{"id":310365,"date":"2024-12-26T08:00:04","date_gmt":"2024-12-26T14:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.meeplemountain.com\/?post_type=reviews&p=310365"},"modified":"2024-12-26T08:48:35","modified_gmt":"2024-12-26T14:48:35","slug":"age-of-rail-south-africa","status":"publish","type":"reviews","link":"https:\/\/www.meeplemountain.com\/reviews\/age-of-rail-south-africa\/","title":{"rendered":"Age of Rail: South Africa Game Review"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n \n
\n \n <\/div>\n <\/span>\n
\n \n Capstone Games Age of Rail: South Africa, Strategy Board Game of Building Railroads, 60 Minute Play Time, 3 to 6 Players, Ages 14 and Up<\/span>\n <\/a>\n
\n $39.95<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n \n Buy Now\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n

If you\u2019ve followed some of my previous content, it\u2019s fair to say that I\u2019ve been playing one too many train games<\/a>\u2026or you might say that I have a healthy respect for train games. I have a couple groups that are going hard on a wide spectrum of these experiences, from lighter \u201ccube rails\u201d games like Ride the Rails<\/i> through route-building Euros like Nucluem<\/i><\/a>, all the way to proper 18xx games like Railways of the Lost Atlas<\/i><\/a>, 1880: China<\/i><\/a>, and 18Korea<\/i><\/a>, the latter of which was so ridiculous that it\u2019s a borderline 18xx party game!<\/p>\n

So, while I won\u2019t profess to being a hardcore train game junkie, I\u2019m pretty close. When Capstone Games<\/a> launched a crowdfunding campaign for the fourth game in the Iron Rails series, Age of Rail: South Africa<\/i>, I stayed in touch to ensure I could get a review copy when the game\u2019s fulfillment began this fall.<\/p>\n

Given my network\u2014and the new game\u2019s breezy 60-minute playtime\u2014I knew it would be easy to get Age of Rail: South Africa<\/i> to the table quickly, so I got three plays done within a three-week stretch. And because my group is familiar with two other games in the Iron Rails series, Irish Gauge<\/i><\/a> and Iberian Gauge<\/i><\/a>, Age of Rail: South Africa<\/i> was an easy onboard.<\/p>\n

How does it play? Honestly, Age of Rail: South Africa<\/i> is more of an economic Euro-style action selection game than a traditional train game. For me, this was mostly good news.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Jo-Burg<\/h2>\n

Age of Rail: South Africa<\/i> is a 3-6 player \u201ccube rails\u201d game, meaning that it\u2019s a train game using small cubes to represent a corporation\u2019s legal routes, a simplified route-building setup and a complete lack of train phases (sometimes referred to as \u201crusting\u201d trains out of the game). Players are investors who must buy shares in one of the game\u2019s six railroad companies in a scenario based on the 2003 game Veld Railroads<\/i>, which was later updated and released as South African Railroads. Age of Rail: South Africa<\/i> is the newest iteration of those games, with new artwork and graphic design provided by the busiest man in show business, Ian O\u2019Toole.<\/p>\n

Age of Rail: South Africa<\/i>, like the previous versions of this design, was done by John Bohrer, the train game designer credited with more than one hundred games on his BGG profile page. But the game he is best known for is Age of Steam<\/i><\/a>. Age of Steam<\/i> remains popular; it feels like publisher Eagle-Gryphon Games is putting a new Age of Steam<\/i> map pack on crowdfunding every year now. One of the players in my groups brings his copy of Age of Steam<\/i> to game night literally every week and has gotten it to the table more than 10 times this year, a testament to both his persistence and the group\u2019s willingness to tackle a game system so many times in a weekly game night format.<\/p>\n

This also means we think Bohrer knows what he is doing\u2014as if the 100 other games he\u2019s built weren\u2019t enough evidence\u2014and Age of Rail: South Africa<\/i> is no exception. This time around, players navigate a map of South Africa in the late 18th and early 19th centuries by taking one of four actions on their turn\u2014build track, pay out dividends, issue shares, or develop areas of the map to make them more valuable to railroads that connect through certain locations.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve played Wabash Cannonball<\/i> (another Bohrer design previously known as Chicago Express<\/i>) you likely recognize what\u2019s going on here. The auction system in Age of Rail: South Africa<\/i> is also similar\u2014players issue a share, and just taking that action is a minefield, as players sometimes put shares into the market that they have no interest in buying just to drive other players out of future near-term auctions. But auctions are the only way to inject capital into a train business, so setting shares at the right prices but also not paying too much for any single share is key.<\/p>\n

