1860 is a brilliant game, my favourite of the 18xx. Unstable, prone to great drama, screaming run-away winners, amazing hail-mary come-from-behind wins, jaw-droppingly clever coordinated move sequences, and more volatility and dynamism than you can shake a stick at -- even more than good old 1830. And for all those reasons and many more, it is a terrible game to use to learn or teach the 18xx.
