Game: Age of Steam Expansion - Bay Area

Thread: Bay Area: A Review for the Connoisseur

CortexBomb — 2007-08-13T17:16:17+00:00

Age of Steam Expansion - Bay Area: A Review for the Connoisseur

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Initial warning: this review, and all of the future reviews I do that are labeled "For the Connoisseur" are going to be reviews of expansions. This review assumes that you have familiarity with the base game prior to reading this, and gives my opinion on the value of the expansion for base game owners.
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The Bay Area is Ted Alspach's first Age of Steam expansion, and it was the first fan produced Age of Steam expansion. This was released at Essen 2005, and the run was mainly paper, though there were some hardboard mounted maps pressed as well. The print run was small, and the map was later re-implemented as Northern California with 1830's PA in the flip side.

A Basic Summary
The Bay Area is primarily known for its brutal economy, and this is largely driven by the wide open spaces, the lack of goods, and the dearth of cities. The map is (in)famous for causing bankruptcies when inexperienced groups play it.

Important Changes / Features

San Jose - San Jose is a monstrous triple hex city. Each part of the city is red, and goods may be freely moved between the three areas, but not for income, and with the normal restrictions (i.e.: each part of the city may only be visited once during a delivery). The city is also notable because it receives goods on 1-6 White from the Goods Growth chart, which means it always receives something in the early game.

Bridges - In the northern part of the map there are two bridges, one of which requires two towns to be Urbanized prior to being built. The big, $10 bridge between San Francisco and Oakland is notable because it links the only starting Blue city with the only starting Purple city.

LA Port - The LA Port is a red city in the SW which starts with 2 goods on it, and also has a line of 10 more waiting to be delivered. After the first two goods are taken from the city, players may then siphon goods off the waiting line, but only in the order that the goods were placed. This is the other major source of late game goods (beyond San Jose).

Distances - Not really a feature or change per se, but still notable. All of the cities on the map (with the exception of San Jose) are at least 4 hexes apart. This makes Engineer and Urbanization very important roles early.

Goods Paucity - Again, not really a feature per se, but it drastically impacts the way the board plays. San Jose starts with nothing, but always gets something during growth. LA Port starts with a tonne of goods, but you can only deliver them in the randomly drawn order. Everywhere else is quite barren but for the Growth rolls.

Scale
When this was released it was reported to play between 3 and 5, with 4 being the designer's preference. I have only played it with 3, and would probably not want to play it with more than that because of the goods situation.

How Challenging is this map?
Extremely.

Early game deliveries are generally rough sledding, and players need to carefully manage their finances, as it is very easy to get ahead of your income curve on this map. The initial random goods draw will do a lot to determine how horrific the early game will be, as bad draws can mean that there are no viable deliveries anywhere without the use of Urbanization.

What do I think of it?
This is my current go-to map for 3 when I want a classic, yet tough AoS experience. Though I generally favour innovative maps, this map hits a sweet spot for me, and is getting play now where Ireland used to, mainly because I think this map does everything that I like about Ireland, but can make the auction more interesting and the goods significantly more tight.

Should I buy it?
This is a very tough call. This map is very difficult to find, and will not be reprinted in the future. The re-implemented version, NorCal, is probably a better buy for 95% of the people reading this review. The main limitation of that map is that it is more geared toward the 4 scale, and has a few softer spots (more convenient town access in some parts of the board, an actual short link up near San Francisco).

Unless you're someone who plays 3 player AoS a lot, this is probably not worth seeking out.

My Final Slant: Great board if you like a tough, yet manageable economy. For experienced players only. Price means that most people should not seek this out.

Image

BigWoo — 2006-09-15T06:33:23+00:00

Age of Steam - Bay Area Expansion (cover sheet)

Thread: Reprint! (Sort of)

toulouse — 2006-03-28T19:18:18+00:00

The Bay Area expansion is now officially a collector's edition. There will be no more copies of this map produced.

But I said there would be a reprint...so there's something much better in the works.

Instead, the Bay Area map has been reworked and reformatted as Age of Steam Expansion: Northern California. It's a little more forgiving than the Bay Area, and includes a new feature and city: Sacramento accepts cubes that are the color of the ship closest to Santa Cruz (similar to LA in Bay Area). Because of the map size change and different towns/cities, it's a very different map than the Bay Area, even though the location is mostly the same.

