18xx Belgium, 2022 spring
18xx Belgium, 2022 spring

My first ever 18xx convention in Mechelen, Belgium was an amazing experience. This is a short report on the games that I played and how they went.
Buying a house in Switzerland
Buying a house in Switzerland

Buying a house anywhere is a complicated process and Switzerland is no exception. The tax laws however are a little different to what one might be used to elsewhere. The most important legal/cultural difference is that one can potentially keep 65% of their initial mortgage forever, i.e. there is no legal requirement to pay off the mortgage. This is actually a simple reflection of the fact that given the cost of housing relative to income, for most people it is almost impossible to actually pay off the mortgage in a realistic amount of time :). Moreover, the tax laws are framed as such that it can potentially make more sense to keep the mortage, invest the money in higher returns and at the same time use the interest payments to offset income tax!
1862 solo notes
1862 solo notes

After having had quite a few plays of 1862 online and in person, I decided to tackle a solo run through. The solo rules as provided by the game are fairly concise and require some clarifications. Thus, after scouring the BGG forums I decided to compile a quick and handy list for my next plays.
A guide to gameplay and basic strategy for 1822: The Railways of Great Britain
A guide to gameplay and basic strategy for 1822: The Railways of Great Britain

1822, the base game takes place on a map of Great Britain and it being a very popular title, has given rise to numerous variants, most of which switch some of the privates and/or the underlying map around. The defining feature of note in this game is that almost everything is up for bidding, from the private companies to the minor companies as well as the options to start the major companies (concessions). Another defining feature is a big map with a lot of randomized starting configurations which provides for a lot of replayability and is thus a very popular game!
18CO - an exercise in screwing over your investors
18CO - an exercise in screwing over your investors

18CO takes place in Colorado when there was a massive expansion of railways trying to head west through the mountains and the board reflects that. Most companies start in the east with the goal of heading to Salt Lake city in the West for a tasty $100 east-west bonus. 18CO is a very well designed game and features lots of shenanigans. Moreover, the game is also fairly imbalanced in certain aspects and requires a few plays to fully grasp the various strategies that can lead to either fiscal boom or ruin. In this article, we will go over some of the basic rules and thereafter look at some strategies and their counters. Note that while this article is intended for those that have some experience with 18xx titles under their belt, players new to the genre might also benefit from some general advice.
Thoughts on 1817 variants
Thoughts on 1817 variants

In this article, I wanted to share my thoughts on the two current 1817 variants, 1817NA and 1817WO. Both have been developed by Marc Voyer and interestingly I've helped playtest the both of them. In short, 1817NA is great, 1817WO not so much.
Labyrinth: The War on Terror: 2001 - ?, boardgame strategy
Labyrinth: The War on Terror: 2001 - ?, boardgame strategy

Some pointers on player strategy when playing Labyrinth: The War on Terror: 2001 - ?, an asymmetric 2 player card driven game that burns your brain :)
1849, survival of the fittest.
1849, survival of the fittest.

If you can survive the first train rush, you've won!
1862, An arms race
1862, An arms race

Build track, buy trains, payout, refinance, repeat.
Things I believe about Software Engineering
Things I believe about Software Engineering

Taking inspiration from Jan Stette's post, here's my list of things that I believe about software engineering!
Questions to ask potential roommates
Questions to ask potential roommates

Upon hearing that I've spent a good decade living with roomates, a colleague recently asked me for some tips when it came to apartment / roommate hunting. I scoured through my notes and found a little checklist that I had come up with over the years...
1817 advanced strategies
1817 advanced strategies

This is a follow on to the previous articles on starting strategies and money movement in 1817, an economic engine board-game set in the eastern United States. In this article we will look at some advanced strategies that I have seen successfully employed out in the wild.
Money movement in 1817
Money movement in 1817

This is a follow on to the previous article about 1817, a strategic economic engine board-game set in the eastern United States featuring track building to accrue money. In this article we will look at the movement of money from a players hands into the company and from the company back to the player.
1817 starting strategies
1817 starting strategies

A look at 1817 starting strategies.
Hello World!
Hello World!

Hello world!