Omaha Spur (2023)

Omaha Spur is a “sharpie-rails” variant of traditional 18xx games for 2-6 players set in the greater Omaha/Council Bluffs area. It is a city-scale game that simulates the development of railway Systems, passenger and freight routes, and industries roughly during the period 1870 to 1930. It generally follows traditional 18xx rules borrowed from 1830. There are stock rounds where shares are bought and sold, and operating rounds where tracks are laid, stations placed, and trains run for revenue. Some parts from 1830 are necessary to play the game. Rather than laying tiles, players draw track sections and place station tokens with their companies' colored sharpies to both indicate completion and ownership. Companies can lease track from other players to complete their routes The revenue values of hexes increase as game phases change and industries "pop-up" in those hexes at the end of each operating round from a pre-programmed chain of industry tokens. As with traditional 18xx, players' portfolio and cash holdings determine the winner.