Players can build coal and iron supplies, and once their reservoirs are emptied by other players in need, flip them for points and income. They also require coal and iron to construct. I’ve spent multiple turns laying industry tiles, biding my time until another player has no choice but to expand my direction.Īdditionally, as industry tiles increase in level, their values of income and victory points sway. Players are limited to two actions a turn, so this makes pacing and timing critical in Brass. If my opponent lays a canal in a location I have presence, now I can build in the location they’ve connected (provided I have the proper cards to do so). The neat thing about Brass is how you don’t use solely your own networks, but all other players’ networks. The game is all about becoming a rail baron, so it makes sense.

In order to basically do anything in Brass, you need networks. You’ll need networks connecting to these areas in order to ship, which brings up Brass‘s most endearing mechanic: canals and rails. This is integral to making headway since each shipment allows you to flip your tiles, which grants income and victory points. Of course, you also need to worry about shipping your goods overseas or off the board. Players who spend less will go first in the next round, and big spenders are forced to wait. Furthermore, turn order is decided by how much money players spend. One game might allow you to focus closely in a few areas, building industry before other players, while other games might have you focused on establishing networks via canals and rails. One thing which makes Brass special is making the best of your hand. Born into families of old, rich, European money, players take loans and plot multiple turns ahead to take hold of valuable locations around the board.Įach action requires a card that matches your desired location, or at least networked adjacency to build a specific industry. Played over two eras, players must lay rail, establish industries, and make each coin count. Lancashire is the retold story of the classic Brass. At this point, I’ve logged a few plays of both new versions of Brass and I feel comfortable enough to give some impressions and critical analysis. I admit that I haven’t touched the original, but it’s long been on my list of “games to play.” I imagined Brass to be a long, smart, crunchy game of cash management and timely actions. Many hobbyists who’ve been gaming far longer than I can likely recall every intimate detail of each game of Brass they’ve logged. Roxley has published Santorini, Steampunk Rally, Super Motherload, Dice Throne, and more.īrass has a storied history.

Roxley Games is a publishing and design studio, known for beautiful game design and production quality.

Wallace has been publishing games since 1993, with other well known games including A Few Acres of Snow, A Study in Emerald, Byzantium, and many more. Martin Wallace, known for economic games such as Brass, Age of Industry, Steam, and others, is also the founder of Treefrog Games. Birmingham features new mechanics, such as breweries, a complete rejiggering of the sell/flipping mechanics, and bonuses for selling at strategic locations. Lancashire is a modernized reprint of the original, with a small bit of mechanical tinkering and a much needed artistic update. Deploying an extremely successful Kickstarter, Roxley produced both Brass: Lancashire and Brass: Birmingham.

In 2016-2017, Roxley Games teamed up with famed economic game designer Martin Wallace, launching the rebirth of Wallace’s well known title Brass. Price: $63.53 Amazon (Brass Birmingham) $59.99 Amazon (Brass Lancashire) Designers: Martin Wallace (Brass: Birmingham and Brass: Lancashire) Gavan Brown (Brass Birmingham), Matt Tolman (Brass Birmingham)Īrtists: Lina Cossette, Damien Mammoliti, Peter Dennis, David Forest, Eckhard FreytagĬategory: Economic, Industry / Manufacturing, Transportation

Kickstarter brass birmingham