Brass Birmingham

It's 1770. The canals are being dug, the smokestacks are starting to rise, and across the West Midlands a generation of industrialists is about to discover that their first ten years of work will all be torn apart and rebuilt for the railway era. That's the puzzle of Brass: Birmingham.

The game plays out in two eras. In the canal era you build cotton mills, coal mines, iron works, breweries, potteries, and goods factories, connecting them with canals so your products can reach market. At the end of the era, every canal connection is wiped from the board and only your most valuable industries score. Then the rail era begins, with new connections, more expensive moves, and one final scoring round that decides the game.

What makes Birmingham special is the brewery loop. Selling manufactured goods costs beer, and beer comes from breweries that you and your opponents build. So everyone is constantly leveraging everyone else's network, and a well-placed brewery becomes the most contested space on the map.

Heavy strategy groups will love the depth and the near-zero luck. Two-player Brass: Birmingham is great for couples who like a meaty session, three is the most-recommended count, and four is the longest but arguably most balanced experience. Plan on 90 minutes minimum, often two hours.

Be honest with the table about what they're signing up for. This is one of the heaviest games we carry, and the first play is going to feel like math homework. By the third play it feels like chess.