- BGG rank
- BGG #2,021
- BGG rating
- 7.1
Bruxelles 1897
2019
Rules assistance for Bruxelles 1897
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–4 players
- 40–60 min
- 10+
- Complexity 2.9/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Bruxelles 1897
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Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Bruxelles 1897 is a board game released in 2019 for 2–4 players, 40–60 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Etienne Espreman and its main mechanics are Auction / Bidding, Area Majority / Influence, and Modular Board.
About the game
BRUXELLES 1897 In 1897, Art Nouveau is taking over the streets of Brussels as the World's Fair opens its doors. The time has come to cement your name in the History of Art. To achieve all of this, you must construct magnificent buildings, create, sell and exhibit works of art, and shake hands with the city's noblemen. Bruxelles 1897 is a card game based on the Bruxelles 1893 board game. Bruxelles 1897 will speak to a large audience of gamers. Its mechanics are based on Bruxelles 1893 and are made simpler without compromising depth. Those who know the board game Bruxelles 1893 will rediscover its familiar look and feel in Bruxelles 1897. A game of Bruxelles 1897 is played over 4 rounds. A round consists of a variable number of turns. In this version, the different actions are represented by Action cards which are aligned in 4 columns. At the beginning of the game, each player has 5 Architect cards in hand. These cards have different values on them, ranging from 1 to 5, and you'll use them to perform actions in the Art Nouveau and Brussels areas. To perform an action in the Art Nouveau area, you must replace one Action card by one of your Architect cards and pay the latter's value. Actions in the Brussels area are free but they require an increasing number of Architect cards to activate, and you risk one of them being sent to prison. The different actions score you victory points throughout the game or help you to advance on the different tracks. These tracks also score you points at the end of the game, depending on the strategies you choose to adopt. When all players have passed, the round ends. Now, the different majorities are calculated. At the end of the round, the position of the Architect cards in the Art Nouveau area determines the majorities, which in turn grant bonuses and/or victory points. At the end of the fourth round there is a final scoring phase. The player with the most points is the winner. Bruxelles 1897 : a game by Geek Attitude Games. The boardgame Bruxelles 1893 was published by Pearl Games in 2013. In 2014, Geek Attitude Games was founded by Etienne Espreman (the designer of Bruxelles 1893), Fréderic Delporte and Fabrice Béghin. Earlier this year, Etienne reclaimed the rights to his game. Bruxelles 1897 will therefore be published by Geek Attitude Games. Scheduled release for The Spiel in Essen (Octobre 2019).
Categories
Designers
Publishers
- Galápagos Jogos
- GDM Games
- Kobold Spieleverlag
- Geek Attitude Games
- Light N Games Inc.
Questions and answers
Bruxelles 1897 supports 2–4 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 Bruxelles 1897 is 40–60 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 Bruxelles 1897 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.
Bruxelles 1897 has a complexity rating of 2.9 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light 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.
Bruxelles 1897 belongs to these categories: Card Game. Its main mechanics are Auction / Bidding, Area Majority / Influence, and Modular Board. 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 Bruxelles 1897 are: Etienne Espreman. 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 Bruxelles 1897 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.