1870: The Trans-Mississippi

3 Game Setup

3.1 Physical Layout

The playing map and the stock market should be laid out on a table with sufficient room for all players, the bank, and to lay out the track tiles. The operating round marker should be placed to indicate a stock round. Each company's shares should be placed on the initial offering display in their appropriate places with the presidential share on top along with the company's tokens and par value marker. The trains should be placed on their boxes on the train display. The bank's money should be placed along one side of the map omitting the $1000 bills. The five private companies and the president's share of the Frisco are placed in cost price order in the centre of the map. Place one share of the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad with the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad private company.

3.2 Starting Order

The starting order cards are then shuffled and dealt one per person in clockwise order around the table. The player who won the last game decides who gets the first card. If a player volunteers to be the banker, he sits next to the bank and the other players arrange themselves in ascending order around him. Should no one volunteer to be the banker, the player with card # 1 retains their position and the other players arrange themselves clockwise in numerical order after him.

3.3 Player Starting Capital

Each player receives as starting capital $ 2100 divided by the number of players in the game.

Players	2	3	4	5	6
Starting Capital	$ 1050	$ 700	$ 525	$ 420	$ 350

3.4 Funds Disclosure

Player money is always public knowledge. Company money is always private. A president may reveal the extent of a companies finances if he so wishes but he need not be truthful.

3.5 Game Etiquette

• In a game of this length, players need to plan their company moves before their turn. You should plan what tile(s) you are going to lay or upgrade. Where possible you should plan your train runs in advance.
• The shares that you own should be laid out in an orderly manner. Remember that the banker is only required to pay you dividends on shares that he can see.
• If a player owns all of the shares in one of his companies, it is permissible to pile them in one pile, but remember how many certificates this represents.
• The number of shares redeemed by a company and the trains owned by a company are public knowledge. They should be clearly visible on the company charter.
• Other players are allowed to know how much money you have and how many shares you own. They may ask at any time and you should answer politely. If you are busy operating one of your companies, it is permitted to ignore them until you are finished operating that company.
• If a player and a company own all of that companies shares between them, it is sometimes faster to pay 100% of the dividends to that player and then have him pay his company for any shares it has redeemed.
• If in later stages of the game during an operating round, you wish to count the bank, you are allowed to do so, but you may not do it while you are operating a company. You may only do so when someone else is operating a company. You are required to inform the other players of the correct total.

3.6 Deals Between Players

3.7 Purchase Order