The definitive ranked list of the best stock board games. This mechanism usually requires players to be able to hold different ownership positions in a variety of things or entities. This is a subcategory of commodity speculation in which instead of purchasing or selling the entirety of something, players purchase and sell (or hold) fractional shares. You think of terms like “buy” and “sell” when it comes to stocks and you are not wrong. These are the top 10 best stock board games.
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#10 | Panamax
Panamax makes the list of the best stock board games because it seamlessly integrates the mechanism into everything you have to do to build a successful operation. Yes you have to put the resources together to move cargo but that means nothing if you are not part of the most lucrative contracts.
Each player manages a shipping company established in the Colón Free Trade Zone. Companies accept contracts from both US coasts, China and Europe and deliver cargo in order to make money, attract investment and pay dividends. At the same time the players accumulate their own stock investments and try to make as much money as possible in an effort to have the largest personal fortune and win the game. For 2 – 4 players, games last about 100 minutes.
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#09 | Arkwright
Arkwright makes the list of the best stock board games because it has a wonderful buy/sell market mechanism. After each round of actions one kind of factories is active and you have to pay for all your workers and machines there, then sell the manufactured products. The value of your shares increases for sold products and best quality. Play the market to ride the biggest success wave.
Run all four factories with most possible output, set the focus on only two factories and improve them more than the others can; use shipping to colony or focus on the home market. In any way you have to react to the opponents and their strategy. Enter markets with a deficit in supply or give up business where the other players start to push you out. Buy shares when they are cheap and increase the value, or first make money and buy shares later. For 2 – 4 players, games run 2 – 4 hours.
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#08 | Chicago Express
Chicago Express makes the list of the best stock board games because it does such a great job of recreating the stock and railroad boom of the late 19th century. As soon as all available actions of two options are taken, a dividend phase is executed, where all players gain income from the railroad companies they have shares of.
In the game the main railroads drive from the East Coast across the growing eastern US to Chicago. Smaller, more aggressive railroads like the Wabash spring up to further expand America’s extensive railroads. Over a series of rounds you can either auctioning a share of one of the railroad companies, expanding the rail system of one of the railroad companies or develop a piece of land. You are an executive trying to build the biggest network and amass the most wealth. For 2 – 6 players, games last about 1 hour.
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#07 | Airlines Europe
Airlines Europe makes the list of the best stock board games because it is a fantastic title that has players earning points for the stock they hold in particular airline companies when one of the randomly determined scorings takes place. You need to expand airlines across Europe to make your investments pay off.
On a player’s turn, that player either expands an airline and claims a stock, plays stock onto the board and receives dividend, invests in a special airline or gets a certain amount of money from the bank. A player scores only for stock in play, but the value of an airline is determined by the value of the route licenses that airline owns – thus, you’re torn in terms of what to play when. For 2 – 5 players, games go for approximately 75 minutes.
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#06 | Stockpile
Stockpile makes the list of the best stock board games because it is an economic title that combines the traditional stockholding strategy of buy low, sell high with several additional mechanisms to create a fast-paced, engaging and interactive experience. Make better decisions than your opponent in this hidden information game.
Players act as stock market investors at the end of the 20th century hoping to strike it rich, and the investor with the most money at the end of the game is the winner. Stockpile centers on the idea that nobody knows everything about the stock market, but everyone does know something. In the game, this philosophy manifests in two ways: insider information and the stockpile. For 2 – 5 players, games run about 45 minutes.
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#05 | Acquire
Acquire makes the list of the best stock board games because this is a classic holding and speculation game that just will not go out of style, originally debuting to the world in 1964. You must invest, divest, and stage hostile takeovers in this classic real estate game. It is not too much in terms of theatrics but the core gameplay is legendary.
You are going to get six letter and number tiles that correspond to a center grid board that you know but keep secret. Each turn you play one to try and launch and grow hotel chains. The connecting tiles make the chains bigger and they take over smaller chains they come into contact with. All while this is happening, people are buying and selling stock of those chains trying to make big strategic gains and avoid loss. For 2 – 6 players, games last about 90 minutes.
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#04 | Indonesia
Indonesia makes the list of the best stock board games because this is a great civilization building game that just happens to have a wonderful level of being able to invest in the different production companies as a different means of control and profiteering. Controlling the timing of your actions and where you make investments is key.
Players build up an economy, trying to acquire the most money. You will acquire production companies, which produce goods, and shipping companies, which deliver goods to cities. As cities receive goods, they grow, increasing their demands. Production companies earn money for each good delivered to a city but must pay shipping companies for the distance traveled. This may be a losing trade. Players can research advantages, that make major changes. For 2 – 5 players, games run 3 – 4 minutes.
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#03 | Imperial 2030
Imperial 2030 makes the list of the best stock board games because competing governments are not different players going after one another but investment opportunities. There is a lot going on but your main goal is to figure out how you can sit back and profit off of it.
The six world powers develop their industrial basis and build up armies and fleets. They fight over control of neutral land and sea areas in order to become the most powerful nation. Players are not these nations, they are international investors watching the 6 take their turns and giving their money to their nation of choice to influence politics and power. The biggest investor in each nation gains control of that nation’s government and decides what the nation will do. For 2 – 6 players, games run 2 – 3 hours.
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#02 | 1830: Railways & Robber Barons
1830: Railways & Robber Barons makes the list of the best stock board games because it is just a solid classic about managing railroads and investing wisely. Not only does it have the stock game figured out, but 1830 is widely considered to be one of the best games of its kind.
Players are seeking to make the most money by buying and selling stock in various share companies located on eastern United States map. This game features private rail companies and an extremely vicious, ‘robber baron’ oriented stock market. A game is finished when the bank runs out of money or one player is forced to declare bankruptcy, and the player with the greatest personal holdings wins. For 2 – 7 players, games run 3 – 6 hours.
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#01 | Mombasa
Mombasa takes the top spot on the list of the best stock board games because it is one of the best economical titles in existence and works a complex but accessible stock mechanism into all gameplay. You will have to acquire shares of unique companies and propagate their trading posts to rake in cash.
Players acquire shares of chartered companies based in Mombasa, Cape Town, Saint-Louis, and Cairo and propagate trading posts of these companies throughout the African continent in order to earn the most money. Each round players choose action cards from their hand, then reveal them simultaneously and carry out the actions. These cards are then placed in a discard pile, and the previously played cards recovered for the subsequent round. For 2 – 4 players, games go for about 75 – 150 minutes.
