Here are my thoughts:

- Make the map physically larger?
- Yes, but only slightly

- Multi-track income/versus dilution chart?
- Not necessary

- Fill the hexes with the terrain colour for easier recognition?
- This is nice, but some redraws overdo it. Just a bit of colour to differentiate the types of terrain, or possibly some texture (a la AoS)

- Player aid data on the map?
- A nice feature but pretty useless after a few plays

Also, let me add:

- Mounted board?
- A nice feature but not necessary

- Money?
- Not sure how Queen will handle this but I'm pretty sure I'm sticking to my poker chips

My biggest complaint with Winsome's production quality is yellow letters or numbers without an outline on a white background; I can barely read the coordinates on West Riding, but other than that, I kinda like their minimalist approach. I don't think Queen has too far to go with this one.

I've had this discussion with other gamers before. We setup Railroad Tycoon and take a minute and appreciate the beautiful artwork, but then when actually start playing, everyone gets distracted by the same artwork. It's too much. (That and the blue/purple thing - 'nough said about that!)

I heartily agree with the above. The yellow lettering on a white background is the one thing that needs to be changed.

I don't know if it is just that I now mentally associate Winsome game appearance with a quality game, but I have really come to like and even prefer the stark / minimalist quality that they have. I have played several other games recently in which the artwork seemed busy for the sake of being busy and only managed to confuse the players as to the state of the game. I have never had that problem with a Winsome product with the exception of the above mentioned yellow numbers. Thankfully, they are not important to the gameplay of West Riding.

While I agree, if this is the biggest complaint there really isn't much to complain about.





This is most amusing. Not to whine (okay, maybe a little), but I was saying/writing similar statements several years ago on BGG and was...well...let's just say I didn't meet any agreement. I also made related points to Mike Doyle on his blog (earlier this year, late last year, I forget). They didn't fly well. Shrug.

Austere simplicity has its place and its value, and it is not negligible.



Quite. The one thing I've never seen in a Winsome games product is a player confused about the board state. I wish I could say that with as much certainly about other games and publishers.



Rub it in why don't you? Bastards! I've been trying for months to get West Riding on the table. You bastards!

As a minor aside: Roundhouse is a neat little game, Not great, but clever and interesting. New York City is a neat little filler. A little above Coloretto in depth/complexity, but not much.

Haha!
Actually I haven't been able to get it to the table either. The group is currently enamoured with Pampas Railroads and Lokomotive Werks. We definitely need to get West Riding to the table before the pile arrives after Essen (Winsome Games Set and Bezier AoS expansions). Aww man, it's going to be a busy fall...

I have only really been active on BGG since mid 2007. So, I can't comment on that.



You misunderstand. I know its not important to the game play because I have read the rules and played part of a game solo. I don't get to play very often and when I do I don't always get to play the games I want. I haven't gotten it on the table either. In fact, I am rather jealous of the number of times you have gotten Wabash on the table.

I have a perfect storm problem with Pampas: Several locals like it, but getting them all at the table at the same time requires the blessings of multiple Gods. In the meantime we play Wabash Cannonball as the easier/shorter default. Lokomotive Werks hit 20 plays quickly enough but then got an unwarranted reputation as arithmetic homework and has struggled since. I remain fond of it.



Dude, that's my whine. Get your own whine!

I've not yet played West Riding (or any of the other Riding Series games except WS&IM). I've a very good idea what it will turn out like given our half-dozen-ish plays of Wooden Shoes & Iron Monsters, but I've not gotten it to the table against the competition from Agricola, Race for the Galaxy, Brass etc.



The play rate has fallen off precipitously. I thought I'd be well past 70 plays by now but we're still dawdling in the 50's doldrums.

I don't think this is a big deal either.


I completely agree with you. I find the income/dilution tracks more confusing than the Winsome production.


As long as the terrain color isn't too bright and garish this would be an improvement. With apologies to those who have posted their custom boards, I haven't seen one that really improves upon the original in an effective way.


Helpful, but not critical. If it's easy to do, though, why not do it? It would keep the mines consistent with the city notation.


This would probably be a handy reference for new players and completely ignored by experienced ones. I have had new players ask several times during a game which spaces can have more than one rail road, and what happens when you develop a forest.


Wabash Cannonball is the first game I've ever really felt was helped by the starkness. The minimalist components keep the players focused on who's doing what. The game never gets in the way of player interaction and I really like that. Having said that I could reall go for some thick cardboad pieces rather than the flimsy paper map and stock certificates.

I tend to love detailed art in games and am a fan of Mike Doyle's work. Perhaps my appreciation of Wabash is a sign of things to come as far as my tastes are concerned, who knows. Typically I want game art to be as detailed as it can be without getting in the way of game play.

I have just talked with Holger and he does have a few Wabash Cannonball games left in Germany. He asked that interested people email him at his new email address:
holger.herrmann@axa.de

I don't think there's anything critical in the looks of Wabash - I mean, I thought it would be more of a problem, but it hasn't really been.

I still would like a slightly larger board of a slightly less flimsy material (this is a bigger problem in West Riding, where staring that little board for few hours is somewhat annoying), coloured hexes instead of little dabs of colour to show the terrain and slightly more player aids on the map (only-one-company vs all-can-build-here, mine income).

I haven't needed those player aids, but I still think they should be there to help out the newbies a bit. The Queen Games edition in particular will be played by more people - I'm sure the people who play the Winsome edition are on average more experienced gamers than most people, but the Queen Games edition will reach less experienced gamers, too.

I would like to see something in between Winsome and Mike Doyle. My initial redraw was about what I would like to see (obviously); it maintained the minimalism of the graphics while conveying the information more immediately to someone glancing over the board to read it. Having the colored hexes was a big improvement over the tiny shapes in the hexes, but that could also be due to my colorblindness.

For what it's worth, Preußische Ostbahn and Gulf, Mobile & Ohio are much better boards in that respect. I don't think I'm going to do anything to "improve" either one, except maybe mount them.