Each action in Age of Rail: South Africa<\/i> costs a certain amount of time, 3-5 units. When the time track along the right side of the board reaches a certain threshold, the game pauses and players earn dividends on each of their shares. However, players can also trigger an immediate dividend payment as an action also, meaning that the game clock can really range based on player decisions. The sixth and final dividend payment is different, taking into account a railroad company\u2019s value based on cubes played on the map\u2014cubes in this game are cute, miniature trains in the color of each railroad\u2014as well as its current stock value, divided by the number of shares issued.<\/p>\n

The richest player wins\u2026because it’s a train game, and that\u2019s how they all work!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The Map<\/h2>\n

The decision space in Age of Rail: South Africa<\/i> is great, and it\u2019s tied mostly to the game\u2019s auction system. Auctions here are appropriately dangerous, I\u2019ve now played games of Age of Rail: South Africa<\/i> where I played my cards just right, and never overbid for shares that I ended up winning, and at least one game where I went too hard on shares at junctions when I definitely shouldn\u2019t have done so, resulting in a lack of investor capital and the complete inability to bid on shares later in the game.<\/p>\n

One of the key things to remember about Age of Rail: South Africa<\/i> is the addition of the sixth railroad, the black-colored business (known as ZASM, but we\u2019ll just stick to calling it the black railroad company here). Like the Wabash corporation in Wabash Cannonball<\/i>\u2014which is not available when play begins\u2014the black railroad company in Age of Rail: South Africa<\/i> only goes up for auction when any other railroad company connects to Johannesburg, located at the center of the map. (Black starts operations from this location.) You definitely want to have a little scratch in your pocket when this moment occurs, meaning that you really want to have $20-$30 ready to go.<\/p>\n

The introduction of the sixth railroad created a nice tension each time I\u2019ve played Age of Rail: South Africa<\/i>. That made every other auction important too, particularly the early rounds when players were fighting over shares of the impossible decision of whether to bid on the blue and purple railroads, which are in less-than-ideal, competing areas of the southwest portion of the map. (Seriously, those corporations are comedy\u2026both blue and purple look compromised, and purple always takes the first turn of the game. Hey, Bohrer\u2014what gives, man?)<\/p>\n

Speaking of the map: I think the only part of this game I don\u2019t really love is the map layout. In each of my plays, experienced train gamers look at the situation for blue and purple and realize that they are not great places to seed initial capital. Johannesburg is undeniably sexy, so orange, yellow, and purple (sometimes blue, but not in my plays so far) are all racing to connect to \u201cJo-Burg\u201d with their track building actions. Most players take the Develop action to strengthen Jo-Burg and the other major city on the map, Bloemfontein.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The first couple rounds of Age of Rail: South Africa<\/i> have proven to be remarkably \u201csamey.\u201d The red, orange, and purple investors always build track the same way, in the same directions, towards Jo-Burg. The shares put up for auction are usually the same also. (Sadly, each company has exactly five shares available, not a variable amount by company.)<\/p>\n

No one triggers a separate dividend payout early on, meaning that no one ever chooses to take that action. The rules of Age of Rail: South Africa<\/i> force players to take different actions each turn\u2014save for the build track action, which can be triggered multiple times consecutively by the same player\u2014but we found that the issue shares and build track actions got most of the early-game love.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not sure if that’s a good or a bad thing, but in a game this short\u2014both of my four-player games finished in under an hour, for example, as did my three-player game\u2014I wish that the first 15 minutes didn\u2019t feel like they were on rails. Now, some of the game\u2019s subtleties reveal themselves in the mid and late-game stages, so the finishes were always wild. One example occurred late in a game when a player desperately tried to get in on the action of a profitable business then blew it by overbidding on a share that wouldn\u2019t come close to being as valuable as its final auction price.<\/p>\n

