2018 · Industry / Manufacturing
Brass: Birmingham
Players act as industrial entrepreneurs in Birmingham during the late 18th and 19th centuries, developing industries, building transport links and exploiting market demand across two eras: canals then railways. On each turn players take two actions from a set that includes building industry tiles by paying resources, expanding a canal or rail network, developing technologies to improve industry value, selling goods to market, taking loans to boost income, or scouting for flexible location and industry options. Victory is by most victory points, scored at the end of each era for networks, transport, and established industry tiles.
- Players
- 2–4 best 4
- Playing time
- 60–120 min
- Age
- 14+
- Complexity
- 3.9 / 5
About the game
- Publisher
Photos from Ludoya tables
All photos in Ludoya
Where to buy it
Shop prices and second-hand copies, checked every day.
On Ludoya's tables
Full stats in Ludoya- 2,062
- Plays logged
- 1,808
- Players
- 2h 22m
- Average play
- 694
- In collections
- 101
- On wishlists
- 9
- Pre-ordered
8.7/10
from 302 Ludoya reviews
By player count
zim zhang9.0 My only complaint is that sometimes you can't build the industry you need to block someone else from winning, simply because you don't have the card. It would be perfect if Birmingham were a zero-sum game, but that doesn't stop it from being a great game.
No plays logged
Garfield6.0 #17 BGExpansions in Box Not sure what I should think about this after 1 play. It took us 3 hours to finish with 3 players, rules explanation not included... Towards the end it's just about who can lay more train tracks? [c] Theme: ★★☆☆☆ <!-- size 7]I didn't feel it --> Gameplay: ★★★☆☆ <!-- size 7]Ok --> Interaction: ★★★★☆ <!-- size 7]Fighting for the spots --> Artwork: ★★★☆☆ <!-- size 7]Ok --> Luck: ★★☆☆☆ <!-- size 7]Not sure --> Strategy: ★★★☆☆ <!-- size 7]Not sure --> Components: ★★★☆☆ <!-- size 7]Good --> Play duration: ★★☆☆☆ <!-- size 7]Too long --> Easy to teach: ★★☆☆☆ <!-- size 7]Nah --> Rules quality: <!-- size 7]not read --> Setup time: ★★★☆☆ <!-- size 7]Ok --> No downtime: ★★★☆☆ <!-- size 7]Ok --> Replay value: ★★★☆☆ <!-- size 7]Different strategies --> [/c]
No plays logged
Mestremuten10.0 Rating: 5/5 Production value: 4/4 Is the game in my collection/Love to have?: 1/1
Played it 6 times
Upcoming events with this game
All eventsRules questions
Answered from the rulebook by Ludoya's rules assistant.
Do other players' link tiles count when I need a location to be connected (for consuming coal, selling, or other actions)?
Yes — two locations are “connected” if you can trace a route of Link tiles owned by any player, and actions that require a connection (e.g., consuming coal or selling to a Merchant) use this rule. (Rulebook p.8; Sell action p.10).
If there’s no coal or iron at a mine, can I buy it from the market and how much does it cost?
If you aren’t connected to an unflipped Coal Mine you may purchase coal from the Coal Market starting at the cheapest space (you must be connected to a merchant icon); if the Coal Market is empty coal costs £8 and iron costs £6 from the supply. (Rulebook p.8).
How do Wild cards work — do they go to the discard pile when used?
Wild cards are not placed on your Discard Pile when used; instead Wild cards are returned to their Card Draw Area whenever they are played or discarded by an action. (Rulebook pp.9, 11).
What are the rules for overbuilding an opponent’s tile — and does an overbuilt tile still score VPs?
You may overbuild an opponent’s Coal Mine or Iron Works only if there are no cubes of that resource type anywhere on the board (including its Market); overbuilt tiles are removed from the game and do not score VPs. (Rulebook p.10).
What happens when I take a loan — how much money do I get and how does it affect income?
Taking a Loan gives you £30 and moves your Income Marker back 3 income levels (place it on the highest space within the new level); you may not take a loan if it would drop your income level below -10. (Rulebook p.11).
Can my Breweries supply beer anywhere when I sell, or must they be connected to the sale location?
Your own unflipped Breweries may supply beer regardless of connection, but an opponent’s Brewery can only supply beer if it is connected to the sale location; you may also consume the beer beside a Merchant tile when selling for the Merchant bonus. (Rulebook p.8; Sell action p.10).
Official score sheet
Brass: Birmingham score sheet
Every scoring category, from the Ludoya kit. On your phone the totals add up by themselves.
Score sheets and play helpers
- Full Game Kit
- Score Sheet
- Automa de Mauro Gibertoni
Free, on web, Android and iOS
Play Brass: Birmingham with Ludoya
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Game facts (players, playing time, age, credits) from BoardGameGeek.