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Rules assistance for Age of Steam Expansion: Amazon Rainforest & Sahara Desert
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 120 min
- 10+
- Complexity 4.0/5
Rules assistant for Age of Steam Expansion: Amazon Rainforest & Sahara Desert
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Age of Steam Expansion: Amazon Rainforest & Sahara Desert is an expansion for Age of Steam released in 2010 for 3–6 players, 120 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Ted Alspach and its main mechanics are Tile Placement, Network and Route Building, and Pick-up and Deliver.
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About the game
Amazon Rainforest & Sahara Desert is a full size, full color mounted expansion that folds to a size that will fit in both the Steam and Age of Steam boxes. These maps, like their locations, couldn’t be more different. Rainforest is all about fluctuating goods prices while Sahara is a mean, unforgiving map that adds a layer of strategy to Age of Steam and Steam games that’s heavily focused on location. Amazon Rainforest takes place deep in the Brazilian forests, where you’re building railroads between the few small cities scattered about. Unlike most Steam/AoS maps, Amazon does not have towns...and there’s no way to get them on the map. Fortunately, your income isn’t tied to links. Unfortunately, it’s tied to the “wood market” where each color cube represents a different kind of prized and scarce South American wood. The more wood that’s delivered, the scarcer the supply, which drives up the price. The less wood on the board, the cheaper the wood. You’ve got to find the rare stuff and deliver it before anyone else does. Due to the limited number of cities, the track network you build is critical. Amazon Rainforest is for 3-6 players. Sahara Desert takes place on the northern portion of Africa. In possibly one of the harshest climates ever to build a railroad network, you won’t survive without lots and lots of water. However, you can only get water from the oases throughout the desert, and once they dry up, they dry up for good. If you don’t have access to water you can pay per delivery, or if you’re really crafty, you’ll choose the Water Import action and not worry about water for this turn. Regardless of how you do it, it’s going to be tough, and there’s going to be more moisture slowing coming down your face in the form of tears than anywhere else. Sahara Desert is for 3-5 players who won’t acknowledge their limitations. The 2010 Essen Aos/Steam map pack from Bezier Games features 7 new maps, including 6 mounted ones on 3 double size expansions. These maps can be preordered from Bezier Games and will ship in October 2010. The “bonus” 7th map is only available through preorders. Age of Steam/Steam California Gold Rush & Underground railroad have been previously announced. More details about the remaining 3 maps will be coming in the next few weeks from Bezier Games.
Editions
- Age of Steam Expansion: Amazon Rainforest & Sahara DesertenBézier Games2010
Categories
Designers
Publishers
- Bézier Games
Questions and answers
Age of Steam Expansion: Amazon Rainforest & Sahara Desert 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: Amazon Rainforest & Sahara Desert 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: Amazon Rainforest & Sahara Desert 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: Amazon Rainforest & Sahara Desert has a complexity rating of 4.0 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: Amazon Rainforest & Sahara Desert belongs to these categories: Trains and Expansion for Base-game. Its main mechanics are Tile Placement, Network and Route Building, 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: Amazon Rainforest & Sahara Desert 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: Amazon Rainforest & Sahara Desert 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.