BRASS BIRMINGHAM | Board Game | 2-Player Playthrough | Entrepreneurs of the Industrial Revolution

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Pat and Glai do a full playthrough of the board game Brass Birmingham. We will play the parts of entrepreneurs during the time of the First Industrial Revolution in Britain. The game is played over 2 eras, the Canal Era from 1770-1830 and the subsequent Rail Era from 1830-1870. We will develop industries such as cotton mills, pottery, manufacturing and beer, and we will build coal mines and iron works which we will use to fuel and develop our industries.
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Hello everyone,
We are Pat & Glai and we both love board games. We play light and medium to heavy games regularly. We hope that our channel can help you see how the games are played as clearly and as smoothly as possible through our playthroughs.
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We hope you enjoy our playthroughs as much as we love creating them.
Pat & Glai
BRASS BIRMINGHAM | Board Game | 2-Player Playthrough | Entrepreneurs of the Industrial Revolution (Ep. 45)
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CREDITS:
- Ocean Waves Sound by Soundbible.com ( soundbible.com )
Industrial Revolution by Kevin MacLeod
Link: incompetech.fi...
License: filmmusic.io/s...
#brassbirmingham
#allaboardboardgames
#boardgames

[@shaleyaregenherz]

I've only recently discovered this channel and I was distraught, after watching a couple of playthroughs, that there were not more people watching them. I still hope, if it is in any way possible, that you keep doing these. They are phenomenal. You're both very different from the usual "personalities" doing these playthroughs, and I appreciate the low-key charm so much more; it appears a lot more grounded, "natural" and relatable. In addition, the camera work and editing is professional and pleasant. I want to thank you for doing these and wish you both the best! This is great work.

[@AllAboardBoardgames]

Philip, thank you so much for your very kind comment. Our plan is to keep making the best videos we can and hopefully improve over time to make better and better content. It is very encouraging to receive comments like this, and we have been fortunate enough to have had very positive comments from some of our viewers. That helps us to believe that the viewers are enjoying our channel and that it will grow over time. Your compliments really mean a lot to us, so thank you very much for that. I hope you enjoy our future content too! What kind of games do you normally play Philip?

[@shaleyaregenherz]

@@AllAboardBoardgames These days, not too many: I've been weathering quarantine times at my parent's place, however, so I've had some small opportunities to play more light weight games with four people: Meeple Circus, Escape from Atlantis and Splendor. I am very thankful for those experiences. I am also excited to introduce them to Agricola in a couple of months. As I am typing this, I am assembling an insert for it. Otherwise, I've been solo-ing Feast for Odin or trying to get down the rules for Barrage and Brass: Birmingham, playing two players by myself.

[@AllAboardBoardgames]

@@shaleyaregenherz It's nice be be able to get in some games with 4 players. I hope that they like Agricola too! That's one of my favourites actually. It's a very charming game, with a lovely theme and exceptional gameplay. We actually have 2 videos of Agricola (one with the Farmers of the Moor expansion). Feast for Odin is high on my list of games to get. How do you find it? Brass Birmingham is actually not so difficult to learn once you sit down and set it up, but the gameplay is quite deep and it is very engrossing!

[@shaleyaregenherz]

@@AllAboardBoardgames It was the first playthrough of Agricola that led me to discover this channel. I wanted to see how it played before making the purchase and I was delighted to find out there was another playthrough with the expansion after the excellent first one. I think A Feast for Odin is a different game, but I would wholeheartedly recommend it. Rather than grappling with tight but pleasant limitations, however, it is much more of a sandbox experience. I'd also add as a caveat that I got it as a Christmas present and I live in Germany, so even if I would have to front the steep asking price by myself, I wouldn't have to worry about what I assume must be exorbitant shipping prices. The Norwegians expansion might be a great fit even for a first play with two, because it tightens up the available action selection board a bit, making it less overwhelming. It's not necessary, but very welcome. I really enjoy the spatial puzzle aspect to it, even though I think the occupation cards are not as interesting as they seem to be in Agricola. I'm not the biggest fan of "vikings" as a setting, but I appreciate the warm color palette, the tile laying and its sheer scale not getting in the way of it all coming together in surprising ways. I agree about Brass: Birmingham: it's not that complicated while playing it, but it can be daunting to teach and learn for new players. All the little exceptions certainly took me a few moments to digest.

