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.

We may earn a small commission when you buy through these links.