Spreadsheets everywhere

Recently, I've run a couple of test games using only a spreadsheet, without the map and tiles. This has meant that I've had to guess the income of each company based on its trains and the stage of the game. Although I may have made some mistakes along the way as a result, the spreadsheet approach has several advantages.

For one thing, I have a record of each game. I can look back over the game and see how many trains were bought in each OR, or how many shares were available in each SR. Then I can experiment with a rule change, starting from a particular point in the game.

This approach allows me to concentrate on the financial flow of the game. I'm looking at when money becomes available for players to start companies and for companies to buy trains. It's an important way of thinking about the game. I'd even guess that experienced 18xx designers use this view of the game from the outset, whereas I've come to it after much work on other parts of the game.

From a practical point of view, the spreadsheet is much more convenient. Instead of needing a table to set up the map, I can carry the spreadsheet on a memory stick and play a couple of moves when I have a spare moment.

I don't claim any originality for the idea. Like many good ideas, I picked it up from the 18xx mailing list. It took a while to get the spreadsheet working the way I want it, but the effort has definitely been worthwhile.