[@AllAboardBoardgames]

@@shaleyaregenherz Hi Philip! Thanks again for the compliment. I'm glad that our Agricola videos were helpful to you. Yeah, the shipping prices to Japan can cost almost as much as the game in a lot of cases, so that is unfortunate for us, but we have no choice because of the lack of availability of games in English here. A Feast for Odin looks like it might be worth getting at some stage though. I love Uwe Rosenberg games, or at least the ones I have played so far, so would like to add another to our collection. I think the most difficult thing to explain about Brass Birmingham is probably how coal, iron and beer work. Iron is easy enough, though it can be easy to forget when it is first placed that it first gets sucked up by the market if there is available space. With coal the same thing happens, only if it is connected to the market. Beer can only be used by the owner unless it is connected by canal/rail links to the market where it is being sold to, in which case other players can use it. The other big thing to get your head around is probably the networks. For example, you can only build on a location with the industry card if that location is part of your network, and you can only build canal/rail links to extend your network too. If you have a canal connected to a location, you can still extend your canal network to the next location even if you do not build an industry on the first location. I think most of the other rules should be ok...

[@darling0223]

I don't usually comment on videos but I just want to say how amazing these videos are. I can see how much editing and effort has been made to produce a single video so thank you very much for producing these and please on making them - From Thailand

[@AllAboardBoardgames]

Greetings to you in Thailand. Thank you very much for your comment. We are really delighted to hear that you like our videos. We'll certainly keep making videos and keep trying to improve the quality, and comments like this really encourage us to do so. Cheers!

[@pierrecuomo9207]

Thank you for your video, it's not common to see a playthrough so easy to follow thanks to your job with the tiles which are poping.

[@AllAboardBoardgames]

Thank you very much for your comment. We're glad to hear that you were able to follow what was going on in the game. Brass Birmingham is one of our favourites!

[@tabestorm5339]

The artwork of this game is sooo beautiful

[@AllAboardBoardgames]

You are absolutely right Tabe Storm. The art is lovely and the quality of the board and components are amazing too.

[@wesleywoodbury3770]

I struggled with a few of the rules after reading rulebook twice and watching two other videos of how to play. Watching this playthrough, with rules described during play instead of all beforehand, was great to see. The way you both announced all costs and actions really helped. I ended up playing out your game with my components (pretending all of the player cards were wild to match your plays) and it really helped understand what to do. Thanks very much! 🚂🚂🚂

[@AllAboardBoardgames]

Hi Wesley. Thanks a lot for the comment. We're delighted that our video was able to help you learn the game. The rules for using coal and beer can be a bit fiddly, but after you play a couple of rounds it starts to get easier. Good method of learning the game by setting up and copying the game on your own board! Let us know how you get on when you get around to playing it!

[@MF-jx9xb]

Thanks for the guide, just bought this game. Your playthrough cleared up some of the rules....

[@AllAboardBoardgames]

It's great to hear our video helped you understand the game better. Brass Birmingham is amazing. I'm sure you are going to have a great time with it!

[@OcarinaWarrior]

I bought this game recently and was looking for a gameplay video. I absolutely loved how you to played. The editing was top-notch and each of you explaining your moves really helped me understand the rules and restrictions of all the different systems. I am glad this video is still being useful, even two years after its release! I hope to see many more videos like this one and will certainly follow the channel for more board game fun!

[@AllAboardBoardgames]

Hi there! Thank you very much for your comment. We are delighted to hear that our video helped you to understand the rules of the game better, and that you enjoyed watching. We will certainly keep releasing videos so we hope that you will continue to find videos that you like. Happy gaming!

[@yasharkiya9418]

Just bought the game yesterday, and after a how-to-play video, I was looking for a gameplay video and found this. Thank you so much. It was very helpful, and fun to watch.

[@AllAboardBoardgames]

Hi Yashar. Really glad that you liked the video. Brass Birmingham is one of our favourite games and I am sure you will have a lot of fun with it. Do let us know how you get on when you get to play it!

[@MisterG2323]

Thanks for the elucidating playthrough of a game I've had my eye on for awhile. A friend introduced me to the original Brass a number of years ago, and then I missed the boat when he later sold it off. B:B appears to have replaced it entirely, so all is well. Btw, the British town of Shrewsbury is pronounced SHROHS-burry. I only know this because I once directed a play about what happened to Henry V in a battle there.😀

[@AllAboardBoardgames]

Hi Geoff. I believe that Brass Lancashire is the reprint of the original Brass, with a big overhaul to the aesthetics, and Brass Birmingham is the new version with updated rules and mechanics. I haven't played Lancashire, but I believe that it is less forgiving than Birmingham - if you make a mistake early on it can stick with you for the entire game! Some people prefer the fact that you have to be on your toes all the time, while others like the more relaxed feel of the forgiving version. You directed a play? That's very cool. Are you a stage director? Thanks a lot for your comment. It's good to hear from you.