Check out http://games.bezier.com/AoSNC.html for details, and check out Northern California's flip side: the Age of Steam Expansion: 1830's Pennsylvania at http://games.bezier.com/AoSPA.html

Thread: Re: More details about Bay Area AoS Map

toulouse — 2006-03-26T03:08:05+00:00

When using the 'free' links within San Jose is income generated?
No, free movement is allowed between any SJ cities, resulting in no income (no one owns the space between)

For example: if I deliver a red good from San Jose to South San Jose do I gain 1 income or 0?
If you use a broad curve track and travel across that, you would get 1 income. Otherwise, the cube is delivered with 0 income.

If I deliver a yellow good from San Jose to Morgan Hill via Silver Creek do I gain 4 income or 2?
2, unless you moved it through two other San Jose cities (via your tracks).

Also, can goods be shipping through the San Jose hexes from outside SJ in this manner allowing a good to be shipped for up to 8 income? Or is it only goods currently waiting at SJ that can be moved within the hexes?
Anything can be moved through the hexes for free (again, move it along a track for income). Nothing can be delivered for 8 income 'cause your loco is limited to 6.

Thread: Re: More details about Bay Area AoS Map

Boycat-OH — 2006-03-16T22:25:06+00:00

Hi

When using the 'free' links within San Jose is income generated?

For example: if I deliver a red good from San Jose to South San Jose do I gain 1 income or 0?

If I deliver a yellow good from San Jose to Morgan Hill via Silver Creek do I gain 4 income or 2?

Also, can goods be shipping through the San Jose hexes from outside SJ in this manner allowing a good to be shipped for up to 8 income? Or is it only goods currently waiting at SJ that can be moved within the hexes?

Thanks
Phillip

Thread: Re: Any more info on availability?

mlvanbie — 2005-12-09T06:11:32+00:00

As a clarification, clearclaw's Spielfrieks comments on the game (without giving a name) interested me. I wanted to make sure I knew which game was which when the chance came to get a copy.

Thread: Re: Any more info on availability?

clearclaw — 2005-12-09T01:23:52+00:00

mlvanbie wrote:
So this is the one with the huge profits to be had by one player?

I've played Pennsylvania three times now. I like it, but think it may need minor adjustment. It is a very tense map, significantly more tense than any other I've played (and I've played all the Warfrog expansions). If players do not aggresively work to curtail the player(s) who go for the high income, then that player will be a run-away winner.{1} But, if they do hem those player(s) in, then the game remains tight and contentious. That simple.

{1} Example: Our first game had the winner with more than $80 of uncorrected income (ie before shares and track are counted) while the rest of us were at the more typical high 30s to low/mid 40s.

Thread: Re: Any more info on availability?

clearclaw — 2005-12-08T23:25:56+00:00

jonpfl wrote:
So, how do we get a copy of the Pennsylvania map?

You wait for him to release it?

Thread: Re: Any more info on availability?

mlvanbie — 2005-12-08T17:27:57+00:00

So this is the one with the huge profits to be had by one player?

Thread: Re: How to make the Essen 2005 Limited Edition paper maps "real"

jonpfl — 2005-12-08T15:54:27+00:00

toulouse wrote:
Due to time and weight restrictions, the majority of maps sold at Essen were rolled paper, not mounted on gameboards. If you'd like to mount yours, here's the best way to do it:

1) Order a gameboard from http://bgdf.com/catalog/
They cost $3.25 + shipping, and they fit the map perfectly.

2) Trim to the black edges of the map, which will provide a nice 1/4" or so border around the edge of the map when placed on the board. Don't proceed to step 3 until you've made sure the trim is the right size!!!

3) Place the paper map face down on some sort of surface that can either be easily cleaned or better yet, thrown away (like sheets of newspaper), and spray the back with spray adhesive (you can find this in home depot, walmart's craft area, Michaels, any place like that), being sure to get a lot on the edges.

4) Carefully lift the map up and starting with one corner, place it down on the gameboard evenly (this is the hardest part...yuck).

5) Fold the board (with the map on it) over once, then unfold and smooth out the crease area.

6) Use an exacto or other super-sharp knife to slice the map where the split in the board appears from the edge to the center.

7) press down the edges of the map carefully, especially where you just sliced.

8) Fold up the board and press it together tightly.

