Brass Birmingham Reviews

4.9 Rating 15 Reviews

As one of highlight releases in 2018, Brass Birmingham is a master class in economic strategy gaming. As a sequel to Martin Wallace’s original game Brass, this release focuses on the industrial expansion across the midlands of the UK over 100 hundred years up until the end of the 19th Century. The quality of the components in unquestionable and the double-sided board, featuring day and night time alternatives is stunning to look at. Roxley’s Brass Birmingham is a gorgeously historic game that captivates and enthrals gamers looking for an involving dynamic strategy title. The game is split into two halves, the Canal era and the rail era. This gives the player a chance to evolve their industry and claim victory points at the end of each half. The winner is the player with the most at the end of the second era. As a sister release to Brass Lancashire, it takes original idea of building Iron, Coal and Cotton industries and also adds Brewing to the mix as beer is needed to move goods across the board. Reacting to the ebb and flow of market demands, players must maintain a close eye on the competition and take advantage of connections where possible. In Brass Birmingham, building new factories increases the network connections between cities to sell their manufactured goods. There are many subtle rule changes between this and the 2007’s Brass, adding new options without impacting on the overall complexity. Possible paths to victory have been tweaked and tactics amended to allow for a completely new experience, even for veteran players. As a companion to Brass Lancashire it offers a rewarding alternative whilst remaining a familiar journey. Fans of the original are spoilt for choice when it comes to playing these updated modern masterpieces. Player Count: 2-4 Time: 60-120 Minutes Age: 14+

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“As a family, we play lots - and I do mean lots- of board games, and so it is always good to find a new one to refresh our existing collection (which includes the Pandemic series, Catan, Memoir, Scythe, Ticket to Ride to name but a few...yes and all with expansions!) This game was bought for my 19 year old son's birthday, and he has played it several times with his older brother, giving it a big thumbs up.(Phew!) Although the rules are fairly simple, finding the best strategy to win appears to be more elusive! I am pleased to say they are hooked. As usual, I will say Zatu games is one of the best places online to buy from: games are very competitively priced; they offer an excellent range of games for people really into board games; and they are very reliable- I depend on Zatu at Christmas and birthday times. Their delivery is fast if you have left things to the last minute...”

4 Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

“A stunning game. Simple yet so deeply strategic and full of possibilities. I am missing an insert though - there isn't any...”

2 Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

“Brass may be becoming one of my favourite games. I’m usually a wargamer but was looking for something more Euro to broaden my collection, and I had played Lancashire with my brother a good few years ago so when I saw Zatu had this on sale I pounced. This is the standard version of the game but as of writing this review you can deluxify the game yourself if you like; the poker chips that come with the deluxe edition are available on Backerkit, have a search for Roxley Iron Clays and the exact same poker chips from the Kickstarter deluxe editions should pop up. They’re not essential but they sure are nice! They can, of course, be used with any other game you like. The game itself is deviously simple; build industries during the industrial revolution, and use them to gain more money and VP’s. This is accomplished by ‘flipping’ the industry tiles you have built by either using all of their produced resources, or selling the products of a business on the open market. Sounds simple, but the devil lies in the detail... Locations must be connected by either canals or railway tracks depending on the ‘era’ of the game (it is split into two halfs), and you anyone can use anyone else’s resources on the board so you often have to react to the market to see what is most in demand and produce that to earn quick and easy money and points. This is happening in tandem with your main strategy that could be to produce cotton or manufactured goods. There is always something else pawing at you trying to get your attention, and you are often planning three or four moves ahead. But actions are limited by a deck of cards that act as a timer between the eras that is constantly ticking down, making action premium an important consideration. You’ll often find yourself caught by the lack of turns or a change in the board state, forcing you to revise your strategies to make the most of the opportunities that have arisen. It’s a fiendishly brilliant and highly addictive puzzle that demands your attention. And when you finally tee up your strategy, very little is as satisfying as flipping four or five tiles in one turn. It’s like clockwork endorphin pump.l, only more cardboard and addictive. The game has a number of tricks to keep the gameplay fresh and tight; variable merchant tile placement means different goods will be in demand, and in different places. The card deck is also variable according to player count, limiting the map locations that regularly pop up meaning the bulk of the game will always be tightly focussed keeping player interaction as high as it can be. The game also does a great job of hiding who is in the lead. We’ve had a number of victories pop up out of left field thanks to clever tile placement, so you never feel like your out of the running. The game has a reputation for being complex, and while it has a number of moving parts I wouldn’t say it is massively rule-laden. Each individual action has a process that must be followed, and a few turns in you’ll be flying. The intro game which only covers the canal era is a great learning tool, and I have found no issues understanding or assimilating the rules. The rulebook is well laid out and the main rules only cover six pages or so. Coming from the wargaming background that I do, that’s pretty slim. It’s pretty slim by any estimation really. Overall I have found myself yearning to get this game off the shelf since I got it, and can’t wait to get more people around the table to experience this game. I’ve bought the e-raptor insert (it greatly helps speed up set up and tear down), have upgraded the cubes to look like coal and iron (lava cubes and copper pyrites on Etsy/EBay if anyone is interested), and have even painted the beer barrels. Totally worth it!”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

“Only a couple of games in, but loving it so far! Each time the result is not quite what you expect, what looks strong doesn't always turn out to be. Different strategies can work together or against each other. For something so complex I was worried that the rules wouldn't be up to the task, but they are solid and it isn't hard to work out how to start playing.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“Fab game! Lots of thinking to do, interesting theme.”

Helpful Report

Posted 6 years ago

“This is a HEAVY game, but its always one of the best I've played. For such a small box, this really is a delight:gorgeous components, neat rulebook and deep, deep gameplay (with no clear winning strategy) the wife and I love it.”

2 Helpful Report

Posted 6 years ago

“Fantastic game! We pre-ordered it and did not have to wait long to get it. Thanks Zatu Games :) Order ID #185022”

Helpful Report

Posted 6 years ago