[@MisterG2323]

@@AllAboardBoardgames Yeah, I've been an amateur actor/director for many years, with some semi-pro work in the mix. I have a nice little cameo role in a soon-to-be-released indie horror anthology titled "Brimstone Incorporated." I have no idea at this time what platforms it'll be released on, though.

[@AllAboardBoardgames]

@@MisterG2323 Wow Geoff, that is very cool. I'm sure it is a lot of hard work but fun and interesting too. "Brimstone Incorporated" sounds ominous...

[@carmelthomson9917]

great play through...I always pick up a rule I wasn't aware of 🤣. You two know your stuff!!

[@AllAboardBoardgames]

Hi Carmel! We're really glad to hear you liked our playthrough, and that it helped you learn some of the games rules. There is a lot going on in Brass Birmingham and it can be easy to miss a thing or two here and there, but it also runs very smoothly and is a lot of fun to play. Thank you for your comment!

[@justinevassallo8388]

I just discovered this channel and been enjoying this playthrough ! Well done 👌👌

[@AllAboardBoardgames]

Justine, we're delighted to hear that you enjoyed our playthrough of Brass Birmingham. Thanks a lot for letting us know! It really is a great game. I hope you can find some of our other videos enjoyable too! We really appreciate your comment. Thanks for that!

[@doctorerie4790]

Thank for video, i never knew that brass is not that difficult game thank to this video

[@AllAboardBoardgames]

Hi Doctor Erie! Many people think that Brass: Birmingham is very complicated, but actually it is not too difficult to learn the rules. Usually after one or two rounds you get the hang of it. The only thing that is a little bit difficult is the use of coal and beer. Iron is easy enough - you can take it from anywhere on the board and if there is none, then you use the market. Coal can only be used if it is connected by rail or canal to the place where you need it, and you can only buy from the external market if the market is connected by canal or rail to the place where you need it. Beer is kind of a mixture between the two - if it is your own beer you can take it from anywhere, even if you are not connected to it. If it is someone else's beer, you must be connected by rail/canal to that beer before you can use it. I think everything else is easy enough to learn, but if you have any questions, please feel free to ask here!

[@DooDooDaddyTV]

The editing on this video was so well done. Loved the recap at the end too!! Instant sub

[@AllAboardBoardgames]

Thank you very much owningall! We're delighted that you enjoyed the video and we appreciate the sub! Brass Birmingham is a great game!

[@hectorromero5163]

What a great game. It was very fun to watch this, I was at the edge of my seat when you were counting the VP. Congratulations, love your channel.

[@AllAboardBoardgames]

Thank you very much Héctor! We're really happy to hear that you enjoyed the video and that you felt the tension at the end. It was a very intense and fun game. Thanks also for the compliment. Very much appreciated!

[@katycat2515]

Amazing work! 👍 It was very entertaining to watch you guys 😊 Keep it up 😊👍🌸

[@AllAboardBoardgames]

Thanks a lot Katy Cat! Really glad that you enjoyed the video. Thank you for your comment.

[@Erril-1]

Thank you guys! Very nice video like always :)

[@AllAboardBoardgames]

Thanks a lot Erril! We're glad you liked and and we appreciate your letting us know!

[@JendersGaming]

Looks like a existing game, thx for a good playthrough!

[@AllAboardBoardgames]

Thanks Jenders Gaming! Glad that you enjoyed it!

[@djackson920]

I love your channel. Congratulations, Pat. Great game, Glai. I watched this play through because I saw it on your top 10 video and commented that I never heard of it. This was intense! There’s a lot to think about! What a great game. I am adding this game to my wish list! How are the instructions? Were they easy to follow when learning the game?

[@AllAboardBoardgames]

Hi Mrs Jackson! Thanks as always for your kind words. It really does mean a lot to us when we hear you are enjoying our videos! Brass: Birmingham really is a superb game and definitely deserves its spot in our Top Ten. The instructions aren't really too bad. It seems a bit more complicated than it really is, and once you start playing it feels natural. There are a few fiddly things, like how to use coal, iron and beer. Basically, coal must be connection with canal/rail links to the place where it will be used, and if there is no coal mines out on the board with coal on them, then you need to be connected to the external market to buy coal from there. Iron is pretty simple - you can take it from the board with or without a connection, and if there is no iron, you can always buy it from the market. To use your own beer, it works like iron and you can just take it when you need it. To use someone else's beer, then you must be connected to it by canal/rail from the place you wish to sell your goods from. Apart from that, the rules are fairly straightforward, but if you do decide to get the game, and you have any questions, do feel free to ask anytime!