I have one of your copies from Essen and would love to mount it but that link works but will not accept my order. Whenever I try to submit my order, it says something about an invalid merchant.

Is there anyplace else I can order that board?

Thx
jonpfl

Thread: Re: Any more info on availability?

jonpfl — 2005-12-08T15:48:01+00:00

clearclaw wrote:
crparis wrote:
This definitely looks like a map I want to get. Any more information on a reprint or other distribution of this one?

Ted has been reworking the map to make it fit on a standard AoS board size (the previous form was too square and wide). Some more playtesting may be needed before he rolls into production.

Meanwhile his new Pennsylvania map is perhaps the most tense of any AoS map I've played. We're been playing a fair bit of that one. Recommended.

So, how do we get a copy of the Pennsylvania map?

Thx
jonpfl

Thread: Re: Any more info on availability?

clearclaw — 2005-12-03T18:36:29+00:00

crparis wrote:
This definitely looks like a map I want to get. Any more information on a reprint or other distribution of this one?

Ted has been reworking the map to make it fit on a standard AoS board size (the previous form was too square and wide). Some more playtesting may be needed before he rolls into production.

Meanwhile his new Pennsylvania map is perhaps the most tense of any AoS map I've played. We're been playing a fair bit of that one. Recommended.

Thread: Any more info on availability?

crparis — 2005-12-03T15:58:54+00:00

This definitely looks like a map I want to get. Any more information on a reprint or other distribution of this one?

Thread: Re: How to make the Essen 2005 Limited Edition paper maps "r

John Bohrer — 2005-11-10T01:47:33+00:00

qzhdad wrote:
John,

You are a relentless tease!

Someday, I'll make it to Essen to get one of your deals.....

Happy Gaming,
Scott

I am tempted to make an exception to our policy for you, Scott, you have been buying Winsome Games since the $50 Binder version of Tracks to Telluride in 1994. Sorry about the tease...

As always, if we do not license our maps to Warfrog, I will make them generally available to the masses, probably in the no-nonsense, strictly business UGLY Winsome Games format that my French friends so dislike. Too much white! Not enough color! Brown triangles for mountains and Blue triangles for rivers is gauche. Well, I am just a simple engineer and scientist. All my taste is in my mouth...

So hang in there, Scott, and meanwhile enjoy the Warfrog version of France and Italy, produced in Germany by LudoFact. It was worth the one year wait, right? A hardboard solid, pretty graphic version of the flimsy, white space Winsome Games original. No graphical mistakes this time! Warfrog just gets better...

John
Pittsburgh

Thread: Re: How to make the Essen 2005 Limited Edition paper maps "r

John Bohrer — 2005-11-10T01:09:41+00:00

clearclaw wrote:
John Bohrer wrote:
The original Winsome Games maps are folded and come in their own box. They also fit in the AoS box and lie on the table without tape. Ask anyone who has one of the 80 numbered game sets...

You know, I'd pay good money to have copies of all the official maps in single sheet rolled paper form. They are so much lighter and easier to transport.

True enough, but getting them to lie flat is a challenge. I moved from
tubes to the plastic box just for that reason.

Ted sold a bunch of his rolled version at Essen and folks looked dubiously at the tube. The vast majority of folks seem to distain rolled maps. Sorry I can't help you with your desire for the rolled single sheets...

John
Pittsburgh

Thread: Re: How to make the Essen 2005 Limited Edition paper maps "real"

qzhdad — 2005-11-09T19:51:14+00:00

John,

You are a relentless tease!

Someday, I'll make it to Essen to get one of your deals.....

Happy Gaming,
Scott

Thread: Re: How to make the Essen 2005 Limited Edition paper maps "r

clearclaw — 2005-11-09T18:29:50+00:00

John Bohrer wrote:
The original Winsome Games maps are folded and come in their own box. They also fit in the AoS box and lie on the table without tape. Ask anyone who has one of the 80 numbered game sets...

You know, I'd pay good money to have copies of all the official maps in single sheet rolled paper form. They are so much lighter and easier to transport.

Thread: Re: How to make the Essen 2005 Limited Edition paper maps "r

John Bohrer — 2005-11-09T14:02:26+00:00

See for yourself...
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/19898

John
Pittsburgh

Thread: Re: After Essen ?

