Wabash Cannonball set piece: #1

Note: This article was also posted to Boardgamegeek at Wabash Cannonball set piece: #1

I’d promised a while ago to post a move-by-move analysis of one of our Wabash Cannonball games but for various reasons that hasn’t happened and is unlikely to happen. But there is hope. I had an interesting discussion with Adam Kao last night regarding Wabash Cannonball tactics (the game has been popular at Eudemonia). During the discussion we worked through a few set pieces in order to illuminate some of the points I was making. The first set piece is below. If this proves popular/effective I’ll see about posting other set pieces.

Assume a 4 player game of Wabash Cannonball and that the initial share auction resulted in the following share distribution:

  • Player #1: PRR $15, B&O $15, Cash $0
  • Player #2: Cash $30
  • Player #3: C&O $15, Cash $15
  • Player #4: NYC $16, Cash $14

Questions:

  1. Why did Player #4 spend $16 on the NYC? Is this a good or weak position?
  2. Is Player #2 in a strong or weak position? Does Player #2? control initiative?
  3. What is each of the four player’s posture as regards game length?
  4. What is the first action of each of the four players in the first round of the game? Why?
  5. Do they have any other reasonable choices? Why?
  6. Might any of the players use a Develop action during the first round? If so, why?

Enjoy.