- BGG rating
- 7.8
Age of Industry Expansion #1: Japan and Minnesota
- 2–5 players
- 120 min
- Complexity 3.4/5
- 2011
- BGG rank
- BGG #1,252
- BGG rating
- 7.3
Age of Industry
2010
Rules assistance for Age of Industry
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–5 players
- 120 min
- 13+
- Complexity 3.4/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Age of Industry
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Age of Industry is a board game released in 2010 for 2–5 players, 120 minutes per game, and ages 13 and up. It was designed by Martin Wallace and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Loans, and Network and Route Building.
Expansions
- BGG rating
- 7.9
Age of Industry Expansion: Belgium & USSR
- 2–5 players
- 120 min
- Complexity 3.3/5
- 2013
- BGG rating
- 8.0
Age of Industry Expansion: Great Lakes & South Africa
- 2–5 players
- 120 min
- Complexity 3.4/5
- 2013
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About the game
Martin Wallace's streamlined redesign of Brass: Lancashire. Players are tycoons in the early days of the Industrial Revolution; a time when traditional craftsman were being rapidly replaced with steam-powered machines. Players invest in the production of raw materials, the manufacture of goods, and the transportation networks needed to connect them to their markets. Like Brass, the strategic space is vast, and player decisions are limited by cards. In Age of Industry, however, cards are color-coded to regions rather than specific cities, allowing the players to be more flexible with their plans, while at the same time continuing to limit the decisions available. The color-coded region cards will also support expansion maps. In addition, the original Brass rules were simplified by eliminating the canal period; there is only one period, the railway era. There is also a new, non-specific industry, which will change with each map. According to Wallace, "You can now play something with the depth of Brass, but in half the time. The game will have a double-sided map, with Germany on one side and southern New England on the other."
Designers
Publishers
- Wargames Club Publishing
- Hobby Japan
- Treefrog Games
Questions and answers
Age 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 Age of Industry is 120 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.
The catalogue lists Age of Industry for ages 13 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Age of Industry has a complexity rating of 3.4 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-weight game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Age of Industry belongs to these categories: Economic, Industry / Manufacturing, and Transportation. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Loans, and Network and Route Building. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Age of Industry are: Martin Wallace. 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 Age of Industry as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.