How to play Brass Official Rules

By: Dennis B. B. Taylor

Brass Game Rules

Playing the Brass Game can be a bit confusing at first, but don’t worry, I’m here to help you understand how it all works. Let’s dive right in and talk about the basic rules.

To play the game, you’ll need a deck of cards and a group of friends to play with. The goal of the game is to collect sets of brass cards and score the most points.

Here’s how the gameplay works:

1. Setup: Shuffle the deck of cards and deal five cards to each player. Then, place the remaining cards face down in a draw pile.

2. Turns: The player who goes first is determined randomly. On your turn, you have two options:

a. Draw a card: Take the top card from the draw pile and add it to your hand.

b. Play a set: A set consists of three or more cards of the same brass type (e.g., trumpets, trombones, saxophones). To play a set, place the cards face up in front of you. You can only play one set per turn.

3. Scoring: At the end of the game, each set of brass cards is worth a certain number of points. The more cards in the set, the more points you score. Be strategic and try to collect sets with the highest point values.

4. End of the game: The game ends when the draw pile runs out and no more sets can be played. Players tally up their scores based on their sets, and the player with the highest score wins!

Remember, it’s okay to ask questions and clarify the rules as you play. The Brass Game may seem complex at first, but with practice, you’ll become a skilled player.

So gather your friends, shuffle those cards, and have a blast playing the Brass Game!

  • 1 Gameboard
  • 1 Rulebook
  • 4 Counter sheets
  • 8 Player wooden discs
  • 66 Cards
  • 30 Black coal cubes
  • 25 Orange iron cubes
  • 1 Black marker
  • 100 Plastic coins
  • 7 Plastic storage bags
  • 12 Distant Market tiles
  • 12 Cotton Mill counters
  • 8 Port counters
  • 7 Coal Mine counters
  • 6 Shipyards counters
  • 4 Iron Foundry counters
  • 14 Canal/Rail counters
  • 2 Victory Point counters
  • 2 Wooden discs

Setup

When we start playing, we each choose a set of counters and wooden discs. Then, we put one of our wooden discs on the space labeled ?0 in the Income/VP track.

Hey there! Let’s talk about keeping track of Victory Points (VP) in this game. You don’t need to worry about them just yet, as they’ll only come into play at the end of the first period.

Now, let’s move on to organizing your Industry counters. These need to be grouped together based on their type. For each type, make sure to stack them in order of Tech Level, with the lowest Tech Level on top and the highest Tech Level at the bottom.

Arranging your cotton mills can be a bit tricky. Here’s what you do: put all the Tech Level 4 mills at the bottom, then stack the Level 3 mills on top of them. After that, add the Level 2 mills, and finally place the Level 1 mill on the very top.

Now, let’s get the Coal Demand track ready. Take one black coal cube and put it in each space on the track. Do the same with the orange iron cubes on the Iron Demand track. Any extra cubes can be set aside as a stock. Don’t forget to move the black marker to the top space on the Cotton Demand track.

We need to prepare the Distant Market tiles now. Shuffle them up, then place them face down in the space marked ‘Distant Market Tiles’.

To decide who goes first, you can use any method you like. Just make sure everyone is okay with it. From the first turn onwards, the order of play will go clockwise starting from the first player. Keep track of the order using a wooden disc for each player on the Player Order display.

First things first, we need to make sure the plastic money counters are placed in a bank next to the board. The silver counters are worth ?5 each, and the copper counters are worth ?1 each. To start the game, each player begins with ?30 in their pocket. It’s now time to dive into the game!

Time to Play

Let’s break the game down into two periods: the Canal Period and the Rail Period. Each period has a series of phases we need to go through:

  • I. Cards
  • II. Player actions
  • III. Victory Points
  • IV. New Period

The game will end after the Rail Period.

Phase I. Cards

It’s time to get the cards in order. Shuffle all the cards together, then deal eight cards to each player. Now, let’s remove a specific amount of cards from the deck:

Four Players – in the Canal Period, remove 6 cards; in the Rail Period, remove 2 cards.

