1000 Milliarden Dollar - Kohle und Stahl

About the Game

Essen, 1807. Capital is scarce, supply chains are unstable, and new technology could mean either a breakthrough or ruin. Can you build a business that will sustain not only you but also future generations?

1,000 billion dollars—Coal and Steel combines a turn-based economic simulation with the life of an entrepreneurial family. Give your dynasty a name and guide it through three interconnected campaigns from 1807 to January 1933—from a small family business to an industrial conglomerate.

Build Your Company

Trade goods, organize freight shipments, and develop production. Purchase raw materials, hire employees, and invest in new equipment and processes. Decide which orders to accept, how much to produce, and when to sell your goods.

But there’s more to it than just production volume: transportation costs money, inventory ties up capital, and customers don’t always pay right away. Growing too fast can land you in trouble, even with a full order book.

Lead a Family, Not Just a Company

Your family members are growing older, gaining experience, and taking on more responsibility. Focus on education, health, and family cohesion. Relationships, children, and succession planning change the family—and, in turn, the people you can count on in your business.

Decide whom you’ll entrust with which tasks and who should carry on your life’s work. A generational transition isn’t just about wealth—it’s also about knowledge, relationships, and the business’s continued existence.

Plan Month by Month

Review your financial situation, allocate orders, and weigh investments against ongoing obligations. Money, materials, transportation capacity, and the time of your key personnel are limited. You can’t do everything at once.Recurring contracts and business processes handle routine tasks. You determine quantities and priorities and respond when materials, personnel, or capacity are lacking. After the monthly closing, reports show the impact of your decisions.

Experience history from an entrepreneurial perspective

Industrialization, wars, political upheavals, and economic crises change the conditions for your business. What was a good plan yesterday may be too expensive or no longer in demand tomorrow.

You guide your own fictional family through this historical period. The major events are set; how your family reacts to them is up to you. In this way, you’ll discover economic and historical connections through the decisions you have to make yourself.