Industry / Manufacturing

Martin Wallace's streamlined redesign of Brass.

Players are tycoons in the early days of the Industrial Revolution; a time when traditional craftsman were being rapidly replaced with steam-powered machines. Players invest in the production of raw materials, the manufacture of goods, and the transportation networks needed to connect them to their markets.

Like Brass, the strategic space is vast, and player decisions are limited by cards. In Age of Industry, however, cards are color-coded to regions rather than specific cities, allowing the players to be more flexible with their plans, while at the same time continuing to limit the decisions available. The color-coded region cards will also support expansion maps.

In addition, the original Brass rules were simplified by eliminating the canal period; there is only one period, the railway era. There is also a new, non-specific industry, which will change with each map.

According to Wallace, "You can now play something with the depth of Brass, but in half the time. The game will have a double-sided map, with Germany on one side and southern New England on the other."

Players control one of the great scientists during the 17th century Scientific Revolution in Europe. Use your limited time and energy to make discoveries, test hypotheses, publish papers, correspond with other famous scientists, hire assistants into your laboratory and network with other people who can help your progress. Discoveries follow historical tech trees in the key sciences of the age: Astronomy, Mathematics, Physics, Biology and Chemistry. The scientist who accumulates the most prestige will be appointed the first President of the Royal Society.

Two new maps for Power Grid. This is an expansion pack, so you will need the Power Grid game to play with it. As with the original, the board has a different map on each side: France and Italy. Along with the maps are small rule changes to reflect the power culture in these two countries. France, a land that has embraced nuclear power, has an earlier start with atomic plants and more uranium available. Italy has more waste, but fewer coal and oil resources. The result is not just new maps, but new ways to play this great game!

Expands:

Power Grid

Online Play

BrettspielWelt (real-time)

Two new expansion maps for Power Grid: Russia on one side and Japan on the other.

In Russia, the market for power plants is restricted. Additionally, the standard rules for exchanging out-of-date power plants are changed, forcing the leading players to completely rethink their strategies.

In Japan, based on the crowded geographical surroundings, the players can start two separate networks. The first connections are restricted to certain cities, guaranteeing a tough fight for the best networks.

Two new expansion maps for Power Grid: Brazil on one side and Spain & Portugal on the other.

In Brazil, power providers prefer biogas for the production of electricity. Thus, players should consider the garbage power plants as biogas-fired power plants and the garbage resources as biogas tanks when playing with the Brazil maps. The fight for scarce resources is intense and will keep the players focused during the game!

In Spain & Portugal, the interests of power production develop in two completely opposite directions: Uranium will be much more important than in other games, however not at the beginning. The resource market will not get any new uranium at all during »Step 1«, but the supplies of uranium increase rapidly in »Step 2«. On the other hand, and at the same time, three large wind-power plants come onto the market. This clash of interests is intended!

The expansion includes a "Collector's Box" - a standard sized Power Grid box with space for the other expansion maps that have been released up to 2009.