Three Players – I can’t wait to learn about this game!

In the Canal Period, I get to remove 9 cards, and in the Rail Period, I remove 6 cards, without even revealing them. I’ll set those cards aside. The remaining cards go face down in the indicated box on the board.

Phase II. Player actions

The Player Action phase is made up of several rounds, which depends on the number of players. Since we have four players, we’ll have eight rounds in each period. With three players, we’ll have ten rounds in each period.

Each round of play follows these steps:

  • Collect my income
  • Play cards in the order of the players
  • Determine the play order for the next round
  • Refill my hand with cards

I’ll keep repeating these steps until all players, including me, have played all of our cards.

Step: Collect Income

Your position on the Income/VP track determines how much money you receive from the bank. If your income level is negative, you have to give that amount back to the bank. If you don’t have enough money to pay, you can choose one of your Industry counters on the board to remove. You will receive half of the counter’s cost as cash. Use this money to cover your negative income.

In some cases, you might need to remove more than one Industry counter. Keep in mind, you start the game with no income!

Income level

Hey there! Let’s talk about flipping Industry counters and how it affects your Income in the game. Whenever I flip an Industry counter, I instantly move my Income marker up the Income track by the value shown in the gold circle. Easy, right?

Now, the trick is knowing when you can actually flip a counter. Each counter has its own type, and the rules for flipping differ depending on the type. Don’t worry, I’ll explain that in a bit more detail soon.

Here’s the thing, though. Every time you take a loan, your Income Level decreases. So, be careful not to borrow too much or you might end up with less money coming in. We all want more income, am I right?

Just a quick reminder, though – your Income can never go above ?30. So, keep that in mind while you’re busy growing your industry empire!

Okay, now let’s move on to the next step: playing cards!

When it’s my turn to play, I get to do a set of actions. I do all my actions before it’s someone else’s turn. Once everyone has done their set of actions, this step is done.

A set of actions is made up of four things. First, I play a card. Then, I do an action with that card. After that, I play another card and do another action with it. So, I get to play two cards and do two actions during my turn.

But there are a few exceptions. On the very first turn of the Canal Period, I only play one card. And sometimes, I can combine two actions into one. If I do that, I put the cards I played on the discard pile.

Each card lets me do one action. There are a few different actions I can do:

  • I can build an industry
  • I can build a canal or a rail link
  • I can do some development
  • I can sell cotton
  • I can take a loan

When playing this game, you have the option to perform different actions. If you choose to take action, you will need to discard a card from your hand. However, you can decide not to take action and still discard a card. It’s up to you!

The type of card you play only affects your options if you decide to Build Industry. Keep that in mind when choosing your cards.

Let’s talk about the order of play. The player who has spent the least amount of money in this round will go first, while the player who has spent the most will go last. You can determine the amount spent by looking at the money in the Amount Spent boxes.

If there’s a tie in the amount spent, the player who was earlier in the old play order will go first in the new play order. Make sure to return all the money in the Amount Spent boxes back to the bank.

Lastly, it’s time to refill your hand.

So here’s the deal, each of us starts with a hand of up to eight cards. If we run out of cards in the deck, tough luck, no more cards for us. But don’t worry, even if we don’t have any cards left, we can still keep playing with what’s in our hand. The game only ends when everyone has played all their cards, and then it’s on to the next phase.

Phase III. Victory Points

Alright, let’s talk about victory points. So, each canal or rail link we create is worth a certain amount of VPs. The number of gold circles in the two locations that the link connects determines the value. Here’s the deal: Industry counters have one gold circle on the back, and external locations have two. Oh, and don’t forget about Blackpool, Southport, and Northwich – they each have two circles too.

But wait, there’s more. Each Industry counter also has its own value in VPs. The number on the hexagon tells us how many. But hold up, only the flipped counters count towards VPs. So make sure to flip those counters over!

Now, here’s an extra tip for you. If it’s the end of the Rail Period, we get an extra VP for every £10 we have in cash. Not too shabby, huh?

