Pipeline

Positives: This seems unique among games I have played but feels closest to Age of Steam or Brass. It is satisfying to design a machine that can take raw goods as inputs and generate finished goods as outputs whose value can be quantified. It is fun doing the calculations, akin to revenue generation in 18xx (refining oil cubes in this game actually feels the same as counting tokens/stations/revenue centers in 18xx). For example running all machines costs $15 and might get you 2 level-3 blue and one level-2 orange cubes, subtracting the price for the machine's operation and the costs of the raw goods, you might earn $75 in finished goods each time you run it, etc.

Negatives: I don't like the valuation scoring cards at all, and I think it is a shame that cash on hand at the end of the game is not the victory condition, if it were this would be a pretty excellent economic game, yet in its current form the valuation cards though they seemingly make for a more variable game on the surface reality just make it more like an arbitrarily scored euro-style game and dither out its focus and intensity. The variable set up provides surface level replayability at a cost of sacrificing strategy and expert play.
Also I wish the loan action was automatic like in Railways of the World or Age of Industry: whenever you need loans just take as many as you want as a free action and immediately get the money, paying interest at the end of your turn, I think it would make the game more dynamic and set up some interesting dilemmas and unpredictable play. Wasting an action on a loan is a double whammy. The machines and pipe routing are interesting though they cause a lot of analysis paralysis, especially in the last year/round, this is a 3+ hour game I think, not the 2 hour advertised time and definitely not 90 minutes! There is significant down time in the game while players meticulously analyze their personal pipelines. I think I would enjoy it much more if all the pipes were played into a common central area of shared infrastructure like in Roads and Boats or The Great Zimbabwe.

Verdict: All together not bad, it seems to be mostly comparable to Brass or Age of Industry, but I prefer Brass and AoI over this.

Boring and very disconnected pipe puzzle. This is my main let down and it also the main core of the game, if you didn't like puzzle tile laying this game is not for you (but if you like that part, this game is might good for you)

And Worker Placement of one single worker without blocking is another let down since it not create any interesting choices. I have read the designer talk about 'advance moves' but still didn't like it.

Pipeline will challenge you on two fronts. First there is a super tight economic game, that has you fighting for scraps at the start, with the promise of a flood of oily income if you manage to get your engine going. Then there is the equally taxing spacial puzzle that will have you scanning the board non-stop looking for the perfect pipe segment to expand your network. It's a good game and while I enjoy the intense brain burn it creates, it is unfortunately just too dry and mathematical for me. It is also incredibly punishing, to the point that it only takes a couple of suboptimal turns to cripple yourself and make the rest of the game a write-off.

It feels like a missed opportunity that the upgrade powers are locked off to most players due to the mechanics, as it is one of the more exciting and variable parts of the game. Pipeline also has the potential to be massively AP inducing as there is so much open information available with the pipes, and it can really grind to a halt if players are min-maxing the best possible networks. There is a satisfying learning curve and I wouldn't mind playing it again but it does seem be missing that crucial element that makes a game fun to play, and ends up feeling like work instead.

What a great meaty game this is, if you like Brass, give this a try as a step up in complexity and strategy.

I really enjoy the economy of this game. Just 18 turns, but being able to buy extra actions each turn, but money is really tight. Actions feel so small at the start of the game. You're struggling to get by with $20 or $30. But just 10 short turns later, you've activated your pipes and completed some contracts and made $200 in one fell swoop. Really hits a sweet spot for weight/duration as well - heavy choices to make, but plays in slightly over an hour each time. Great experience, one of my favourites.

Game seems to have been designed to be very tight economically which is fine but I think it is a little too tight. Loosen up that corset a bit.

First play impressions. A very deep and interesting game hiding under a boring theme. Smart, with some unique mechanics and some excitingly recombined ones. Heavy, economic game but not weighed down with excessive rules (not that there aren't still quite a few, but the game feels sufficiently streamlined). I found I really got into it and look forward to playing it again. I may end up grabbing a copy if my friends don't have it.