Review
Age of Steam
Age of Steam is a formidable game, provided you match the map to the group. Germany at five delivered proper conflict, sustained pressure, and a generous helping of table bullying.
- Published
- 2002
- Designer
- John Bohrer, Martin Wallace
- Publisher
- Warfrog Games, Arclight Games, CZ Cloud Soft Co. Ltd
- Players
- 1–6
- Playing time
- 120 min
In Age of Steam, the map is not background scenery. It is the person across the table, deciding how unpleasant your evening is allowed to become. Germany with five players was superb: tight, purposeful, and full of the honest sort of conflict that makes everyone watch one another a little more closely.
The game changes materially with the map and the player count. You cannot simply announce that you are playing Age of Steam; you need a map that suits this particular table, or the game loses the very tension it is meant to create.
Germany with five players was superb: tight, purposeful, and full of the honest sort of conflict that makes everyone watch one another a little more closely.
TheCuttlefish
And the interaction is not polite. There was serious bullying at our table: weaker positions were squeezed, while everyone else enjoyed the quiet satisfaction of knowing there was no safe corner of the map. Will the oppressed ever rise up?
Do not, however, put a tournament map in front of newcomers. I have done it, and nobody has a good time: a first game needs a map that teaches without crushing. Pick well and Age of Steam is a must-have in any collection; if the costly EGG edition stings, older editions can often be found for very little.
Pick well and Age of Steam is a must-have in any collection; if the costly EGG edition stings, older editions can often be found for very little.
TheCuttlefish
Source: BoardGameGeek
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