When we finish playing, we need to keep track of our victory points. Each player can use their Victory Point counter to mark their total points on the Income/VP track. If our score goes over 100, we’ll need to use a second counter.

Now, let’s move on to the End of Period phase. If we have just completed the Canal Period, we need to clear the map. This means removing all canals and Tech Level 1 Industry counters, along with any cubes on them. The Canal counters should be returned to their owners, while the Industry counters are discarded. Don’t worry, removing a counter won’t decrease our income level.

After that, we should shuffle all of the Distant Market tiles to create a fresh stack. These tiles will be placed in the box provided. Finally, we need to move the Cotton Demand marker to the top space on the Cotton Demand track.

That’s it for this phase! Make sure to keep track of your victory points and follow these steps at the end of each period. Have fun playing!

Hey there! Let’s dive into the Rail Period, a crucial part of the game. And guess what? You’ll get to play two cards right off the bat! Just remember, it’s important to remove cards from the deck. And if you’ve just completed the Rail Period, that means the game is over. Exciting, right?

#image.jpg

Ending the Game

Hey there! Let me tell you how this game wraps up. The game officially comes to an end when the Rail Period comes to a close. This is a crucial moment, my friend. Now, pay attention because this is where we decide who takes home the victory.

So, here’s the deal. The player who manages to accumulate the highest number of victory points will be crowned the winner. But hold on a sec! What if we have a tie? Well, that’s when things get interesting. In the case of a tie, the player who not only tied but also has the highest Income Level will snatch the victory. That’s pretty impressive, don’t you think?

But, but, but… What if we still have a tie? We won’t let that dampen our spirits! In this extraordinary scenario, the player who is tied and also has the most cash in hand will be declared the winner. If, by some strange twist of fate, there’s still a tie after that, we turn to our trusty buddy, the order of play. The player who would have had their turn earlier in the order of play is the one who secures the win in that nail-biting tie breaker.

So, there you have it! The game can get intense, my friend, but we have foolproof ways to determine a winner. It all comes down to strategy, calculations, and a little bit of luck. May the best player reign supreme!

Leave a Comment

Brass Game Rules

Playing the Brass Game can be a bit confusing at first, but don’t worry, I’m here to help you understand how it all works. Let’s dive right in and talk about the basic rules.

To play the game, you’ll need a deck of cards and a group of friends to play with. The goal of the game is to collect sets of brass cards and score the most points.

Here’s how the gameplay works:

1. Setup: Shuffle the deck of cards and deal five cards to each player. Then, place the remaining cards face down in a draw pile.

2. Turns: The player who goes first is determined randomly. On your turn, you have two options:

a. Draw a card: Take the top card from the draw pile and add it to your hand.

b. Play a set: A set consists of three or more cards of the same brass type (e.g., trumpets, trombones, saxophones). To play a set, place the cards face up in front of you. You can only play one set per turn.

3. Scoring: At the end of the game, each set of brass cards is worth a certain number of points. The more cards in the set, the more points you score. Be strategic and try to collect sets with the highest point values.

4. End of the game: The game ends when the draw pile runs out and no more sets can be played. Players tally up their scores based on their sets, and the player with the highest score wins!

Remember, it’s okay to ask questions and clarify the rules as you play. The Brass Game may seem complex at first, but with practice, you’ll become a skilled player.

So gather your friends, shuffle those cards, and have a blast playing the Brass Game!

  • 1 Gameboard
  • 1 Rulebook
  • 4 Counter sheets
  • 8 Player wooden discs
  • 66 Cards
  • 30 Black coal cubes
  • 25 Orange iron cubes
  • 1 Black marker
  • 100 Plastic coins
  • 7 Plastic storage bags
  • 12 Distant Market tiles
  • 12 Cotton Mill counters
  • 8 Port counters
  • 7 Coal Mine counters
  • 6 Shipyards counters
  • 4 Iron Foundry counters
  • 14 Canal/Rail counters
  • 2 Victory Point counters
  • 2 Wooden discs

Setup

When we start playing, we each choose a set of counters and wooden discs. Then, we put one of our wooden discs on the space labeled ?0 in the Income/VP track.

