Network and Route Building

  • Review: Nucleum

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    When Elsa von Frühlingfeld used recently isolated uranium to heat a pitcher of water and then used the resulting steam to power an engine in a process she called “atomization,” a new era of energy dawned. Her device, called “Nucleum,” made Saxony the center of European science and engineering. Now, a generation later, inventors, engineers, and industrialists flock to the Saxon court to become the leader of this new industrial revolution.

    This is how we are presented with Nucleum, a design by Simone Luciani (Grand Austria Hotel, Tzolk’in: The Mayan Calendar) and Dávid Turczi (Imperium, Tawantinsuyu: The Inca Empire). First published in 2023 in an English version by Board&Dice. The artwork is handled by Andreas Resch (Istanbul, Il Vecchio, Great Western Trail) and Piotr Sokołowski (Loot, Merchants).

  • Review: Revive

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    Revive civilization 5,000 years after everything was destroyed. Lead your tribe and explore the frozen earth. Harness its resources. Recruit surface survivors to your cause. Build factories with powerful machines. And populate ancient sites to relearn your tribe’s forgotten technologies.

    This is the premise of Revive, a game designed by Helge Meissner (Rebel Nox), Anna Wermlund (Rebel Nox), Eilif Svensson, and Kristian Amundsen Østby (the latter two behind Santa Maria, The Magnificent, and Automania). It was first published in 2022 by Aporta Games in an English edition. The artwork is handled by Gjermund Bohne (Santa Maria, Bad Company), Martin Mottet (The Magnificent, Merchants of Dunhuang), and Dan Roff (his debut in the board game industry).

  • Review: Carnegie

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    Andrew Carnegie (Scotland in 1835) and his parents emigrated to the United States in 1848. Although he started his career as a telegrapher, his role as one of the main players in the rise of the United States steel industry made him one of the richest men in the world and an icon of the American Dream. He was also a benefactor and philanthropist; after his death in 1919, more than 350 million dollars of his wealth were bequeathed to several foundations, and another 30 million were allocated to various charities. His donations created nearly 2,500 free public libraries bearing his name: the Carnegie Libraries. During the game, you will recruit and manage employees, expand your business, invest in real estate, produce and sell goods, and create transport chains across the United States; you can even work with important personalities of the era. Perhaps you will even become an illustrious benefactor who contributes to the greatness of your country through deeds and generosity!

    This is how Carnegie is presented to us, a design by Xavier Georges (Carson City, Ginkgopolis). First published in 2022 by Quinned Games after a successful Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign. The artwork is handled by Ian O’Toole (On Mars, Irish Gauge, Black Angel).

  • Review: Ticket to Ride

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    On a cloudy autumn afternoon, five old friends meet in the private room of one of the city’s oldest and most exclusive clubs. All of them had traveled there from the most remote corners of the globe to meet on that precise date: October 2, 1900. Exactly 28 years had passed since the day that eccentric Londoner, Phileas Fogg, accepted a challenge that would win him 20,000 pounds: to travel around the world in 80 days. When the story of Fogg’s triumphal journey filled the front pages of every newspaper that day, the five were students at the same university. Inspired by this impetuous challenge, and by a few pints at the local pub, the group of friends decided to commemorate the occasion with a somewhat more modest excursion and reward: a bottle of fine Bordeaux for the first to reach Le Procope in Paris. Each successive year they met to celebrate the anniversary and pay tribute to Fogg. And each year a new expedition was proposed (always riskier) and a new prize (always higher). Now, at the dawn of a new century, it is time to set out on an even more impossible journey. The prize: 1 million dollars for the winner. The bet: to see who can visit the most North American cities by train in just 7 days. The journey begins now… Ticket to Ride is a train adventure across the United States and Canada. Players compete by connecting train lines between different cities on a map of North America.

    This is how we are presented with Ticket to Ride, or ¡Aventureros al Tren! as it has been named in Spanish. A design by Alan R. Moon, responsible for other games such as San Marco, Airlines Europe, or Elfenland. The game was first published in 2004 by Days of Wonder in an English version. The illustrations are handled by Cyrille Daujean (Memoir ’44, Quadropolis, Citadels) and Julien Delval (The Castles of Burgundy, Macao, BattleLore).

  • Review: Bus

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    Citizens are busy traveling back and forth between home, work, and the pub. Your mission will be to develop a bus route that allows you to pick up as many passengers as possible and take them wherever they want to go. To achieve this, you will expand your bus line, contribute to the strategic development of the city, attract new passengers, and invest in more and more buses. However, you will also need to reach the pick-up points before rival companies do. Sometimes unexpected events occur: time stands still, and transport demands change completely overnight. Even so, you cannot let this happen too often, as continuous space-time distortion might shatter and collapse the universe.

    This is the premise behind Bus, a design by Jeroen Doumen and Joris Wiersinga (Antiquity, Food Chain Magnate). The game was first published in 1999 by Splotter Spellen in a German edition. In 2019, a 20th-anniversary edition was released by Capstone Games. Artwork for the original version was created by Tamara Jannink (Roads & Boats), while the reprint features illustrations by Daan van Paridon and Thijs van Paridon (The Estates, Wildcatters).

  • Review: Thurn and Taxis

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    In 1490, Emperor Maximilian I commissioned Franz von Taxis to establish a courier service between his residences in Innsbruck and Brussels. It was so successful that, in the following period, all other postal services remained linked to the Thurn and Taxis family name, eventually leading to them being elevated to the rank of counts. Will you be able to continue the family’s success and build a significant stagecoach network? Do you have the talent to connect the right cities with one another, as well as establish post offices and, at the same time, keep your sights on purchasing new carriages?

    This is the premise behind Thurn and Taxis, designed by Karen Seyfarth and Andreas Seyfarth (the latter responsible for hits like Puerto Rico, San Juan, or Manhattan). The game was first published in 2006 by Hans im Glück in a German edition, winning that year’s Spiel des Jahres. The artwork is illustrated by Michael Menzel (Agra, Santiago de Cuba, Legends of Andor).