- BGG rating
- 5.6
18 Hiawatha
- 3–6 players
- 180–240 min
- 2021
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- BGG #1,805
- BGG rating
- 8.6
1817
2010
Rules assistance for 1817
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 3–7 players
- 360–540 min
- 16+
- Complexity 4.8/5
For 3 players
Rules assistant for 1817
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
1817 is a board game released in 2010 for 3–7 players, 360–540 minutes per game, and ages 16 and up. It was designed by Craig Bartell and Tim Flowers and its main mechanics are Auction / Bidding, Loans, and Ownership.
Expansions
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About the game
1817 is a railroad operations and share trading board game in the 18xx series with a distinct financial flair. It is named after the year the New York Stock Exchange opened at 40 Wall Street in New York. 1817 differentiates itself from other 18xx games with its sophisticated financial mechanics that simulate the laissez faire capitalism of early America. While all the familiar mechanics of an 18xx game are present, such as placing tiles, purchasing tokens, and running trains, the game is won or lost based on the financial decisions you make. 1817 includes financial mechanics seen in other 18xx games such as mergers, friendly takeovers, and conversions to different share structures. Beyond these basics, 1817 introduces several additional financial mechanics such as short selling, market driven interest rates, hostile takeovers, and corporate liquidations. The most unique is selling stock short. Short selling is the practice of selling stock you don’t own with the intention of buying the stock back at a later date. You hope to profit from a decline in the price of the stock between the sale and the repurchase. Conversely, you will incur a loss if the price of the stock increases before the repurchase. You are also liable for dividends paid while holding the short position.
Categories
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Game Harbor
- Deep Thought Games, LLC
- All-Aboard Games
Questions and answers
1817 supports 3–7 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for 1817 is 360–540 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists 1817 for ages 16 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
1817 has a complexity rating of 4.8 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a heavy game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
1817 belongs to these categories: Economic, Trains, and Transportation. Its main mechanics are Auction / Bidding, Loans, and Ownership. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of 1817 are: Craig Bartell and Tim Flowers. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists 1817 as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.