Hey there! Let’s talk about keeping track of Victory Points (VP) in this game. You don’t need to worry about them just yet, as they’ll only come into play at the end of the first period.

Now, let’s move on to organizing your Industry counters. These need to be grouped together based on their type. For each type, make sure to stack them in order of Tech Level, with the lowest Tech Level on top and the highest Tech Level at the bottom.

Arranging your cotton mills can be a bit tricky. Here’s what you do: put all the Tech Level 4 mills at the bottom, then stack the Level 3 mills on top of them. After that, add the Level 2 mills, and finally place the Level 1 mill on the very top.

Now, let’s get the Coal Demand track ready. Take one black coal cube and put it in each space on the track. Do the same with the orange iron cubes on the Iron Demand track. Any extra cubes can be set aside as a stock. Don’t forget to move the black marker to the top space on the Cotton Demand track.

We need to prepare the Distant Market tiles now. Shuffle them up, then place them face down in the space marked ‘Distant Market Tiles’.

To decide who goes first, you can use any method you like. Just make sure everyone is okay with it. From the first turn onwards, the order of play will go clockwise starting from the first player. Keep track of the order using a wooden disc for each player on the Player Order display.

First things first, we need to make sure the plastic money counters are placed in a bank next to the board. The silver counters are worth ?5 each, and the copper counters are worth ?1 each. To start the game, each player begins with ?30 in their pocket. It’s now time to dive into the game!

Time to Play

Let’s break the game down into two periods: the Canal Period and the Rail Period. Each period has a series of phases we need to go through:

  • I. Cards
  • II. Player actions
  • III. Victory Points
  • IV. New Period

The game will end after the Rail Period.

Phase I. Cards

It’s time to get the cards in order. Shuffle all the cards together, then deal eight cards to each player. Now, let’s remove a specific amount of cards from the deck:

Four Players – in the Canal Period, remove 6 cards; in the Rail Period, remove 2 cards.

Three Players – I can’t wait to learn about this game!

In the Canal Period, I get to remove 9 cards, and in the Rail Period, I remove 6 cards, without even revealing them. I’ll set those cards aside. The remaining cards go face down in the indicated box on the board.

Phase II. Player actions

The Player Action phase is made up of several rounds, which depends on the number of players. Since we have four players, we’ll have eight rounds in each period. With three players, we’ll have ten rounds in each period.

Each round of play follows these steps:

  • Collect my income
  • Play cards in the order of the players
  • Determine the play order for the next round
  • Refill my hand with cards

I’ll keep repeating these steps until all players, including me, have played all of our cards.

Step: Collect Income

Your position on the Income/VP track determines how much money you receive from the bank. If your income level is negative, you have to give that amount back to the bank. If you don’t have enough money to pay, you can choose one of your Industry counters on the board to remove. You will receive half of the counter’s cost as cash. Use this money to cover your negative income.

In some cases, you might need to remove more than one Industry counter. Keep in mind, you start the game with no income!

Income level

Hey there! Let’s talk about flipping Industry counters and how it affects your Income in the game. Whenever I flip an Industry counter, I instantly move my Income marker up the Income track by the value shown in the gold circle. Easy, right?

Now, the trick is knowing when you can actually flip a counter. Each counter has its own type, and the rules for flipping differ depending on the type. Don’t worry, I’ll explain that in a bit more detail soon.

Here’s the thing, though. Every time you take a loan, your Income Level decreases. So, be careful not to borrow too much or you might end up with less money coming in. We all want more income, am I right?

Just a quick reminder, though – your Income can never go above ?30. So, keep that in mind while you’re busy growing your industry empire!

Okay, now let’s move on to the next step: playing cards!

When it’s my turn to play, I get to do a set of actions. I do all my actions before it’s someone else’s turn. Once everyone has done their set of actions, this step is done.

A set of actions is made up of four things. First, I play a card. Then, I do an action with that card. After that, I play another card and do another action with it. So, I get to play two cards and do two actions during my turn.

