Best Industrial Revolution Board Games
The Industrial Revolution represents the single most influential period of progress in the history of the world. Western Europe and North America emerged early as the epicenters of this turning point in history. Rapid technological advancements made the world smaller than ever before and connected far-flung corners of the world with industrial centers, particularly in the United Kingdom.
Invention gave way to invention until the time before industrialization began to resemble a distant fairytale. Visionaries and artists have presented versions of a more modern era with elements of Victorian Era ephemera and entitled it SteamPunk. Let’s dive into this dynamic era as we proudly present the best Industrial Revolution board games.
🏆 Our Top Picks for Best Industrial Revolution Board Games
In a hurry? Take a quick peek before you go.
Brass: Birmingham & Brass: Lancashire
Players: 2-4
Playing time: 60-120 minutes
Brass: Birmingham and Lancashire are separate games that represent two powerhouses of the English Industrial Revolution. Both games encourage savvy businessmen and captains of industry to build and develop networks of trade all around the world. Every round, players have the option of playing one of six different action tiles, which include Build, Network, Develop, Sell, Loan and Scout.
What we liked
The Brass series is one of the best economic games on the market today. Everything from components, rules, and gameplay is fantastic. If you enjoy economic games go play it now.
What could have been better
If you’re not a fan of economic games you’re going to be bored to tears here. The Brass series gets into the nitty gritty of production and if you have no interest in it no amount of cardboard or meeples is going to change your mind.
Selling is one of the most interesting aspects of the game and players can sell different wares manufactured in the city. In Birmingham three new industries are included, Breweries, Pottery, and Manufactured Goods such as cotton. Lancashire was a center of shipping during the industrial revolution, however, the city of Lancaster lost its port due to the river Lune silting up.
Brazil: Imperial
Players: 1-4
Playing time: 100 minutes
Brazil: Imperial starts off in the Empire of Brazil, which existed from about 1822 to 1889. Instead of the typical colonial model where the ruling nation had its seat of power in Europe, the Empire of Brazil flipped that script and saw the Portuguese monarch move to the New World.
Players start off by choosing which Monarch they want to play, such as Queen Victoria, King Pedro, Napoleon, or Pierre II, and must gain the support of Brazilian heroes, such as Machado, Reboucas, and Nabuco. The game board is made up of hexagons representing various resources that players must collect to enlarge their empires.
Players are given the chance to compete for resources and cards that can progress the empire into a different technological era. Brazil and the world are open for development and the player that spreads their influence across the world wins!
What we liked
Brazil: Imperial plays quickly, is easy to learn, and has numerous layouts that add to its replayability. It’s reminiscent of a simplified Scythe.
What could have been better
Combat in Brazil: Imperial seems lackluster. There’s not a whole lot to it and feels like it could have been more thought out.
Arkwright
Players: 2-4
Playing time: 120-240 minutes
Arkwright is set in England in the late eighteenth century and players begin as business magnates running one of four different factories. The development of factories was a huge result of industrialization and concentrated labor and capital in typically urban centers.
At the beginning of each turn, players pay their factory workers and claim any profits from the products manufactured there. The money collected can be added to the player’s profit sheets and then used to finance expeditions around the world. In addition to the factory play, players can ship their goods to other ports in the world and collect profit from those sales also.
Players can gain advantages or fall behind the others if they are not as successful. Just as in business in general, fortune favors the brave.
What we liked
The player interactions and planning your strategy to sell your goods is one of the best systems I’ve seen in a long time. Attempting to alter the market in your favor while simultaneously cutting off your opponents is so rewarding and challenging that you’ll overlook any aspect that you might dislike.
What could have been better
The rulebook is a monster. If you can get through it you’ll have a heck of a time playing an awesome game, but it’s incredibly intimidating.
Nippon
Players: 2-4 players
Playing time: 60-120 minutes
In the game Nippon, players start with small businesses and attempt to build them into empires, set in Japan’s Meiji Period. Before this time, Japan was largely closed off to foreign trade and influence. Only the Dutch were able to successfully set up a colony on a private island in Nagasaki.
Players compete as one of four Zaibatsu, or main corporations that came to dominate the Japanese economy. Each company starts off as a small silk-weaving workshop and then thrives and diversifies into other industries.
Every player must choose which companies and industries to invest in to give them control over Japan. If players make bad decisions, then they may remain a fly on the wall of the Japanese economic boom.
What we liked
There are a lot of different options and rules to get through this can spell disaster for a game if they’re not accurately and concisely written and luckily Nippon does this.
What could have been better
Nippon is a long game. On your first play through it will take you several hours to get through, and even after you get used to the flow of the game it still takes 1+ hours to complete a game.
Anno 1800
Players: 2-4
Playing time: 120 minutes
In Anno 1800, players are given a home island to develop and do with as they see fit. Players can build new buildings and ships that will give them a competitive edge over the other players. The successful player must find the necessary resources to close out the Old World so the New World can begin.
To make the economy work better, players can bring in Workers, Farmers, Craftsmen, and Engineers to help advance technological prowess. Players also gain points toward winning by fulfilling the needs of the people and ensuring the populace of the home island remains happy and content. Only players who maintain this strategic balance will collect enough points to win the game in the end.
What we liked
It can be intimidating, but the massive amount of tech trees, tiles, and different paths to victory make for a great game.
What could have been better
It’s great for beginner players looking to take their first step into Euro games, but for seasoned Euro players, Anno 1800 won’t keep their attention.
