Welcome to 18th-century Lancashire. The world is on the brink of changing from something we could describe as almost medieval to what we now know as modern times. This shift will become known as the Industrial Revolution, although it will take historians a while to coin that term. Lancashire became the hub of the cotton industry during this period, driven by the inventiveness of Crompton, Arkwright, and Watt, among others. Steam power was paired with new machinery, cotton mills were erected, and coal mines plunged to greater depths to feed these energy-hungry contraptions. Moving coal required canals and later railways, and in this way, this virtuous cycle sparked one innovation after another. Brass recounts a slice of this history in board game form. Its name stems from a traditional Lancashire saying: “where there’s muck there’s brass,” meaning “where there is dirt, there is money.”
This is the premise behind Brass: Lancashire, designed by the great British author Martin Wallace, whose résumé includes celebrated titles such as London, Princes of the Renaissance, Age of Steam, Tinners’ Trail, and A Study in Emerald. The game before us today was first published in English in 2007 by Warfrog Games, followed later by editions from White Goblin Games (in Dutch/French), Pegasus Spiele (in German under the title Kohle: Mit Volldampf zum Reichtum), and Eagle Games (again in English). Illustrations for the first edition were handled by Peter Dennis, Wallace’s go-to artist with collaborations on Age of Steam, A Few Acres of Snow, and Tinners’ Trail, whereas this new edition was illustrated by Lina Cossette, David Forest (both responsible for the look of games like Santorini and Charterstone), and Damien Mammoliti (The Witcher Adventure Game, Edge of Darkness).