But there are a few exceptions. On the very first turn of the Canal Period, I only play one card. And sometimes, I can combine two actions into one. If I do that, I put the cards I played on the discard pile.

Each card lets me do one action. There are a few different actions I can do:

  • I can build an industry
  • I can build a canal or a rail link
  • I can do some development
  • I can sell cotton
  • I can take a loan

When playing this game, you have the option to perform different actions. If you choose to take action, you will need to discard a card from your hand. However, you can decide not to take action and still discard a card. It’s up to you!

The type of card you play only affects your options if you decide to Build Industry. Keep that in mind when choosing your cards.

Let’s talk about the order of play. The player who has spent the least amount of money in this round will go first, while the player who has spent the most will go last. You can determine the amount spent by looking at the money in the Amount Spent boxes.

If there’s a tie in the amount spent, the player who was earlier in the old play order will go first in the new play order. Make sure to return all the money in the Amount Spent boxes back to the bank.

Lastly, it’s time to refill your hand.

So here’s the deal, each of us starts with a hand of up to eight cards. If we run out of cards in the deck, tough luck, no more cards for us. But don’t worry, even if we don’t have any cards left, we can still keep playing with what’s in our hand. The game only ends when everyone has played all their cards, and then it’s on to the next phase.

Phase III. Victory Points

Alright, let’s talk about victory points. So, each canal or rail link we create is worth a certain amount of VPs. The number of gold circles in the two locations that the link connects determines the value. Here’s the deal: Industry counters have one gold circle on the back, and external locations have two. Oh, and don’t forget about Blackpool, Southport, and Northwich – they each have two circles too.

But wait, there’s more. Each Industry counter also has its own value in VPs. The number on the hexagon tells us how many. But hold up, only the flipped counters count towards VPs. So make sure to flip those counters over!

Now, here’s an extra tip for you. If it’s the end of the Rail Period, we get an extra VP for every £10 we have in cash. Not too shabby, huh?

When we finish playing, we need to keep track of our victory points. Each player can use their Victory Point counter to mark their total points on the Income/VP track. If our score goes over 100, we’ll need to use a second counter.

Now, let’s move on to the End of Period phase. If we have just completed the Canal Period, we need to clear the map. This means removing all canals and Tech Level 1 Industry counters, along with any cubes on them. The Canal counters should be returned to their owners, while the Industry counters are discarded. Don’t worry, removing a counter won’t decrease our income level.

After that, we should shuffle all of the Distant Market tiles to create a fresh stack. These tiles will be placed in the box provided. Finally, we need to move the Cotton Demand marker to the top space on the Cotton Demand track.

That’s it for this phase! Make sure to keep track of your victory points and follow these steps at the end of each period. Have fun playing!

Hey there! Let’s dive into the Rail Period, a crucial part of the game. And guess what? You’ll get to play two cards right off the bat! Just remember, it’s important to remove cards from the deck. And if you’ve just completed the Rail Period, that means the game is over. Exciting, right?

#image.jpg

Ending the Game

Hey there! Let me tell you how this game wraps up. The game officially comes to an end when the Rail Period comes to a close. This is a crucial moment, my friend. Now, pay attention because this is where we decide who takes home the victory.

So, here’s the deal. The player who manages to accumulate the highest number of victory points will be crowned the winner. But hold on a sec! What if we have a tie? Well, that’s when things get interesting. In the case of a tie, the player who not only tied but also has the highest Income Level will snatch the victory. That’s pretty impressive, don’t you think?

But, but, but… What if we still have a tie? We won’t let that dampen our spirits! In this extraordinary scenario, the player who is tied and also has the most cash in hand will be declared the winner. If, by some strange twist of fate, there’s still a tie after that, we turn to our trusty buddy, the order of play. The player who would have had their turn earlier in the order of play is the one who secures the win in that nail-biting tie breaker.

So, there you have it! The game can get intense, my friend, but we have foolproof ways to determine a winner. It all comes down to strategy, calculations, and a little bit of luck. May the best player reign supreme!

Leave a Comment