The back half of games of Age of Rail: South Africa<\/i> were fantastic, even when there was a runaway leader. But the static starting locations and available shares of each railroad, along with the scripted early game, left me wanting a bit more there.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

That Bohrer Guy Knows What He\u2019s Doing<\/h2>\n

Age of Rail: South Africa <\/i>is strong, with a fantastic auction mechanic, lots of tension tied to the timing mechanics of the black railroad company, accessible rules and a playtime that is always a winner. It doesn\u2019t take the cake for me in the Iron Rails series\u2014I prefer Iberian Gauge<\/i> at its full five-player count, as well as the sometimes-cutthroat cube placement rules and shareholder bonuses\u2014but Age of Rail: South Africa<\/i> is a game that I will happily play with my train gamer networks.<\/p>\n

Age of Rail: South Africa<\/i>\u2019s map wasn\u2019t the strong suit, but the game\u2019s crowdfunding backers got access to two additional maps that shake up the game\u2019s formula. Capstone only sent me the base game for review, so while I can\u2019t speak to how those additional maps play, I think most cube rails games benefit from having a map that forces players to adjust the meta. Even if the base game map opened up where each of the five non-black companies began operations, or had some variability to where some of the \u201cexternal connection\u201d bonuses were based (these are the game\u2019s equivalent to red \u201coffboard\u201d locations, in 18xx-speak), I would be a huge fan.<\/p>\n

I think those extra maps give Age of Rail: South Africa<\/i> life beyond the fourth or fifth play. As it is, you\u2019re still getting a very enjoyable ride with the base game. The Iron Rails series is a proper way to introduce your friends to lightweight strategy games featuring trains, route-building, and economic\/auction concepts, so give Age of Rail: South Africa<\/i> a look if this is your thing!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Find out what Justin thinks about the fourth entry in the Iron Rails series from Capstone Games\u2013Age of Rail: South Africa!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":69,"featured_media":310379,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"MSN_Categories":"Uncategorized","MSN_Publish_Option":true,"MSN_Is_Local_News":false,"MSN_Is_AIAC_Included":"Empty","MSN_Location":"[]","MSN_Add_Feature_Img_On_Top_Of_Post":false,"MSN_Has_Custom_Author":false,"MSN_Custom_Author":"","MSN_Has_Custom_Canonical_Url":false,"MSN_Custom_Canonical_Url":"","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"coauthors":[6089],"class_list":["post-310365","reviews","type-reviews","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economic-board-games","category-train-board-games","category-transportation-board-games","designers-john-bohrer","mechanisms-action-drafting","mechanisms-auction-bidding","mechanisms-stock-holding","mechanisms-victory-points-as-a-resource","publishers-capstone-games","publishers-winsome-games","artists-ian-otoole","release_year-1158"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAge of Rail: South Africa Game Review — Meeple Mountain<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Find out what Justin thinks about the fourth entry in the Iron Rails series from Capstone Games\u2013Age of Rail: South Africa!\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.meeplemountain.com\/reviews\/age-of-rail-south-africa\/\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.meeplemountain.com\/reviews\/age-of-rail-south-africa\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.meeplemountain.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Board Game Reviews\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.meeplemountain.com\/reviews\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Age of Rail: South Africa Game Review\"}]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Age of Rail: South Africa Game Review — Meeple Mountain","description":"Find out what Justin thinks about the fourth entry in the Iron Rails series from Capstone Games\u2013Age of Rail: South Africa!","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.meeplemountain.com\/reviews\/age-of-rail-south-africa\/","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.meeplemountain.com\/reviews\/age-of-rail-south-africa\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.meeplemountain.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Board Game Reviews","item":"https:\/\/www.meeplemountain.com\/reviews\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Age of Rail: South Africa Game Review"}]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.meeplemountain.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/reviews\/310365"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.meeplemountain.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/reviews"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.meeplemountain.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/reviews"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.meeplemountain.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/69"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.meeplemountain.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=310365"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.meeplemountain.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/reviews\/310365\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.meeplemountain.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/310379"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.meeplemountain.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=310365"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.meeplemountain.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=310365"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.meeplemountain.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=310365"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}