Roxley Games ROX401 Brass Lancashire, Multicoloured

Well made, not difficult to learn. Lots of fun to play. Outstanding for thinking and strategy.

If you want a 30 minute game, look elsewhere. If you want a well built game with quality pieces and lovely artwork that lasts into the night then this is for you. Sometimes you think twice about paying so much for a board game, but I think this will really give the distance. You can play the game in halves if you want a quick fix, or go the whole hog and play the full 2 eras of canal and railway. This game is what I would call a tycoon game, plenty of twists and turns and quite a bit of luck involved in the card turn base. It is a complicated game when first starting and the set up is half of the fun and takes a while to get your head around. Great instructions and many videos online to help you and watch. Lovely pieces and feels quality and once you play you wont worry about the price tag.

We held off our purchase of Brass: Birmingham until a discounted price was offered, but are very pleased we took the plunge. The overall quality is extremely high and a delight to look at and handle.* Learning the rules was a challenge and we needed to watch a couple of YouTube how-to-play and play-thrus to grasp the finer points and check we weren't making mistakes, but the effort was well worthwhile. We find the full game takes about 2 hours of engrossing play, and have only just scratched the surface of the various possible strategies so every game is different. And it's very hard to tell who's winning until the final scores are added up. (*The only upgrade we wanted was a better set of coins than the push-out cardboard discs supplied. It's very expensive to buy the deluxe poker chip type alternatives from Roxley direct, but we easily found suitable metal games tokens online.)

I bought this for my brother for Christmas and we have played a few times, The initial learning curve wasn't too bad but it is a game you have to wrap your head around. It is very strategic and your goal can change each turn, making it a game you have to adapt to as you're going along. It can be very fun to watch a player build up a resource like Coal or Iron and then use it for yourself the following turn. I would say to get the most out of the game you have to be 16+ and all players must be accustomed to this type of board game. It isn't extremely hard but it is challenging. Also don't worry about going into debt, if you don't go into debt in this game you're playing it wrong.

Very good boardgame

Very fun game.

I love a game with a good balance between complexity and playability. Living in the UK (midlands) this game has a great local feeling and sense of history. The concepts in the game are enough to be interesting and challenging, but also easy enough to understand. I was able to learn and win the first game I played with seasoned professionals :) I play this with my teenage son. It is not a family game as it is too difficult for younger players but is accessible to a wide range of ages.

If you’re looking for a product review - it’s a well produced game, as expected from Simon Wallace. The instructions are comprehensive and the game pieces are well made. As a game review - we love Brass Birmingham! It fees similar in style to Mythotopia (another Simon Wallace game), where your aim is to claim cities and swap cards and resources as actions, but with an industrial midlands in the 1800s UK smoggy feel. The best element is that as long as you’re connected to resources by canal or rail links, you can “steal” other people’s resources. This benefits them by giving them VP but you can really scupper their plans if you drink all their beer! Another nice unique touch is that turn order changes each round depending on who spent the most money, so the advantage always rotates randomly. The board has two sides, day and night, providing artwork and atmosphere. The two player version limits your use of the board, so you don’t expand too far away from your opponent, and in the four player mode...gloves are off.