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Maglev Metro
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Rules assistance for Age of Steam Expansion: 1830's Pennsylvania / Northern California
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 120 min
- 10+
- Complexity 3.8/5
Rules assistant for Age of Steam Expansion: 1830's Pennsylvania / Northern California
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Age of Steam Expansion: 1830's Pennsylvania / Northern California is an expansion for Age of Steam released in 2006 for 3–6 players, 120 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Ted Alspach and its main mechanics are Auction / Bidding, Tile Placement, and Network and Route Building.
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About the game
This Age of Steam Expansion expands the game to 1830's Pennsylvania and Northern California. 1830's Pennsylvania: This Age of Steam expansion takes place in 1830’s Pennsylvania, as the industrial revolution began, and the demand for coal to power locomotives and all manner of machinery started to peak. At that time, the railroad industry was driven by an abundant source of coal from the coal mines of Western Pennsylvania. Unique features to this map include coal-producing towns and cities in Western Pennsylvania, heavily-urbanized cities in Southeastern Pennsylvania, and special bonuses for coal (black cube) deliveries: coal can be delivered twice as far as your locomotive, or you can receive double income for its delivery! Northern California: This Age of Steam expansion takes place in Northern California, focusing on San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, Santa Cruz and Sacramento, and the struggle to move goods across the San Francisco Bay Area. Unique features to this map include two bridges across the San Francisco Bay, the port city of Santa Cruz where goods line up for delivery, a three tile San Jose city with double goods growth, and the ever-changing destination of Sacramento, where the goods desired by that city are dictated by the flow of goods into Santa Cruz. This map is a redesign of the popular Age of Steam: Bay Area map (Essen 2005 Limited Edition), with modified cities and towns, with a map changed slightly in size to fit on a standard Age of Steam board. It is slightly more forgiving than the original map. From Ted Alspach, the designer of Age of Steam Expansion: Bay Area (Limited 2005 Essen Edition).
Editions
- Age of Steam Expansion: 1830's Pennsylvania / Northern CaliforniaenBézier Games2006
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Bézier Games
Questions and answers
Age of Steam Expansion: 1830's Pennsylvania / Northern California supports 3–6 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 Steam Expansion: 1830's Pennsylvania / Northern California 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 Steam Expansion: 1830's Pennsylvania / Northern California for ages 10 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 Steam Expansion: 1830's Pennsylvania / Northern California has a complexity rating of 3.8 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a heavy 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 Steam Expansion: 1830's Pennsylvania / Northern California belongs to these categories: Trains, Transportation, and Expansion for Base-game. Its main mechanics are Auction / Bidding, Tile Placement, 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 Steam Expansion: 1830's Pennsylvania / Northern California are: Ted Alspach. 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 Steam Expansion: 1830's Pennsylvania / Northern California as an expansion for Age of Steam. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need Age of Steam to use it. Check that your edition of Age of Steam is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.