Schnauzer

Turn 24 (Winter)

Turn Order Determination

Turn orders is:  Platinum Queen, NTSB, RMHL, GERR.

Prospector and Surveyor Placement

Dispute Resolution

Construction and Operations

Deliveries

End of Game

Congratulations to Bill Scharf on his win!

End of Game Statements

Dave Hooton (Rocky Mountain High Line):  Normally, $40000 is a winning score in an SOB Silverton game. Not this time.

A big part of the reason is the new tactic of having an abundance of prospectors, and that's where I failed to adapt. At a crucial stage of the game, my neighbors each had three prospectors, while I had only one that was not in jail.

Congratulations to Bill on his win, and thanks to Chris for running it.

Brendan Whyte (Platinum Queen):  Congratulations to Bill on a convincing win that was never in doubt. A few turns in I was expecting to place well last, so was happy to find I could hold a third place.  From early on I was hoping the Denver boys would be at each other’s throats, and I could cut deals with the loser… but even then Dave cut me out of the Denver and Pueblo markets, then Santa Fe, Albuquerque and El Paso, leaving me only with SLC and its small demand.  Andy bought several mines that only I could serve, and refused to operate them, so obviously wasn’t interested in any deal. And attempts to cut a deal on passenger lines with Dave to stop Andy getting them all failed when Andy took them off us within a couple of turns (Dave’s hedgehogging to stop me connecting to Denver played into Andy’s hands in this too). I’m not sure we even paid off our costs.  Despite some initial skirmishing, Bill and I then cut deals on a couple of passenger routes, and both Dave and Bill helped me deliver goods or let me help them.

Towards the end I made the mistake of thinking pulled up track paid 10% the initial cost, rather than $10 times the distance. So I pulled up my Dillon/Leadville lines. This let Andy in in the last couple of turns to deliver some silver he had there, but I was never going to pass his score anyway, so it didn’t affect placing.  For the second half of the game my strategy was just to prevent Andy passing Bill.  So from that point of view, I was successful.

I’ve never played SLC before. It’s a lonely position, but I think Dave cut his own throat, as well as mine, but his builds early on. Thankfully he came to his senses and we could talk turkey after that. But a little more cooperation could have helped up nobble Andy back to third, possibly even fourth.  I was also surprised Dave didn’t build through to SLC himself, to contest more with Andy for the passenger routes.

There is a bit of a problem with the endgame in that the ‘winner’ can have completely pulled up his own tracks and have no claims or loads left, while a loser can be in a much better longterm position. E.g. Bill has 2 claims and no loads left: I’ve got 4 live claims, and 35 coal. But he’s so far beyond the rest of us, I guess it’s academic.

Thanks all, and especially to Chris to running a game that requires so much GM input.

Bill Scharf (Great Expectations Railroad):  I enjoy Silverton a lot. Running out of money is possible, highly possible if the first couple of turns the claims show up in places far, far away. So doing well in the game depends where and when claims appear, how long they last, how you spend your money, and, for Denver and Pueblo players, what your immediate neighbors are doing in the early part of the game. Other than how you spend your money it’s basically dancing with the gods of chance, sometimes you do well…other times…..Thanks for running it Chris.

The Players

Personnel in italics are in jail.

Purchased Claims

Owned Passenger Lines

Available Trains

Available Snowplows