18RoyalGorge: The Rails of Fremont County and the Royal Gorge Wars

About this board game

18RoyalGorge: The Rails of Fremont County and the Royal Gorge Wars is an 18XX railway game for 2–4 players with an approximately 180-minute playing time. Set in Colorado, it covers a thirty-year span from roughly 1870 to 1900.

The game features eleven companies, though only two are available to start and only five companies come into play in total. With 3–4 players, this structure can initially push some participants toward investor strategies rather than operating a train company.

Rail companies build their networks and can use their rails to ship gold. Players can also purchase shares in the gold market and buy steel shares individually, creating several ways to participate in Colorado’s developing economy.

• Incremental capitalization for the railway companies
• A steel mill that provides track for the companies
• A gold market that players can own shares in
• Gold shipping along company railways
• Historical features including local coal mines and private assets

History shapes the setting through the conflict over rights to the Royal Gorge route, alongside local coal mines and more than a dozen private assets. These elements place the railway competition within a distinctly Colorado-focused historical framework.

With its limited company openings, multiple investment opportunities, and interaction between railways, gold, and steel, 18RoyalGorge offers a focused 18XX experience built around the development of Fremont County and the Royal Gorge. The game was released in 2025.