[@nicolasguay7570]

Just discovered this channel and I love what you guys do. Keep up the good work !

[@AllAboardBoardgames]

Nicolas, thank you very much! We're really happy to hear that you like our channel. Hearing positive feedback like this really encourages us to keep making videos. We very much appreciate it and hope you keep enjoying our videos!

[@Allen-P]

Great playthrough. Not sure of you edited much but it was pretty swift and it gave me a good sense of how it's played. I liked the low angle camera...it seems more clear than the overhead. Anyways, you showed how a 2p game can be very intense! Liked the narration of the moves too...it was easy to follow what you were doing. Pottery! Thanks...I'm a new subscriber!

[@AllAboardBoardgames]

Thanks very much Allen. We're delighted that you enjoyed the playthrough. Pottery is very unique in this one alright. Worth a lot of points too if you can sell it! Cheers for the subscription. Hope to hear from you again on other videos!

[@Zero2tm]

Pats move at 37.50 to build a double railroad under one network action is paid for incorrectly with coal according to the bottom of page 11 of the rules. Pat takes two coal from one location/source for both placed railroads. Rules state that the railroads should be placed separately, both of which have to have a source of coal. In past move, only one coal should have been taken from top location and the other from the lower, white player source as there is no links between them. Am I right spotting this?

[@AllAboardBoardgames]

Hi Digital Tornado. You are absolutely correct. I should have taken one of the coals from Redditch here. Thanks a lot for letting us know. I have made a note in the Klingon subtitles. Hope you enjoyed the video!

[@steadmanyoung]

I noticed you brought coal mines at Dudley and Wolverhampton without being connected by a cannal. I throught due to Coal being heavey to transport you required to be connected before you can build anything that requires Coal?

[@AllAboardBoardgames]

Hi James. Thanks for watching our video. You may build coal mines without being connect by canals because the coal mines themselves do not need coal to build them. They become the source of coal, but they must be connected by canal if you wish to use their coal to build other industries that have coal as a requirement.

[@steadmanyoung]

Thanks for clearing this up, a lot of rules in this game, but a great game nonetheless.

[@AllAboardBoardgames]

@@steadmanyoung It is indeed a wonderful game. There are a lot of rules, but when you start playing it is quite smooth. I guess the most difficult rules are how coal and beer work and also understanding your network, but if you get those then everything else is easy enough.

[@jpatche]

@50:04 Shouldn't the train between Dudley and Birmingham been forced to pay using the coal from Dudley since it's closer?

[@AllAboardBoardgames]

Yes jpatche, you are absolutely correct. Glai should have used the coal from Dudley to pay for this connection as it was the closest supply of coal. Well spotted, and thanks for letting us know! Hope you enjoyed the playthrough!

[@jpatche]

@@AllAboardBoardgames Oh yeah, it was a pleasure to watch, thanks for the video! I just bought this game and I'm excited to get it to the table - I'm sure our first playthrough will be rough with lots of mistakes. Trying my best to learn the rules.

[@AllAboardBoardgames]

@@jpatche That's great to hear. I'm sure you will have no problems - coal is probably the hardest rule to understand and seeing as you spotted our error, it looks like you understand well how that works. Brass: Birmingham is a fantastic game, and I'm sure you will have a lot of fun playing it. After you play it once, just skim through the rules again and you will spot if you were doing anything wrong. The other thing to watch out for is with beer - if it is your own beer, you can use it in the same way as iron, and you don't need it to be connected to where you are using it. If it is somebody else's beer, you must be connected to it. Also, when using the merchant beers that are placed on the board during setup, you can only use the beer when you sell the particular good of the merchant tile the beer is beside. If you decide to grab some wild cards, remember that you must pay 3 cards to get 2 - one is for the action of taking the cards, and the other 2 are the cards that you exchange for wild location and 1 wild industry card. When you use the wild cards, they are not put in your discard piles, but they go back to the decks you drew them from, and you cannot take any wild cards if you already have a wild card in your hand. If you have any questions about the game, feel free to post them here and I will get back to you as soon as I can!

