West Riding Revisited

About this board game

West Riding Revisited is a railway investment game for 3–5 players, with a playing time of about 120 minutes. Set in the United Kingdom during the Industrial Revolution, it is the result of ten years of further development of the original West Riding and plays very differently.

No money is provided at the start. Players compete to become the investor who has made the most money by following a structured turn sequence: bid on shares, build track, trade shares, pay dividends, and determine turn order.

Share trading uses a two-to-one exchange rate, allowing two basic shares to be traded for a grouping share. Cubes mark expansion links, replacing the crayon-based system of the predecessor. Some stocks begin in the hands of “dummy” players, making the opening less wide open than in the earlier game.

• Basic rail companies: Midland Railway, London & North Western Railway, North Eastern Railway, Great Central Railway, Great Northern Railway, and Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway
• Grouping rail companies: London & North Eastern Railway and London, Midland, & Scottish Railway
• Share supply: eight shares for each basic company and twelve shares for each grouping company

The game ends when the game marker—a small wooden locomotive—reaches the end-of-game space or all six basic railways have been finished. The Big Payoff then begins, with players liquidating all their holdings; the player with the most money wins.

West Riding Revisited also includes an advanced variant with a variable starting setup, intended for groups who find the basic game’s opening too scripted. It was released as part of Winsome Games’ 2010 Essen set.