
- BGG rank
- BGG #1
- BGG rating
- 8.6
Brass: Birmingham
- 2–4 players
- 60–120 min
- Complexity 3.9/5
- 2018

Rules assistance for 18MN: Headwaters of Industry
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
18MN: Headwaters of Industry is an expansion for 18NewEngland released in 2026 for 2–5 players and 180–240 minutes per game. It was designed by Phil Chen.
Minnesota was built on what its railroads could carry. From the 1860s onward, tracks pushed out toward the wheat fields of the Red River Valley, the great pine forests of the north, and the iron ranges above Lake Superior, turning a young state into an engine of grain, timber, and ore. Fortunes were made and lost as small lines raced to reach the next boom, only to be absorbed into the empires that came to rule the map. This game tells that story. This game is based on the ruleset of 18NewEngland with the added dimension of resources that can be finite but offer the opportunity to increase revenues. You’ll need a copy of 18NewEngland and its rules to play the game.
18MN: Headwaters of Industry supports 2–5 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for 18MN: Headwaters of Industry is 180–240 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
18MN: Headwaters of Industry belongs to these categories: Economic and Expansion for Base-game. Categories describe the theme, setting and style of a game rather than its rules. Filter the catalogue by the same category to find similar games when you enjoyed 18MN: Headwaters of Industry and want something comparable for your next game night.
The credited designers of 18MN: Headwaters of Industry are: Phil Chen. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists 18MN: Headwaters of Industry as an expansion for 18NewEngland. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need 18NewEngland to use it. Check that your edition of 18NewEngland is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.