# Wabash Cannonball

Wabash Cannonball is a board game for 2–6 players. It plays in 30–60 minutes and is meant for ages 12 and up. Ludoya players call it best with 4. It is rated 6.6 out of 10 by 28 Ludoya reviewers. The cheapest copy in stock is $27.99 (United States).

- **Players:** 2–6 (best with 4)
- **Playing time:** 30–60 minutes
- **Minimum age:** 12+
- **Complexity:** 2.8 out of 5
- **Year published:** 2007
- **Categories:** Transportation, Economic, Trains, Post-Napoleonic
- **Mechanics:** Ownership, Auction / Bidding, Network and Route Building, Victory Points as a Resource, Hexagon Grid, Auction: Turn Order Until Pass, Stock Holding, Investment
- **Ludoya rating:** 6.6 out of 10, from 28 reviews
- **Owned by:** 37 Ludoya players
- **Plays logged on Ludoya:** 117
- **Unique players:** 201

**Designers:** John Bohrer

**Artists:** Todd Sanders, Michael Menzel

**Publishers:** Winsome Games, Queen Games

## Where to buy in United States

| Shop | Price | Link |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Cardhaus Games | 27.99 $ | https://www.cardhaus.com/wabash-cannonball/ |
| 401 Games | 37.95 $ | https://store.401games.ca/products/wabash-cannonball |
| Spielezar | 27.9 Fr. | https://www.spielezar.ch/brettspiele/wabash-cannonball-en |
| Spelexperten | 439 kr | https://www.spelexperten.com/sallskapsspel/strategispel/wabash-cannonball.html |

## Expansions

- [Chicago Express: Narrow Gauge & Erie Railroad Company](https://www.ludoya.com/games/chicago-express-narrow-gauge-and-erie-railroad-company)
- [Chicago Express: Nickel Plate Road Expansion](https://www.ludoya.com/games/chicago-express-nickel-plate-road-expansion)

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## Rules questions

### Do I have to implement the action I choose, or can I pick an action and then do nothing?

You do not have to implement the action you select — you choose an option and may then decide to do nothing; the indicator needle is still moved one space to the right when you select it (you can deliberately choose-but-not-act to force shortages). (p.4)

### How is the minimum bid for an auction calculated?

The minimum bid equals the company’s current income divided by the number of sold shares including the one being auctioned, with any decimals rounded up. (p.4)

### Can multiple companies place locomotives on the same hex, and what about Forest/Mountain hexes?

City, Industrial and Plain hexes may contain locomotives from multiple companies, but Forest and Mountain hexes may contain only one company’s locomotive (and no other company may build there); also only one locomotive from each company can be on any given hex. (p.5)

### How are dividends calculated — do you round per share or after totaling?

Dividends are calculated per share as company income divided by the number of sold shares with decimals rounded up, and then each player’s payout is the sum of those per‑share amounts for their shares (so rounding is applied per share). (p.7)

### What happens when a company reaches Chicago?

Placing a locomotive in Chicago triggers a Chicago Phase: the company’s income is updated and an immediate Chicago dividend is paid to its shareholders; Wabash is then opened (black loco to Fort Wayne and its income set), and the player who reached Chicago auctions the first Wabash share under the usual auction rules. (p.5, p.8)

### When does the game end?

The game ends after the next General Dividend is paid once any one of four conditions is met: three or more companies have no locomotives on their Charter, three or more companies have no shares on their Charter, the general house supply has three or fewer houses, or Detroit’s income reaches 8. (p.8)

## Links

- [This page](https://www.ludoya.com/games/chicago-express)
- [Wabash Cannonball in the Ludoya app](https://app.ludoya.com/g/chicago-express)
- [BoardGameGeek entry](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/31730)

_Data from Ludoya, updated 2026-09-19. Ratings, ownership and play counts are Ludoya's own._