Brass: Birmingham – Strategic Industrial Revolution Board Game

A very polished strategy game from a seasoned designer. Room for strategical planning and rewards you for paying attention to other players' actions. Not to mention nice artwork (though a bit dark), high quality components and cards and very well-written rule-book. This game exudes quality and elegance.

When a game is this popular it is often hard to say if it is over hyped or if it is actually a game that will stand the test of time and forever remain a staple in most gamers collections. In this case Brass Birmingham exceeds all expectations and is a game that will be at the top of rating lists for years and years to come. I was apprehensive at first myself, I am not one for this theme of game at all and the dull colors made me put off playing this one for a while, even as it was constantly suggested by friends. I finally decided to remove the shrink wrap and give it a try and it was an instant hit. I am a "planner" by nature so the progression of the game's turns and actions is perfect for me, you can see how the board may unfold and set yourself up to be ready for many of your opponents actions. After our second game we both easily had the rules clearly understood and were able to start experimenting with different economical routes. We both were surprised at just how much each game can change based on the cards you receive and where the initial market tiles are placed. At this point with even more games played of this I find myself drawn into the board and the theme, there is some interesting facts sprinkled into the rule book as to what certain actions are resources are based on, and even though we cannot pronounce all the city names we have an amazing time. We've only so far played this at two players and are so surprised how perfectly it plays at that player count, even with some portions of the board initially removed from play there is nothing that makes this feel like a struggle or that we're missing out on a larger game. We are very eager to try this with four players though to see how things change, it is sure to be an even more exciting game. One thing that is very satisfying is that this is a high point scoring game, in the end it doesn't really matter if your score is 20 points or 200 points but for as fast as this game plays it is nice to finish the two scoring rounds and see yourself easily climbing towards 200 points. Although your first game will likely be more around 2 hours, subsequent games easily shave off that time and you can round them out at a nice 1+ hour depending on your time needed to think. Personally I think the building of industries, networking between them, and selling of high value goods is just perfect in this game. I want to play this a lot more and encourage anyone on the fence about it to give it a try; I wish I had played this one sooner.

This game is destined to stay in the top 100 for years to come, just like its legendary predecessor. It’s one of the smoothest, most intricately designed experiences I’ve ever played. Every decision feels meaningful and satisfying, drawing you into a rich world of strategic depth. For serious board game enthusiasts, this is a must-own. It belongs right alongside titles like Terra Mystica and other enduring classics on your shelf.

It's the top 1 game in BGG for a reason

I have a group of friends who play board games weekly. We really love the game and already played 3 times in 2 weeks which is rare because we all have busy work schedules and still try to make time for Brass Birmingham at least 2 hours game. Good token and standard cards quality.

The game has high playability.