This year's event will again include the best-known 18xx games:1830: (Northeastern US and Southeastern Canada), 1856 (Upper Canada) and 1870 (the American Southwest), along with three newer 18xx games, 1861 (Russia), 1846 (US Midwest), and 18EU (Europe).  There will be four preliminary rounds, a semi-final, and a final round.1830 can be played in any prelim, but 1856 players are encouraged to play in the second preliminary, the three newer games in the second and third preliminary, and 1870 in the fourth.  Emphasis will be placed on making all games four-player whenever possible, as this will be the format for the semi-final and Final games.  [For example, if 23 players appear for a round, with nine players for 1856 and 14 for 1830, the games will be apportioned as follows:1856: a 4- and a 5-player game;1830: a 4-player and two 5-player games. If eight of those 23 players want to play 1856, the division becomes 1856: two 4-player games;1830: three 4-player and a 3-player game.]  Players will be placed in games at random, except that players that have met in previous rounds will be moved where possible.

The top seeded winners, plus alternates, of all preliminary rounds will advance to the 16-player semi-finals.  If there are fewer than 16 preliminary round games, enough runner-ups (seeded by the MESE criteria given below) will advance to make 16 semi-finalists.  Semi-finalists will be asked to choose which game they wish to play from among 1830,1856, and 1870.  If four choose another game, then at least one semi-final will play that game instead of 1830.  If more than four choose an alternate game, a drawing will be held from among those players to put four in that game.  All other semi-finals and the Final will be played using 1830.  Except for those players choosing games other than 1830, semi-final groupings will be seeded by the MESE criteria, and placed in the four semi-final games according to 1st -8th -9th -16th, 2nd -7th -10th -15th, 3rd -6th -11th -14th, and 4th - 5th -12th -13th.  The winners of the four semi-final games will advance to the four-player Final.  If necessary, semi-finalist runners-up can move up (again, seeded by percentage of the winning total) to ensure a four-player Final.

The WBC Multiple Entry-Single Elimination (MESE) seeding criteria are: 1) Most wins; 2) Win in 1st heat entered; 3) Win in 2nd heat entered; 4) Win in 3rd heat entered; 5) Win in 4th heat entered; 6) percentage of winning score; 7) average finish in all heats entered; 8) high dice roll.  For all ties, criteria will be checked in order.

Optional rules in force for each game will be announced by email to all who inquire, and before the beginning of each round.  The time limit for the first three preliminary rounds, the semi-final, and the Final round is six hours. The time limit restrictions for the fourth preliminary round will be relaxed, to give opportunity for beginning players to not be pressured by the clock.  In all other cases, no stock round will begin within 30 minutes of the round conclusion.  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 will not be permitted).  Unless there is a player bankruptcy, rounds conclude at the end of that series of operating rounds.