- BGG rating
- 4.9
Irish Gauge: Hiawatha Gauge
- 3–5 players
- 30–60 min
- 2021
- BGG rank
- BGG #1,254
- BGG rating
- 7.2
Irish Gauge
2014
Rules assistance for Irish Gauge
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 3–5 players
- 60 min
- 12+
- Complexity 2.3/5
For 3 players
Rules assistant for Irish Gauge
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Irish Gauge is a board game released in 2014 for 3–5 players, 60 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Amabel Holland and its main mechanics are Auction / Bidding, Income, and Network and Route Building.
Expansions
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About the game
Irish Gauge — one of three titles in Winsome Games 2014 Essen Set — is played on a map of Ireland and is similar in style to many of the stock-based, cube-rail games released by Winsome Games since 2007. On each player's turn, they can either place a share of one of five companies up for auction, build track (represented by cubes) in one of these five companies, upgrade a town to a city, or call for dividends. The dividends are paid out to shareholders of certain railroads based on how many cities/towns they connect to and how many shares of this company have been issued. The upgrade and dividend actions also affect game length and the likelihood of further dividends for each company. The game ends when a certain condition is met at the end of a player's turn, and the player with the highest sum of money and stock value at the end of this turn wins. Irish Gauge is the first title in the Iron Rail series by Capstone Games.
Categories
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Winsome Games
- Capstone Games
Questions and answers
Irish Gauge supports 3–5 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 Irish Gauge is 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 Irish Gauge for ages 12 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.
Irish Gauge has a complexity rating of 2.3 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.
Irish Gauge belongs to these categories: Economic, Trains, and Post-Napoleonic. Its main mechanics are Auction / Bidding, Income, 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 Irish Gauge are: Amabel Holland. 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 Irish Gauge 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.