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File Info Subscribe sub options | File Rolls
Board Game:
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Sheamus Parkes
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May 5, 2010
Brass_Restructured_Rules_v2.pdf (40 KB) (Solve captcha above to download.)
Updated file:

Incorporates most of the comments from the file page and elsewhere.

If you have any more suggestions, or see errors, please let me know. I will try to be more responsive this time.
Downloads:2593
Jan 24, 2008
Brass_Restructured_Rules_v1.pdf (18 KB) (Solve captcha above to download.)
This is a restructured set of rules for Brass (Written by myself and edited by BGG Community). I find this layout easier to comprehend. (V1-Jan 24, 2008)
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Sheamus Parkes
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It has been said this is closer to an "extended player aid". That's quite possibly true. I mainly left off the information about what each tile or link costs, and how to tell how much income they provide.

I didn't go to the trouble of including pictures, and I thought the pictures included with the real rules do a fine job of explaining what each number on the tiles corresponds to.

If you have any comments or suggestions, shoot me a message.

Thanks,

Shea
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  • Posted Thu Jan 24, 2008 5:04 pm
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Gerald Sunkin
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I was really concerned about teaching this game as the rules are fairly hard to understand. I'd spent a couple weeks off and on, trying to figure them out.

However, I used this aid to teach the game and it went really well! I did teach the "Available Actions" part ahead of the "Important Mechanisms" part as that made more sense to me. Other then that it's perfect.

Thumbs!

Jerry
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  • Posted Thu Jan 24, 2008 5:36 pm
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Betty Egan
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Thanks for doing this. It really is a big help in understanding the rules!
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  • Posted Sat Jan 26, 2008 8:02 am
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Randall Bart
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Brass was certainly greatly in need of something like this. Unfortunately there are some more niggling rules you left out. I did not find the rule that on the first turn you take only one action and discard only one card. That's why there are four more cards in the Rail Era. We kept ending up with the wrong number of cards.

A good example of a rule that is hidden in the rule book is the rule that you can't build a port on the port/cotton space if the port only space is still open. It's listed alphabetically under Lancaster and Preston, the two cites where the rule applies. You included this as an exception. Oh that's where you put single action on the first turn. I guess that is an exception, but it's more of a beginning of game mechanic.

The problem in organizing the rules to this game is that it just doesn't organize well. It has too many rules -- too many types of rules. It's a game that needed more playtesting before it was released.
 
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  • Edited Tue Feb 12, 2008 1:16 am
  • Posted Tue Feb 12, 2008 1:16 am
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Sheamus Parkes
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Barticus88 wrote:
Brass was certainly greatly in need of something like this. Unfortunately there are some more niggling rules you left out. I did not find the rule that on the first turn you take only one action and discard only one card. That's why there are four more cards in the Rail Era. We kept ending up with the wrong number of cards.

A good example of a rule that is hidden in the rule book is the rule that you can't build a port on the port/cotton space if the port only space is still open. It's listed alphabetically under Lancaster and Preston, the two cites where the rule applies. You included this as an exception. Oh that's where you put single action on the first turn. I guess that is an exception, but it's more of a beginning of game mechanic.

The problem in organizing the rules to this game is that it just doesn't organize well. It has too many rules -- too many types of rules. It's a game that needed more playtesting before it was released.


Thanks for sharing your thoughts Randall. Are there any "niggling rules" I actually missed in the end? I'd be glad to put them in.

To me, an "exception" is any rule that only rarely applies and when it does, it breaks another very common rule. Still, it's very subjective where rules stop and exceptions begin.

And I don't think it's fair to say that Brass needed more Playtesting. It's true that I think the game would be better without some of these "niggling rules" like the specific Preston/Birkenhead rules. But I don't think there's any way you're going to turn Martin Wallace into Knizia. At least Brass was 20X easier to digest than Byzantium. Byzantium's list of exceptions for Constantinople alone would have been 2 pages.
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  • Posted Fri Feb 15, 2008 4:30 am
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Andrew Swan
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Nice aid, very helpful. Some feedback if I may:

Quote:
You may only use industry cards to build in locations that are part of your personal networks.

