Irish Gauge

I've always wanted to play an 18XX train game, but the price and game length scared me off. Not so with Irish Gauge. It is relatively inexpensive to buy and quick to play. It's an easy teach, plus has good strategic depth. I recommend this game for those new to board gaming and experienced gamers too. The game starts with an auction phase. One share of each of the five companies is put up for auction. Bidding on a share requires a minimum bid which varies between companies. The starting location for each company varies on the board as well. Once a share is owned, a player may take their train pieces and "build their railway." Instead of building, players may call for an auction of another share of stock, call for dividends, or invest into cities. Each time there's a call for dividends or an investment into cities, cubes are removed from a bag. When the bag is empty, the game ends. The player total their cash on hand, and the face value of the stock they own. The player with the highest total wins.

Brilliant game! Excellent production for only $30. I have played a few cube rails but this is currently my favorite. Creative mechanics with a smooth flow in just over 60 minutes. Its all about moving figures to your advantage but the chosen tools and motivations impact the game in clever ways. Rules are very easy to learn. As a plus, the art, components and box design are the best I've seen. Easy to store and carry. Nice to look at. If looking for a reasonably priced auction game for 3+ you really can't go wrong here.

Great game

This is a VERY abstracted version of an 18XX railroad game, abstracted to the point that people looking for an 18XX experience should look elsewhere. People coming from the other end of the difficulty / complexity spectrum for train games will probably find a lot to like. The rule sheet is short and easy to follow. Even younger players who were unfamiliar with auctions and stocks were able to pick up the game after a couple of turns and inflating stock prices during auctions to hurt other players. For a game where there's no direct conflict, it's an evil game with plenty of opportunities to annoy and punish the other players. The randomness will be a deal breaker for some players, but didn't bother me. Players can run away with the game, making the last third a little boring. However, as a 45-60 minute game that comes to the table this easily and plays so breezily, I'm willing to overlook small gripes. This game plays a little like Acquire, if Acquire were a lot more dramatic, less random, and gave you control of the board. A total steal at this price. Pretty too.

Not truly an 18xx but this is an awesome intro into the genre, as it shares some similarities. The production value is amazing too -- beautiful art work and high quality components. I recommend Iberian Gauge as well (I haven't tried Ride the Rails yet but that's also on my list)