AoS Team is pleased to announce a pair of bonus releases for 2008: Age of Steam Expansion - Washington DC and The Berlin Wall and Age of Steam Expansion - The Age of Steam Box. AoS Team has heard the cries of North American AoS fans, and are pleased to announce that these releases will be made available initially to North Americans (as well as Central and South Americans) and will later be released at Essen.

Washington DC and Berlin are another pair of maps created by highly regarded Age of Steam expansion designer Alban Viard. Washington DC focuses on the infamous freeways of the US capital. While the interstate can allow for quick goods transportation, it also becomes increasingly clogged as the game progresses and eventually becomes nearly impassable. The Berlin Wall, meanwhile, takes Age of Steam back to the era of the Cold War and the divided city of Berlin. Troop garrisons impede goods movement for much of the game, and the wall also presents an imposing obstacle. Of course, the fall of the wall in 1989 changes everything. These expansions will be printed on the plasticized paper that Alban has used since the Moon/Mars expansion, and will be cut into two pieces (not folded because the plasticized paper cracks where it is folded in a rather nasty fashion) so they fit into:

The Age of Steam Box, meanwhile, is a useful new accessory for all Age of Steam fans. The two-piece box, manufactured Ludo Fact in Germany, offers a sturdy, stylish way to transport your standard size Age of Steam expansions. The Age of Steam Box features a check list of all of the currently released hard board and soft board expansions that will fit in it.

The price structure for these releases are as follows:

Expansion Only: $30 + $10 shipping
Expansion + Box: $40 + $10 shipping

Special shipping rates will be made available for people who wish to purchase multiple items:

1 Expansion + Box Set: $10
2 sets: $12
3 sets: $14
4/5 sets: $20
Please inquire if you want to order more than 5.

Expansion Only:
1: $10
2: $11
3: $12
4: $13
5: $14
Please inquire if you want to order more than 5.

These releases will be available for order by people in the western hemisphere from September 5th until Essen. Be aware that this is NOT a pre-order, when the map and box become available for order, they will also be ready for shipping via air mail. This takes around a week for people in the United States.

The remainder of the print run will be made available at Essen, and then through various retailers. Please do not contact either Alban or Michael about ordering the set prior to September 5th, there will be enough to meet demand, do not worry.

This new release will be available initially for direct order from the publisher exclusively on BGG. If there is a marketplace entry that fits your needs, please purchase the expansion using that. If the appropriate type of entry is currently missing or if you want to order in quantity, simply send a Geekmail to Alban Viard (user id: Nabla) or Michael Webb (user id: CortexBomb) to place your order. Rest assured that BGG will be compensated properly for all out of marketplace sales.

Those who wish to pick up these releases at Essen may do so. The combined set will retail for 25 Euros, and a pre-order must be placed with Alban by sending an e-mail to ageofsteam08 AT yahoo DOT fr. Essen pre-orders are being taken now.

Final note: Boxes will be available as a separate item, and can be purchased for $15 plus $10 shipping by GeekMailing Alban or I for those of you who just want something to store your existing expansions in.

Attached is a small picture of the Washington DC map. Pictures of the box will be made available shortly.