This could be misinterpreted as meaning that location cards can't be used to build in such locations (which would be wrong), or that a pair of industry cards doesn't let you build anywhere (also wrong). A less ambiguous wording might be "When building using a single industry card, you may only build in a location within your personal network".

Selling Cotton wrote:
The appropriate owners get the listed income.

It might be better to say they get the "listed income increase" (to distinguish it from cash).

Exception #2 wrote:
External ports printed on map

Might be helpful to name one (e.g. Scotland) as an example, to distinguish them from port spaces.

Canal Phase wrote:
During Canal phase, each player may only have one industry per location.

Does this include ports? This is just my own question, not feedback about your doc.
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  • Posted Tue Mar 4, 2008 10:44 am
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Sheamus Parkes
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game_boy wrote:
Nice aid, very helpful. Some feedback if I may:


Of course, feedback is welcome!

game_boy wrote:
Quote:
You may only use industry cards to build in locations that are part of your personal networks.

This could be misinterpreted as meaning that location cards can't be used to build in such locations (which would be wrong), or that a pair of industry cards doesn't let you build anywhere (also wrong). A less ambiguous wording might be "When building using a single industry card, you may only build in a location within your personal network".


I understand exactly what you mean. I will address this.

game_boy wrote:
Selling Cotton wrote:
The appropriate owners get the listed income.

It might be better to say they get the "listed income increase" (to distinguish it from cash).


Makes sense.

game_boy wrote:
Exception #2 wrote:
External ports printed on map

Might be helpful to name one (e.g. Scotland) as an example, to distinguish them from port spaces.


I'll see about fitting this in. I was trying to avoid going into examples.

game_boy wrote:
Canal Phase wrote:
During Canal phase, each player may only have one industry per location.

Does this include ports? This is just my own question, not feedback about your doc.


You may only have 1 tile per location. So yes, a port tile would be your only tile allowed.
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  • Posted Wed Mar 5, 2008 3:26 pm
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Paul Nomikos
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Quote:
At least Brass was 20X easier to digest than Byzantium. Byzantium's list of exceptions for Constantinople alone would have been 2 pages.


Many thanks for your excellent summary of rules.

But Brass easier than Byzantium? Byzantium was rather elegant in rules and yes the Byzantine capital had some exceptions but they were making sense. I found Brass more difficult with many subtle rules. Both games are great, but I prefer Byzantium because of its theme and its rather byzantine rules that together work so well.
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  • Posted Wed May 7, 2008 2:29 am
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Paul Paterson
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This file is so well done, I love to play Brass, but explaining the game with the original rules is really tough. Thank you for this file!
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  • Posted Thu Oct 2, 2008 3:44 pm
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Pasta Batman
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One nit, I think. You say
Quote:
5. You can replace opponent's coal or iron industry with a higher tech level *if* appropriate external market has bottomed out.

But the rules say:
Quote:
You can build on top of another player’s coal mine with one of your own only if there are no coal cubes in Lancashire or on the Coal Demand track.

If there are any coal/iron cubes left anywhere on the board (not just the external market), you can not build over another players coal mine/iron works. Martin confirmed this interpetation here.

Also, the expression 'bottomed out' is used counter to its common meaning. When a market has 'bottomed out', it typically refers to demand, not supply.
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  • Edited Mon Mar 2, 2009 3:54 am
  • Posted Wed Feb 25, 2009 7:07 pm
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Fernando Abad
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Your rules states that if i try to shell cotton at a distant market and i fail, the action finish; for me this means that i can not to shell cotton in other way, for example in a usual flip-port way.
Am i right?
And, if the answer is yes ... ¿where does this rule appears? I can not see it at original rulebook!

Thanks!
 
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  • Posted Fri Jul 3, 2009 7:35 am
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Sheamus Parkes
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fenolin wrote:
Your rules states that if i try to shell cotton at a distant market and i fail, the action finish; for me this means that i can not to shell cotton in other way, for example in a usual flip-port way.
Am i right?
And, if the answer is yes ... ¿where does this rule appears? I can not see it at original rulebook!

