From the introduction in the rulebook: 1812 is a member of the Series: 18xx series of games. The series is based on 1829, by Francis Tresham. 1812 is set in North-East England in the 19th century. Two to four players represent investors in railway companies, spending their initial capital to buy wholly owned Private and Minor Companies and later buying shares in Public Companies. The Public Companies are each controlled by the largest shareholder (its Director). Minor Companies and Public Companies build track and run Trains in order to earn revenues. Public Company revenues can be paid out as dividends to shareholders or retained to fund further track and Trains. A feature of 1812, as with all the other games in the series, is that the interests of a Public Companyís Director and the interests of its shareholders are not identical, so minority shareholders need to be careful in their investments. 1812 is a medium length game. Experienced, brisk players can expect to take about three hours to complete a game. Novices or more deliberate players might add a few hours to that time.