Age of Industry Expansion #1: Japan and Minnesota

Played this a lot when it first came out but it seems to have fallen by the wayside owing to me playing a lot more 18xx on a weeknight and realising it doesn't seem to fit that well in to some of the other groups I attend, but I'm still keen to explore the new maps that seem to change the dynamic a bit more, I like Japan's buying cards ability and the American disparity between different zones, some very good for iron or railways etc.

[2012-08-20] First game on the Japan map with three. The map itself is VERY tight, since there are so few railroad connections. Also, ressources, especially iron, are always in demand. The map is not bad, but I like the maps from the base game more.

More than just other maps to play on, these provide restrictions and rule changes that increase the importance of some industries, lowers others, and encourages players to try different approaches as a result. The Japan map is somewhat similar to New England where ships are important, but there's virtually no ironwork building so it's all imported, there's less rail, and there are cards available for immediate purchase and use. The Minnesota map features iron running rampant - you're allowed to sell it as part of your sell action to any number of markets, making it very easily to flip iron and flip ships as well (which open up the iron markets). It also alters coal - all coal must be bought from the market and when you build coal you sell it to the market as part of a sell action. Interesting changes. All of which means that even though it's the same game, the maps are not just some PowerGrid variety thing, they really do alter your focus and give you different things to think about.

Makes a good game even better. Enjoyed card drafting system in the Japan map and Minnesota is also unique and changes gameplay significantly.

I found the maps in the Age of Industry box rather bland and vanilla. These two begin to reveal the potential of Wallace's generic system, delivering stronger local flavour and more interesting game play. I playtested the Japan board.

Japan map plays great with 2 players. Unique machanics for each map greatly increase replayability.