Thanks!


That is correct. If you fail at a distant market then your whole cotton action comes to an immediate end. I don't have the original rules in front of me, but I'll look it up later for you.
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  • Posted Sat Jul 4, 2009 3:32 am
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Brandon Tibbetts
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I really appreciate this rules summary and the discussion that followed. I see that Isamoor (the OP and creator of the document) agreed with some of the suggested changes. I've subscribed to this file and look forward to an updated version, if that ever happens.
 
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  • Edited Fri Jul 10, 2009 10:52 pm
  • Posted Fri Jul 10, 2009 10:49 pm
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Sheamus Parkes
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schmanthony wrote:
I really appreciate this rules summary and the discussion that followed. I see that Isamoor (the OP and creator of the document) agreed with some of the suggested changes. I've subscribed to this file and look forward to an updated version, if that ever happens.


My apologies. I had some of the changes made but not uploaded. I should go ahead and finish that off and upload it eh?

Thanks for reminding me.
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  • Posted Sat Jul 11, 2009 8:18 pm
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Chris Keates
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thanks again for this rewrite. it certainly clarifies things for me!
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  • Posted Thu Jul 16, 2009 2:15 am
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Denise
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Thanks for this file!

Just learning the game myself, and would also love to see your updated version.
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  • Posted Thu Mar 11, 2010 1:17 am
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Sheamus Parkes
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Alright alright, after enough bumping, I'm uploading a revised version. Only a few years later
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  • Posted Wed May 5, 2010 10:27 pm
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Sheamus Parkes
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Sungarden3 wrote:

Thanks for this file!

Just learning the game myself, and would also love to see your updated version.


Alrighty, new version is up. Please let me know any more changes. I'll try to be swifter this time.
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  • Posted Fri May 7, 2010 4:34 pm
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Ted Kim
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Should the "pass" action (do nothing) also be added to the list of available actions?

The rules from the game say this: You can also choose not to perform an action, but you still discard the card you played.

 
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  • Edited Sun Aug 15, 2010 10:43 pm
  • Posted Sun Aug 15, 2010 6:06 pm
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Sheamus Parkes
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tedhkim wrote:
Should the "pass" action (do nothing) also be added to the list of available actions?

The rules from the game say this: You can also choose not to perform an action, but you still discard the card you played.



Hrm, I suppose it should. I almost always think you should be able to make some money with an action though. Even if it's just to combine it with another action to make a "build anywhere".

Has anyone you've played with actually passed?
 
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  • Posted Mon Aug 16, 2010 1:05 am
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Ted Kim
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I admit the desire to pass is not that common.

However, we did have a situation where the someone did want to pass in a game. At the time, he wanted to avoid spending money and the other options did not seem viable or desirable (at least in his opinion).
 
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  • Edited Mon Aug 16, 2010 6:06 am
  • Posted Mon Aug 16, 2010 5:48 am
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Ted Kim
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After reading some more threads on the game, I would think the most common "pass" situation would be at the end of the rail era, when you can't take loans and you are saving up for the VPs for cash on hand. Perhaps the distant market has bottomed out and developing is just flipping someone else's counter.
 
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  • Posted Mon Aug 16, 2010 5:58 pm
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Guillaume Gaudé
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Hi all,
I'd like to thank Sheamus Parkes for his great synthesis of BRASS rules.
I translated his restructured rules v2.0 in french.
Can someone tell me how to upload my PDF file on BBG, please ?
 
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  • Edited Sun Mar 13, 2011 11:05 am
  • Posted Sun Mar 13, 2011 11:04 am
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Sheamus Parkes
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DocGuillaume wrote:
Hi all,
I'd like to thank Sheamus Parkes for his great synthesis of BRASS rules.
I translated his restructured rules v2.0 in french.
Can someone tell me how to upload my PDF file on BBG, please ?


On the Brass homepage:

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/28720/brass

Look at the files section. Next to "Browse" is "Upload". Click on that.

Best of luck!
 
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  • Posted Sun Mar 13, 2011 2:38 pm
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