Cotton Trade: 1800-1860
Players: 2-6
Playing time: 90-180 minutes
Cotton Trade gives us a more innocent view of the dastardly industry that came to exist. While the Industrial Revolution gave us amazing technological advances, it also began an era of cruelty, where people treated people at best as pawns in a game or at worst as true slaves.
This game is played by collecting and selling cotton in different ports all over the world. Ships must be rented and any profits gained from selling the cotton will have necessary fees deducted and added to each player’s tally before the round is over. Whoever has the highest amount of wealth at the end of the game wins.
What we liked
I always appreciate historical accuracy games, and Cotton Trade: 1800-1860 is built on the historical data of the production of cotton. The rules are easy enough to learn and offer a ton of different ways to earn money and points.
What could have been better
The theme just feels odd. It’s not going to be for everyone, but if you can get past it there’s a good game underneath.
Age of Industry
Players: 2-5
Playing time: 120 minutes
The Age of Industry begins in New England at the time when the Industrial Revolution was just taking off. Players join the game as beginner business moguls who seek to dominate the industries of this time. Since this game starts at the impetus of the era, players must build the world by investing in raw materials, methods of transport, and manufacturing know-how.
If New England isn’t large enough, there is a map of Northern Germany that players can also opt for and that will introduce interesting shipping lanes in the North and Baltic Seas. The player who wins should have the most overbuilt and developed industry among all the players.
What we liked
If you loved Brass: Lancashire then you’re going to love Age of Industry. The rules may be simpler, but a lot of the quirks and issues of the original have been fixed.
What could have been better
When they streamlined the rules they made it easier to learn. It makes it easier for new players, but it just does seem as exciting as Brass Lancashire.
Irish Gauge
Players: 3-5
Playing time: 60 minutes
Irish Gauge gives us a fascinating chance to envision what industrialization would have looked like across the Emerald Isle. Belfast was one of the first cities on the island of Ireland to industrialize, famously referred to as the “big smoke,” for much of the 19th and 20th centuries. Industrialization was largely absent in the southern part of the Island with the largest factories being those of Guinness and Jacob’s Biscuits in Dublin.
In Irish Gauge, players can choose to set up their companies in one of the Irish cities, from Belfast to Cork and from Dublin to Galway. Ports are a huge boon to the economy of the island and sea trade is how most Irish goods reached their destination.
The board and the game pieces are beautifully designed and the map of Ireland is made up of shaded green hexagons representing all areas of the Island. Players must connect the cities with railroads to transport raw materials around the country and internationally.
What we liked
Turn order and options are fantastic. Everyone always has something to do and turns move quickly.
What could have been better
Calculations throughout the game can sometimes bring the flow of the game to a standstill.
The Foreign King
Players: 2-4
Playing time: 60 minutes
The Foreign King transports players to Belgium in the 1830s, right after it gained independence from the Netherlands. The Belgians voted and chose to become a monarchy, selecting German Prince Leopold to become their King Leopold the First, hence the title Foreign King.
This game combines industrial and political expertise and focuses on coaxing Belgian country lords to help in the industrialization process. Belgium is mostly a Catholic country, however, differences in language caused the cohesion of the country to falter often.
To succeed, players must build factories and political institutions, increase the size of their land holdings and gain the favor of the King to do so. With the King’s support, players will have a path to victory and can easily surpass the other players.
What we liked
Foreign King is a solid Euro game in a tiny box. It’s a great example of what a micro-game can be.
What could have been better
Great gameplay aside it doesn’t actually do anything different. There are plenty of tried and true mechanics, but nothing that really blows the player away. It’s great as a microgame, but it’s not going to replace any of your big box games on the shelf.
Stephenson’s Rocket
Players: 2-4
Playing time: 60 minutes
Stephenson’s Rocket, the name itself refers to the inventor of the locomotive, Robert Stephenson, puts us in the shoes of a burgeoning railroad tycoon. Players compete to build and expand their railways until the entire country is covered by one company.
The game begins with seven different companies that have different routes across England. When two companies’ railways cross, they merge to become one. Players choose where to build stations and can invest in industries in those areas to help their railway transport the goods to the right places.
The player who completes the merger of railways in his turn gains control of the railway and all future profits.
What we liked
Stephenson’s Rocket is a fantastic strategy game. It offers meaningful decisions, no luck gameplay, and a tense experience. If you like Euro games then you’re going to want to check it out.
What could have been better
The Veto mechanic can sometimes feel like it can be abused.
Union Stockyards
Players: 2-5
Playing time: 45-90 minutes
Union Stockyards places the player in 1860s Chicago, right in the heart of the meatpacking district. Players must compete to dominate the Chicago meat industry while it was the capital of the world’s meat market.
Up to five players fight for control of the market in this player-driven economic system. The threat of losing workers to strikes is always present. Union Stockyards is well-written and plays quickly making it an impressive addition to your economic board game pile.
What we liked
Union Stockyards’ rules are very well written. It does a great job of portraying the Industrial Revolution’s meat trade in a smooth way. Gameplay and turn order flows well and everything about it is smooth.
What could have been better
It’s an excellent game, but those squeamish about the meat trade may not be thrilled to play a game that focuses heavily on meat processing as a theme.
Wrap-Up
We hope you enjoyed our list of the best Industrial Revolution board games! If you love this period in history and are a fan of economic board games, these are the games for you. Have you tried any of the games on this list? Did we miss any Industrial Revolution board games that you think should have been included? Drop a comment below and let us know what you think! We’d love to hear from you.
