1870: Tips on Strategy

In my opinion, 1870 is the best train game ever designed. Any of the 10 public companies can be the best stock at the end of the game. It provides an excellent balance between stock value, operational revenue and anticipating the train purchases. Price protection, redemption, reissue and the yellow zone provide multiple opportunities for complicated decision-making.

Private Companies

GRSC - $20. It's main purpose is to keep anyone from getting a more valuable private cheaply.

Bridge - $40. Usually purchased by a player planning to start the MP or CB. The MP can run for a lot early; the CB can reach destination quickly.

Cows - $50. Works well with Frisco, Katy, SF or FW.

Port - $80. Usually purchased by player starting the GMO. Also works with IC, SP, TP, CB.

Frisco - $140. The Frisco can start with just 2 shares. You can get $1000 of capitalization for just $145. Works well in combination with other privates.

Katy - $160. Comes with one share of Katy and the largest embezzlement opportunity. Sometimes bid up over $200 in a 4 player game and $190 in a 5. Not as valuable as the C&A in 1830 but usually worth an auction.

Because the Frisco always starts and the Katy often does, the SF, CB and MP can be good first companies because track will develop quickly in their region. But if two players start together (IC and GMO; 2 of the 3 Texas railroads), they can develop track just as quickly.

Stock Rounds

Buying and selling other people's shares to take them out of the Initial Offering and to get instant profits can have value but doing so religiously will probably put you dead last in the priority SR after SR. This is usually fatal. Pick your moments.

First priority is usually to get the full number of cities you have the train capacity to run. Second priority is either reaching your destination or upgading the cities on your run to full value. This depends on how big your train is, how far away the destination is, etc. As a general rule, the only early company that should sprint to its  destination is the Cotton Belt.

Tokens

The $40 token is almost always worth laying but the $100 tokens of the 4 northern companies (ATSF, Katy, MP, and Frisco) are an iffy proposition. Don't lay one if it is going to keep you from getting the train you need or force you to withhold an extra time. (If you own 60% of a company, a withhold can cost you $300 in stock value at the end of the game in addition to the lost revenue of the one turn).

Trains

In 1870, the most valuable trains are the 3-trains and the 6-trains. The least valuable are the 2-trains.  1870 is not about mindlessly pushing trains but about when you push them. I have often seen 2-trains that were purchased in OR1 and never ran at all because the first 4-train was bought in OR2. A train, even an $80 train, that never runs is overpriced. But every decision in 1870 is based on what the other players do (and what you think they will do). That is why it is endlessly fascinating and not sitting in the bottom of my closet.

The period between the purchase of the first 3-train and the first 4-train is critical in 1870. If you can get your private company bought in before the other players, you will have two ORs in which you own more shares than they do. Also, if you can get two 3-trains and your full embezzlement, you are far better off than a player who gets 1 3-train or 1 4-train and his embezzlement.  Moreover, any player who has to fall back trainless to buy a 4-train is obviously worse off.

Sample Scenario with a 4-train appearing in OR2

OR1:
PLAYER 1 - Frisco (started at $100, also has Cows) Buys one 2-train. By buying 3 3-trains, the Frisco player has eliminated 1/3 of his competition. His chances of winning have increased.  Other than the Katy player, no one did anything insane or lost $1 out of their private company embezzlement. And 4 of the 2-trains never ran.

5-Trains

As a rule of thumb, it is usually good to own one 5-train but not more than one 5-train. If you own none, you often have to buy a 6-train and an 8-train before you are ready and therefore end up selling off shares. If you own 2 or more 5-trains, the other players have a strong incentive to make certain that 12-trains come out and kill the 5s. But sometimes buying a lot of 5s can force a bankruptcy at 8-trains, in which case 12-trains will clearly not come out. Figuring out the distribution of the 5-trains and 6-trains is as important as the 3-trains.

Second Companies

Go where the track is. Some players choose a 2nd company they think provides the best synergy with their first company, but this is only a tie-breaker. Usually, whoever opens that company will lay similar track to that which you would lay. Always select the company with the best track at the moment you are selecting.

Yellow Companies

Yellow companies, or companies that withhold to get into the yellow stock zone, are valuable in 1870. They can help your first company buy trains and provide you with extra shares. In a 3- or 4-player game, it is often wise to take your third company into the yellow. In a 5- or 6-player game, it is usually your second company that goes into the yellow. The more players in the game, the less valuable yellow companies are.  (This is partly because it costs more of your potential shares and revenue to take the company back and partly because the more players there are in the game the more likely that 5-trains will survive to the end and that the game will terminate 3 ORs sooner).

Withholding

1870 is a cash-rich environment (certainly compared to 1830). Often, you can play an entire 1870 game without withholding except with a RR you plan to take and keep in the yellow. Withholding with "real" stock should only be done rarely (like once to secure a 6-train and when you would just be falling back the next OR anyway if you do not get it). 

Share Redemption

Players are more likely to over-utilize than to under-utilize share redemption. It is usually wrong to redeem shares before the 3-trains break. Redemption before you know how the 3-trains and 4-trains will fall out is dangerous.  It might cost you a train or force you to withhold when you otherwise could have paid. It is usually wrong to redeem shares when it costs you position on the Priority Card. Be careful that you do not redeem a share and then discover that you needed that money for a marker or terrain payment. Only if none of these things are true should you redeem.

Share Reissue

Don't reissue shares unless you will be using that money for something (trains, tokens, terrain) on the next set of ORs. When you reissue, you are doing a favor to the person who will buy those shares and get an instant profit. Be very careful reissuing shares that will be bought by your main competition for victory. 

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