18RoyalGorge: The Rails of Fremont County and the Royal Gorge Wars Game Review

Here’s the lead with the new 18xx title 18RoyalGorge: The Rails of Fremont County and the Royal Gorge Wars—it was designed by Kayla Ross (she/her) & Denman Scofield (he/him). As far as I can tell, 18RoyalGorge is the first and only 18xx title co-designed by a woman.

The surprises continued as I explored the box. 18RoyalGorge is a train game that can be played in about two hours, similar to other 18xx games such as 18MS: The Railroads Come to Mississippi, System18 or last year’s Railways of the Lost Atlas. That puts it in “weeknight train game” territory. The game is very friendly to new players (4 trains are permanent here!), has an interesting pool of private companies, and even allows players to invest in the company that is selling steel to players in order to facilitate the use of new track.

That puts 18RoyalGorge in a unique place, and that’s even before we discuss the graphic design and visual board elements designed by Scofield. I think this is a system worth exploring, as long as you approach the game with the proper frame of mind.

Wait…What’s Doc Holliday Doing Here?

18RoyalGorge is an economic, route-building simulation experience for 2-4 players. Using the 18xx system created…

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