Stocks, Hotels and Trains

BobProbst

First Post
I am completely stunned by how I won Acquire the other night -- perhaps it was the big girl tears I cried?

Seriously, it's a complete mystery to me -- I kept splitting sales or ending up in the minority. And as I type this, I guess that might have been it. With the exception of worldwide, I held a stake most every deal that took place.

I just really hope I didn't F up making change for myself at the end and take an extra 5k by mistake. That game really screams for poker chip money.
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Anyhoo, I played a mock game of Chicago Express. It's like Imperial with Trains! and it plays somewhat faster too. It's bafflingly simple! The game opens with a share in each of 4 train companies being auctioned off. The money you pay for the shares goes to the train company and becomes its operating capital. Any shareholder can then choose to expand the railroad or improve it (increase its value). You can also choose to auction off more shares.

Once a set number of actions occur, dividends are paid out to all share holders based on the value of the company.

When a train company connects to Chicago, they gain a lot of value and pay out a special dividend. It's not just a race to Chicago though, many train companies can be steady earners and just stay in the sticks. A train company that is expanding rapidly might draw a lot of investors which means the shares get diluted and the payouts are small. A poorly performing railroad with a single investor might earn him quite a bit more than his single share in the top railroad.

To take this idea a step further, other investors might then be prompted to invest in this weaker railroad which injects more operating capital into its coffers and allows it to expand!

Very fascinating stuff (to me) and I look forward to playing!
 
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