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Rules assistance for Age of Steam Expansion #4: France and Italy
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 120 min
- 13+
- Complexity 3.7/5
Rules assistant for Age of Steam Expansion #4: France and Italy
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Age of Steam Expansion #4: France and Italy is an expansion for Age of Steam: Deluxe Edition released in 2004 for 3–6 players, 120 minutes per game, and ages 13 and up. It was designed by John Bohrer and its main mechanics are Tile Placement and Pick-up and Deliver.
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About the game
This Age of Steam Expansion #4 contains a two-sided board with France and Italy. France : Paris is a multicolor city with very strong goods growth (represents 1-6 Black on the growth chart). Many actions have changed : Urbanization is weaker, Production stronger and you need the engineer to build on mountains. Italy : there are no "towns", only cities and you can not build new cities (no urbanization). You can only build one complete link per turn (no hex limits). There is no more share limits and penalty for issuing shares is less than usual. Also, beware of the black goods, as their movement can decrease your income. This Age of Steam expansion was first released in a limited Essen Set edition at Essen 2004 by Winsome Games. It was re-released at Essen 2005 by Warfrog in a hard map edition with a print run of 3000 pieces.
Editions
- Age of Steam Expansion #4: France and ItalyenWarfrog Games2005
- Age of Steam Expansion #4: France and ItalyenWinsome Games2004
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Winsome Games
- Warfrog Games
Questions and answers
Age of Steam Expansion #4: France and Italy 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 #4: France and Italy 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 #4: France and Italy 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 Steam Expansion #4: France and Italy has a complexity rating of 3.7 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 Steam Expansion #4: France and Italy belongs to these categories: Trains, Transportation, and Expansion for Base-game. Its main mechanics are Tile Placement and Pick-up and Deliver. 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 #4: France and Italy are: John Bohrer. 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 #4: France and Italy as an expansion for Age of Steam: Deluxe Edition. 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: Deluxe Edition to use it. Check that your edition of Age of Steam: Deluxe Edition is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.