11th January 2023
This was a slightly quieter session as 9 intrepid souls braved the cold and rain to attend. We had only 1 starter game and then went straight into 2 long games with both tables choosing games with a theme in common, delivering goods by railway.
Subastral was back for a third session in a row to get people warmed up with a nature themed set collecting game.
Meanwhile Jyo K. had set up a table ready for Brass: Birmingham. She had already drummed up some support on Discord and it wasn’t hard to fill the final seat for this popular industrial era themed game. This game was back on the tables having previously played in session 30 and session 36. Played over 2 eras with canals and then railways delivering goods, such as pottery, iron, coal, and beer, across the Midlands, it is a contest for industrial supremacy and optimal use of the transport links available.
The final table allowed Simon W. to get out one of his classic train games, Age of Steam, a typically brutal blend of economics and map control. It also meant both long games were by a club favourite game designer Martin Wallace. The premise is simple, amass the most income over a set number of rounds by building train tracks and delivering goods to set locations based on their colour. You can make 2 deliveries each round and gain income for each link in that delivery on track that you own, but other players gain income if you use their track in your delivery network.
You start with no money, getting the chance to take loans at the start of each round, but with each loan (which cannot be paid back) incurring a penalty at the end of every round. Every locomotive you own, which allow you to extend your delivery range, also costs at the end of the round. However, you need to speculate to accumulate, so there are some tough decisions on how much to borrow, how much you can afford to use in the auction to gain the best role (gaining a perk like first track placement, first delivery, extra track laying, or placing new cities to deliver to) each round, and how much track to build and where.
Players spent the first few rounds with zero or even negative overall income, but as bigger networks developed more income was generated. It then became a battle to claim the few goods remaining on the board and deliver them, often using the most circuitous route to avoid using other players tracks. We played the original printing of the game and the basic U.S. map, but there are many other maps available with even more challenges like tricky terrain to test the players further.
The next session is on Wednesday 8th February. We hope some more people can brave the wintery weather and join us! As always bring games, suggest some games you want to try in advance, or just come along and be open to trying new games. Contact us via discord, twitter or email for more information.
- Total Session Attendance: 9
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Board Games: