The WBC 18xx event is an opening weekend tournament lasting three days. A teaching/demo session for new players and experienced players wanting a rules refresh on 18xx in general or a particular game will be held the first Heat.

The standard titles eligible for the 2025 tournament are 1822 Regional Scenario (Great Britain), 1830 (Northeast US), 1846 (Midwest US), 1861 (Russia)/1867 (Canada), 1862 (Eastern Counties Great Britain), 1880 (China), 18Rhl (Rhineland), and 18NY (New York USA). At the start of each round players will submit game preferences to the GM who will match up players to maximize preferred games. Emphasis will be placed on making games 4-players where possible, since this will be the format for the Final. Players will be placed at tables for a given game at random, except that players that have met in previous Heats may be separated by the GM. If fewer than 3 people select a particular title and no alternate preferred titles are provided, they will be added to another title at the GM’s discretion. The last Heat will be an Open Title heat where any GM-approved 18XX game is eligible in addition to the standard titles to be played where there are at least 4 interested players willing to play the game to completion.

The Semifinals will consist of 16 (4 games of 4) or 20 (4 games of 5) players depending on the number of Heat winners who appear at the start of the Semifinal. Non-heat winner alternates will only be used to achieve the number of Semifinalists (16 or 20) needed. Advancement to the Semifinal will be based on the Heats Most Wins – Timing Standard Tie-breakers listed below. This includes determining advancement if there are more than 20 winners.

The top 4 seeds per the tie-breaker rules will be placed on separate tables for the Semifinal. Players in each Semifinal will vote on which tournament eligible game to play. Once a game receives a majority of votes from the Semifinal participants, it will become the designated option for that game. If a majority of the players cannot agree on which game to play, they will vote on either 1830 or 1846. If there is still not a majority choice, then random selection between 1830 and 1846 will be used. Voting among the finalists for the Final game will be conducted in the same way. The winners of the Semifinal games will advance to a Final which will start after an hour break following the last semifinal game. If necessary, Semifinal runners-up will move up (seeded by percentage of the winning total) to ensure a 4-player Final. The top remaining finisher from each semifinal who did not advance to the Final will play in a consolation game at the same time as the Final to determine the 5th and 6th place plaques to be awarded.

General Tournament Rules:

1. No stock round may begin within 30 minutes of the round conclusion unless there is unanimous player consent to extend the game
2. In the last 15 minutes of a round, only route running, revenue collection, and train purchases may be conducted (tile placement, tile upgrade, or token placement are not permitted)
3. Unless there is a player bankruptcy, rounds conclude at the end of that series of operating rounds specified by the game rules
4. Players should attempt to speed play as much as possible. Determining which share to buy, and which tile(s) to lay should preferably be done during other players’ turns
5. All personal and corporate assets are public knowledge, must be visible on the table, and types/amounts must be disclosed to any player on request. Assets should be kept neatly so that the need for explicit requests is minimized
6. Players may discuss public deals amongst themselves (e.g. agree not to token a location) but there is no binding requirement to honor the agreement
7. Players are expected to play in good faith to maximize their personal final total value. “When playing a game, the goal is to win, but it is the goal that is important, not the winning” - Reiner Knizia

HEATS: MOST WINS - TIMING (HMW-T):

1. Most Wins (e.g., total in all heats entered)
2. First Win
   • First Heat played
   • Second Heat played
   • Third Heat played
   • Fourth Heat played
3. Fewest Heats
4. Most Second Places
5. Fewest total points behind first place in second place finishes. Not playing in a heat counts as an N/A for this criteria, not 0 points
6. Fewest total points behind first place in all finishes. Not playing in a heat counts as an N/A for this criteria, not 0 points
7. Highest total points ahead of second place
8. High dice roll.

NOTE: Players wanting additional opportunities to learn/play 18xx should meet in the open gaming area at 0900 during the rest of the convention for pickup games.

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