
- BGG rank
- BGG #5,578
- BGG rating
- 6.8
Locomotive Werks
- 3–5 players
- 120 min
- Complexity 2.9/5
- 2002

2012
Rules assistance for 1830 Cardgame
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

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Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
1830 Cardgame is a board game released in 2012 for 3–6 players and 120 minutes per game. It was designed by Dieter Danziger.
1830 Cardgame is an economic slugfest by the designer of railroad games like Lokomotive Werks and Union vs. Central, and your goal is to have the most money on hand at game's end. Each turn you draw a card from one of three face-up cards, then perform one of four actions: Buy a share, paying the cost. Buy a train, which (strangely) costs nothing. Build a station. Pay dividends. Each share is worth the number of stations a company has that have trains to service them. As in 1830: Railways & Robber Barons, an inspiration for this design, trains must be purchased in order; players are limited in the number of trains they can own. The game ends after all shares have been purchased, all "8" trains have been acquired, or twelve dividend payouts have been made. Released as part of the 2012 Essen package from Winsome.
1830 Cardgame supports 3–6 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 1830 Cardgame is 120 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.
1830 Cardgame has a complexity rating of 2.4 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light 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.
1830 Cardgame belongs to these categories: Card Game, Economic, and Trains. Categories describe the theme, setting and style of a game rather than its rules. Filter the catalogue by the same category to find similar games when you enjoyed 1830 Cardgame and want something comparable for your next game night.
The credited designers of 1830 Cardgame are: Dieter Danziger. 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 1830 Cardgame 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.