John Bohrer — 2005-11-09T13:41:16+00:00

toulouse wrote:
I'm looking into doing a reprint (a "real" printing, hopefully) shortly. I will post here when I know the availability.

This is good news for AoS players. I like the LA mechanism!

John
Pittsburgh

Thread: Re: How to make the Essen 2005 Limited Edition paper maps "r

John Bohrer — 2005-11-09T13:38:25+00:00

The original Winsome Games maps are folded and come in their own box. They also fit in the AoS box and lie on the table without tape. Ask anyone who has one of the 80 numbered game sets...

John
Pittsburgh

Thread: Re: How to make the Essen 2005 Limited Edition paper maps "r

clearclaw — 2005-10-18T23:37:35+00:00

Note that this board will not fit in the Age of Steam box. It is too wide.

Or you can use my approach: Take it to Kinkos or similar and have it cold laminated (this should cost but a few $/euros). Then keep it rolled in a tube with the North of England map, the Japan map, the Merseyside map and all your other home made or Winsome maps. When playing, tape it to the table with masking tape.

Thread: Re: After Essen ?

toulouse — 2005-10-18T19:45:53+00:00

I'm looking into doing a reprint (a "real" printing, hopefully) shortly. I will post here when I know the availability.

Thread: How to make the Essen 2005 Limited Edition paper maps "real"

toulouse — 2005-10-18T19:44:31+00:00

Due to time and weight restrictions, the majority of maps sold at Essen were rolled paper, not mounted on gameboards. If you'd like to mount yours, here's the best way to do it:

1) Order a gameboard from http://bgdf.com/catalog/
They cost $3.25 + shipping, and they fit the map perfectly.

2) Trim to the black edges of the map, which will provide a nice 1/4" or so border around the edge of the map when placed on the board. Don't proceed to step 3 until you've made sure the trim is the right size!!!

3) Place the paper map face down on some sort of surface that can either be easily cleaned or better yet, thrown away (like sheets of newspaper), and spray the back with spray adhesive (you can find this in home depot, walmart's craft area, Michaels, any place like that), being sure to get a lot on the edges.

4) Carefully lift the map up and starting with one corner, place it down on the gameboard evenly (this is the hardest part...yuck).

5) Fold the board (with the map on it) over once, then unfold and smooth out the crease area.

6) Use an exacto or other super-sharp knife to slice the map where the split in the board appears from the edge to the center.

7) press down the edges of the map carefully, especially where you just sliced.

8) Fold up the board and press it together tightly.

Thread: After Essen ?

ReiXou — 2005-10-18T07:16:44+00:00

Hi,

My friend missed the map in Essen. Is there any chance to get it by another channel ? (online shop or other)

Olivier

Image

toulouse — 2005-10-04T15:17:55+00:00

The contents of the deluxe version of the Bay Area AoS map, with mounted gameboard and full color rules

Image

toulouse — 2005-10-04T15:17:54+00:00

The AoS deluxe package (mounted gameboard)

Thread: More details about Bay Area AoS Map

toulouse — 2005-10-02T07:31:17+00:00

1) The map is designed for 3-5 players, with 4 being optimal.

2) The L.A. Port space initially has 12 goods cubes on it, with two on the city itself, and the remaining 10 spread out on waiting "ships" outside the port. After the first two goods on the city are shipped, the remaining goods are available to be shipped *in order*. The player(s) with connections to this city can, with careful planning, have a very lucrative route in their hands...as long as they're connected the right colored city as the next good in line.

3) The Bay Bridge (between San Francisco and Oakland) is available at the beginning of the game, but costs *10* to build. The southern bridge, between Hayward and Foster City, can only be built between the cities if they're urbanized (ala Scandanavia) and costs 6.

4) San Jose starts with no cubes, but because all the white numbers are clustered there, it quickly fills up with cubes. Goods can be moved between San Jose, East San Jose, and South San Jose for a cost of zero (so it doesn't require a locomotive "point" for inner-city moves), Though red goods will be delivered if they're moved in this way (which isn't recommended). However, each tile of the city works like its own city when shipping goods over track between the cities (it's possible to deliver over two segments before leaving the greater San Jose area).

5) A very small number of games being made available are gameboard mounted, with the rest being full-sized paper (at about 20" x 20", or about 50cm x 50cm). Both sets contain full color, illustrated setup instructions (cube placements, etc.) and rules (for bridges, special tiles, etc.).