An Ode to My Favorite Game of All Time- Age of Steam

My Favorite Game

Age of Steam, a game by John Bohrer and Martin Wallace, holds the top spot on my list and has for the last 3 or 4 years. For me, it packs the perfect amount of sharp edges and fierce competition into a game system with fairly simple rules.

For those of you not familiar with it, allow me to explain:

In Age of Steam, players build networks and deliver goods across a map via growing rail networks. Each turn, players take loans (called issuing shares), bid for turn order, expand their rails to connect cities, transport goods for income, and pay for upkeep. Points are earned by a combination of income steps earned, issuing fewer shares than competitors, and built track.

A game on the Rust Belt (base game) map I played at Dice Tower East, 2022.

(Credit: Brian Garmon via BGG)

The game's table presence is actually manageable no matter your board game table size. Whether you're rocking a 6x4 monster gaming table like the BoxKing Kingswood or are limited to a coffee table, AoS can fit your space. Player pieces are just a supply of discs and money, so you can grab a bit tray or silicone muffin cup and claim any area around the table.

Choices That Actually Matter

On the surface, this may sound like similar logistics games, but the twist that turns the game on its head from other titles is that very first step. Before you make a bid or build a track, you're locking in an upper limit of what will fund your operation for that entire turn. What you can bid, what you can build, and the buffer you can withstand when another player disrupts your ideal scenario (which they will) is all in that one decision. A miscalculation could be catastrophic.

"Hand on chin" (or forehead) is a common Age of Steam player pose. Italy map shown.

(Credit: Brian Garmon via BGG)

Player elimination is a somewhat contentious part of AoS. More contentious is that it can happen on the first turn. Personally, I love it. There's a phrase attributed to Joris Wiersinga of Splotter Spellen games that goes something like, "If you can't lose on the first turn, why have a first turn?" I agree wholeheartedly and maybe that tells you about the types of games I enjoy.

An Auction Game Posing as a Train Game

It may sound strange, but the majority of this "game" takes place during the auction. You're not only bidding for turn order, but you're also for access to one of several special action spaces that can wildly swing the way a turn goes. If your turn (and potential solvency) revolves around one space, you had better be prepared to pay for it. If one of your opponents wanted something you need and you didn't anticipate them bidding for it, this can force you to totally rework your entire turn calculus and often regret not issuing that extra share!

If you think this all sounds torturous, just wait until some devious opponent decides to save money and just go with the flow, taking whatever comes their way, and you see their advantage in shares issued increase each turn. Will you pivot and play lean or will you lean into the selection advantage winning the auction gives you and make up that difference in points elsewhere?

Welcome to Age of Steam.

An Inch Deep but Miles Wide

I described Age of Steam as being "rules light," and that's true. The entire deluxe edition rulebook is only 12 pages long, including the cover, rules summary back cover, and 2 pages of rules for expansion maps included in the deluxe set.

However, what the rulebook doesn't cover is the depth of strategy that can develop as a player and group continues to play repeated games over time. In your first few games of AoS, you're mostly engaging in first-order thinking- How do I not go bankrupt? How do I effectively build a network to make a delivery NOW?

After repeated plays you shift to second and third-order thinking- What cubes coming out later during the game will help me most? How do I position for a long delivery later in the game? What are my opponents doing and how do I disrupt it?

A System Providing Years of Play Options

AoS is a game, but it's also a system of games. Once you learn this very simple rules set, you are 95% prepared to play any of the 200+ maps available for purchase or print & play. New map? No problem. Read the few paragraphs of supplemental rules, which typically tweak some aspect of the main rules or add a minor element, then you're off to the races.

This is the Panama map redraw by Alban Viard, played at 3p at Dice Tower East, 2025. Learning the map took no more than 5 min of explanation to players familiar with Age of Steam.

(Credit: Brian Garmon via BGG)

Another benefit this brings to the table is that whether your group of players for the night is 1 or 8, there's a map that's perfect for your player count (if you want to play above 6, you may need to purchase additional components). The community over at BoardGameGeek has numerous spreadsheets and aids to help you choose the perfect map for your player count.

Imperfect, but I Don't Care

Is AoS my favorite game of all time? Yes. Is it perfect? No. Do I care? No. For me, the good makes up for the bad.

First issue- there are some things in AoS that just don't thematically make sense. Your routes are rewarded for being as inefficient as possible. This is a bit wonky in the realm of logistics games, and it's one I typically just hand-wave during explanation. Also, the goods are abstracted. You're delivering colored cubes to colored cities because... reasons. If you've seen my review of Speakeasy, you know I love thematic games, and this should serve to tell you how truly remarkable of a game this is that the thematic disconnect doesn't even phase me.

Issue #2- players with more experience will typically win. Once a player can see the second and third order levels of planning (see above) they will have a big advantage over new players. Better players will also often run away with a game, and although there's a small catchup mechanism built into the game, it's often not enough to really matter.

For me, this isn't a big deal, and is a reason I love 18xx titles. If I'm getting blown out in a game, I want to learn why, become better, and eventually be the one running away with a game.

Finally, issue #3- Bankrupting early can really turn you off of a gem if you let it- our group typically gives advice to new players to help them get through the first two rounds with their heads above water.

If any of these issues seem like a dealbreaker to you, then maybe it's not for you. Otherwise, I really suggest you give it a shot and see where your rail network can take you. Purchase a copy of Age of Steam here.