[@Allen-P]

Yep...that's right. I wonder if there is a player aid that flowcharts this. Because it should be Play Card, Pay Money cost, place rail #1, Pay Coal, Place rail #2, Pay Coal + Beer.

[@AllAboardBoardgames]

@@Allen-P That would be useful for sure. It's easy to miss one of the steps with so much going on in the game. Fantastic game though!

[@EfrainRiveraJunior]

What is your opinion of the Kickstarter edition of this game? I saw the poker chips, and they look amazing. But they are $400 _if_ you can get a hold of them!

[@AllAboardBoardgames]

Hi Efrain. Brass Birmingham already has really nice components, but $400 seems a lot to splash out for the Kickstarter edition. Of course, it is always nice to pimp out your boardgames, but I think that $400 is too much... You might check the Roxley Games homepage - I think they have a Deluxe Version with the poker chips there and it is much cheaper than that, if they have them in stock!

[@EfrainRiveraJunior]

@@AllAboardBoardgames - I ended up purchasing the Roxley Clay Chips set. It's fantastic! We use them with many games.

[@AllAboardBoardgames]

@@EfrainRiveraJunior Oh brilliant! I'm glad that worked out for you! It's nice to be able to use your components across games too. Makes it an even better investment!

[@wizardofoz6811]

Hi, at 37:58 the player took coal for the second railroad from a source that wasn't connected to the new rail

[@AllAboardBoardgames]

Ah yes, you are right. Good spot! Sorry about that!

[@wizardofoz6811]

@@AllAboardBoardgames thanks, great game.

[@AllAboardBoardgames]

@@wizardofoz6811 Thanks a lot! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@yannlaliberte8407]

Good catch, yes always take coal from the nearest ''connected'' source

[@TheQrank]

@@yannlaliberte8407If you place two rails on different spots, do they both require a coal connection or only one of them?

[@LarnieRadek]

Hi! A bit before 8:05 you explain why the iron and coal gets sucked up by the market, but why doesn’t the Redditch coal get sucked up? Isn’t Oxford an external market?

[@AllAboardBoardgames]

Hello LarnieRadek! At 6:54 Glai places her coal mine in Redditch. Coal and iron will only be sucked up by the external market at the time they are placed. Iron does not need canals to be transported, so as soon as an ironworks is placed, if there is space in the market then it will be purchased straight away. However, coal is heavier and needs to be transported in greater quantities. For this reason, coal needs canals to be transported. Therefore, it will only be sucked up by the market if it is connected to the external market by canal. When Glai placed the coal mine, Redditch was not connected to Oxford, and so the coal did not get sold to the market. Hope this helps!

[@LarnieRadek]

@@AllAboardBoardgames oh gosh yes, how silly of me! I have spent the last few days trying to get my head around the rules and didn’t even realise it wasn’t connected! Thank you!

[@AllAboardBoardgames]

@@LarnieRadek No problem Larnie! If you have any other questions that I can help out with, feel free to ask! Brass Birmingham is a lot of fun and I'm sure you will really enjoy it!

[@LarnieRadek]

@@AllAboardBoardgames One last question for now : around 49:30, why does Gali take the coal from Coventry? Isn’t Dudley closer to the railway between Dudley and Birmingham?

[@AllAboardBoardgames]

@@LarnieRadek You are absolutely correct Larnie. That was a mistake and Glai should have take one of the coal from Dudley and the other one from Coventry instead of taking both from Coventry. I will make a note of that in the Klingon subtitles. Sorry about that error!

[@CarsEvill]

at 45:30 you build 2 trains, but you take the coal from Dudley, that you just bought a connection to. Are you allowed to take this? Doesn't it make sense that you can't take it yet, as you are not yet connected when you're building it?

[@AllAboardBoardgames]

Hello Cars the Just. Yes, you are allowed to do this - actually I would have had no choice but to use this coal as it is the closest source of coal to the rail line. To consume coal, a rail Link or Industry tile must be connected to a source of coal (after it is placed). Although it might not seem to make sense, of course it could not be connected before it is placed. I hope this helps! :)

[@jankogo]

Have you guys played Anno 1800? It is my favorite Martin Wallace game at the moment. Wallace is a great designer.

[@AllAboardBoardgames]

Hi Jankogo. No, we have never tried Anno 1800. Wallace certainly is a great designer. Brass Birmingham is one of the best designed games I have ever seen!

[@MafiulRobin]

GG WP

[@AllAboardBoardgames]

Thank you Mafiul Robin!