Review
Iberian Rails
Iberian Rails is an honest cube rail with an unusually lively approach to funding companies and running auctions, even if its track building carries less of the design. I would happily bring it back for Taiwan and the other character sets.
- Published
- 2017
- Designer
- Tony Chen
- Publisher
- Monsoon Publishing
- Players
- 2–5
- Playing time
- 90 min
Iberian Rails won me over as a slightly peculiar cube rail. It does not make every length of track feel like a decisive historical event; instead, it makes companies work rather hard to become viable in the first place.
Its centre of gravity is the funding of companies and the frequent auctions. The game keeps returning to the same valuation problem: who puts up the money, who pays more, and how much is it worth to buy a say in what happens next.
Its centre of gravity is the funding of companies and the frequent auctions.
TheTrainSpotter
Track building, by comparison, is less compelling. It belongs to the larger machine, but does not always mesh with the financing as tightly as I would like; perhaps without the phantom, the two halves would lock together more neatly and create rather more commotion.
Even so, the game moved along very pleasantly and found its substance where it ought to: in companies, money, and auctions. Iberian Rails deserves another outing or two, quietly but quite properly, both to see Taiwan and to try the other character sets.
Iberian Rails deserves another outing or two, quietly but quite properly, both to see Taiwan and to try the other character sets.
TheTrainSpotter
Source: BoardGameGeek
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