only reach by reversing or backtracking?
AH> No!

        My interpretation of Rule 18.1 para 2, "A Railroad may only
    replace a tile if at least part of the track on the new tile is part
    of a route which is open to that Railroad.  This does not require
    that the route be actually in use, _or_even_could_be_used_ with a
    train able to travel a sufficent distance, but it must not be closed
    to the Railroad." (emphasis mine) is that such an upgrade is allowed
    by that phrase.  Otherwise, I'm not sure why it is there.

AH> A length of track that backtracks on itself is not a "route" as defined
AH> by 20.1.  Therefore, 18.1.2 does not apply as that track is not part of a
AH> route.

       The impact of this is a restrain on how one extends your routes.
    If they must be reachable in a straightforward manner, then it would
    allow some techniques in keeping players on the other side of the
    switch points from interfering with track routes under construction
    until they make the necessary modifications to reach it.  Someone
    recently claimed in "rec.games.board" that a ruling made at a recent
    Origins convention, could be simplified to saying that you must be
    able to run a train route on a piece of a tile to be able to lay or
    upgrade it.

AH> Basically correct.  You can also extend or upgrade tiles where no route
AH> currently exists.  (Example, you can build a route from CanPac in a SW
AH> direction 4 hexes straight.  You can then upgrade those tiles, even
AH> thought there may not be a city on the other end.)

<<  Ahhh. So I guess that the point of the clause I mention is to indicate
<<  that you can extend routes that don't have an end city, not to violate
<<  the backtrack restriction.

        7) The Erie home hex (E11);  Please clarify the following:

        7a) Can you run a route from the Erie home base even if a tile is
    not placed there yet? (especially if green tiles are not available)
    (19.1)  In other words, can the Erie be operated for revenue before
    green tiles are availible and an O-O tile is placed on E11?
AH> No, No track exists.

        7b) Rule 19.1 says "No token may be placed here [presumably by
    another player] until the Erie has established its base."  Yet the
    Question Box, Table 1 item says that if the Erie is operational, that
    the Erie free home token is on the hex, and another player can play a
    tile and establish the Erie home base city, "because the NYC or Erie
    player has passed the opportunity."  I believe this means that if the
    Erie is not operational, another player can play a tile on hex E11,
    but not lay a token there.  If the Erie opens, but does not place a
    tile in E11, then another player can, and position the Erie token as
    well as his own.
AH> Correct.    

        8) Is it allowable for a competing Corporation to place a tile on
    a Private Company (not closed yet) if the owning Corporation has not
    done so yet?  (perhaps because it does not have a traceable
    connection yet)
AH> Yes.

        Rule 18.0 para 6 says "...Tiles may be placed there [private
    companies] if the Private Company is owned by a Corporation (see
    23.1) or closed."  This does not say that the Corporation owning the
    Private Company has sole rights to that hex.  
AH> Correct.

        9) B&O tile placement (R18.0.6 & R23.2); If the B&O Private
    Company cannot be sold to *any* corporation (including the B&O Corp),
    can the B&O Corp play a tile on Baltimore (hex I15) or Hex I13 (Harpers
    Ferry) before it buys its first train?
AH> No

        This would effectively prevent the B&O Corp. president from
    laying track in his first operating turn.
AH> Wrong.  General practice is either laying #57 in J14, or either of
AH> tiles 7,8,9 in I17.

<<  So, I was right in noticing the restriction.  But wrong on the implication
<<  that there was no other option.

    Train Trade-in (R21.0 & 17.0 #5)
    --------------------------------

        10a) Multiple trains can be purchased in a Corporate turn.  Is
    this transaction atomic, or one-at-a-time?  If a phase change is
    involved does it happen in-between, or afterwords?

AH> [crossed out "atomic", circled "one-at-a-time" and "in-between"]

AH> Another example would be the situation where a player has a 4 Train,
AH> 5 Trains are available, but the first 5 train has not been purchased.
AH> At this moment, a railroad may own three trains.  However, this player
AH> may only purchase one train.  As soon as that first 5 train is bought,
AH> railroads are limited to 2 trains.

        10b) In other words, Could a player trade-in two 4-Trains for
    Diesels to get the $800 price?  (provided he is the first to break
    Diesels)
AH> No. R21.0.4 3rd sentence

    Private Co special action
    -------------------------

        11a) M&H exchange for NYC stock (Table 1, Note 3) If there are
    shares availible in both the Bank and the Pool, which gets
    preference?  Or is it the player's choice?  
AH> Players choice.        

        A player that doesn't want to help the NYC go operational, may
    choose a Pool certificate instead of an Initial offering certificate.
AH> Correct.

        11b) Note that while R8.1.3 calls out that the purchaser of the
    C&A, receives a free share of the PRR which cannot be sold until the
    PRR has been opened and has a value.  Likewise the if the owner of
    the M&H exchages the private company for a free share of the NYC, the
    NYC may not be open, and would not have a value at that point it
    time.  So likewise, the recipient of the share should not be allowed
    to sell it until it has a value.
AH> Correct.    

    More rules questions from Usenet rec.games.board group

        12) Does a corp stock always have to go down in the first
    operating turn because they couldn't have a train until the end of
    the turn? (R8.2)
AH> Yes.

        Someone felt that it was unfair that a stock always devalues
    after opening.  Though most on the network accept this.
AH> Tough.  That's the way it is. <g>      

        13)  Are the green and brown tiles ONLY to be played to upgrade
    yellow tiles or hexes?  ie: they are not to be played directly on
    beige board hexes?  (R18.1)
AH> Correct.    
        The rules not are explicit enough for some people.

        14)  Can a token be moved once played on a city?  (R19) (upon
    paying the current token fee)
AH> No.        
        Someone pointed out that there was no rule that outlawed this.  I
    feel that word "new" in Rule 17.0 #2 indicates the spirit of the
    rules, in which this would not be allowed.
AH> That and R19.0.2 3rd sentence.        

        15) Does the use of a route prevent another corp from running
    over it in their turn? (R20.1)
AH> No.

        Someone was confused by the restriction that a Railroad cannot
    run over the same track during it's operating turn, and generalized
    it to all Railroads within an operating round.  I don't think
    experienced players misunderstand this.
AH> [circled "it's" ]

        I appreciate you time and effort in answering these questions.  I
    hope that you will allow me to distribute your answers to the
    newsgroup, that other 1830 players can share in these clarifications.

AH> Please do!