Strategy Notes

These notes are based on an interview of Mafiul Robin, a very skilled Brass Birmingham player, by Legendary Tactics. For the full interview, see Brass Birmingham Ultimate Strategy Guide: In Depth Strategy Tips. Notes are in the order of topics during the interview, with minor adjustments.

1. Number of actions per game. An important consideration that affects point goals, build options, and optimal develop actions. Efficient use of actions is critical.

   1. 2 player - 10 rounds (twice) -- 39 actions

   2. 3 player - 9 rounds (twice) -- 35 actions

   3. 4 player - 8 rounds (twice) -- 31 actions

2. Winning scores. Mafiul's estimates of scores needed to win against other skilled players.

   1. 2 player: ~200

   2. 3 player: ~175

   3. 4 player: ~155

3. Average score per action. To achieve these scores, the average score per action is about 5. For example, in a 4-player game, 155/31 = 5. Since Develop and Take Loan actions score no points, the average for point-scoring actions is considerably higher.

4. Canal vs Rail Eras.

   1. Most points come during the Rail Era, both from building higher level industries and from rail links. Hence, take the bulk of non-victory point actions--Loans and Development--during the Canal Era.

   2. Don't build many canals. They don't score many points because players are limited to one per action and they're removed at the era's end.

   3. Focus on building level 2 or higher industries during the Canal Era, since every industry built and sold from scores twice (once in Canal and again in Rail).

   4. Avoid negative income, including by possibly building a level 1 Coal or Iron.

   5. Consider overbuilding one's own level 1 Iron during the Canal Era. If you build a link to deliver Coal to Iron, overbuilding can use the same link.

5. Rail Era.

   1. Industries can require develop, loan, build, and sell actions. Links are often a more efficient source of points.

   2. Concentrate on building as many links as possible, particularly in high-value locations such as around Birmingham.

   3. Consider building rails at the two locations that enable access to dedicated Brewery locations:

      1. Cannock - Farm Brewery

      2. Kidderminster - Worcester

   4. When the most valuable rail links gone, then build the highest valued industries.

6. Industries. Mafiul distinguished between "Universal" industries, which every player must build to have a chance to win, and "Main" industries, where the best build option depends on the number of players and other factors.

   1. Universal -- Iron and Beer

      1. Consider developing away level 1 Beer. He rationale for this, I think, is that there are not many locations for breweries, and they are better used for higher level (and point value) breweries.

      2. Often, build level 1 Iron for the income boost, overbuild if efficient to do so.

   2. Main -- Cotton, Manufactures, Pottery

      1. The best build strategy for these is situational, dependent primarily on number of players and secondarily on available cards and Merchant locations.

      2. Cotton is best in 2-player games because achieving a high point total requires a lot of Develop actions that are only feasible with the higher number of total actions.

         1. Cotton strategy Develop sequence - 4 actions.

            1. Level 1 Beer (2)

            2. Level 1 Cotton (2)

            3. Level 1 Cotton (1), Level 2 Cotton (1 of 2)

            4. Level 2 Cotton (1 of 2), situational: consider level 1 Coal, level 1 Iron, or level 3 Cotton.

         2. Build at least two level 3 cotton in Canal era. This requires developing away all the level 1 Cotton (see below).

         3. Build two level 2 beer and use in selling Cotton during the Canal era.

         4. If the above is done, there will be actions left at end of the Rail Era to build more Cotton for high VP.

      3. Manufactures is best in 3-4 player. Players have fewer actions and must be sure of selling anything built. This approach requires only two development actions:

         2. 1. Level 1 Beer (2).

            2. Level 1 Manufactures (1), Level 1 Coal or Level 1 Iron.

         3. Make in Canal Era

            1. Two Level 2 Manufactures.

            2. Two Level 2 Beer.

         4. Sell Manufactures with own Beer. Only use Merchant beer if other players consumed yours.

         5. Another advantage of this approach is that level 2 Manufactures don't require Coal.

      4. Pottery as a build strategy is always high risk/high reward. Not generally recommended because of the risk of being blocked by other players.

         1. Make both level 1 and level 3 Pottery in the Canal Era and flip at least one with own Beer (so two Beer of one's own, at most one from Merchant).

         2. Best circumstances for pursuing this strategy:

            1. Merchants are Pottery friendly.

            2. Player cards are also Pottery friendly.

            3. And lacking cards for Cotton (2-player) or Manufacturers (in 3-4 player).

         3. Only then go for pottery.

         4. Development

            1. Level 1 beers (2).

            2. Possibly level 1 Pottery.

         5. Consider building level 2 Pottery to reserve space. Can be cheaper than developing. Same with level 4.

7. Miscellaneous tips.

   1. Can always build Level 1 Pottery in Rail era -- for points, and to block someone trying to build Level 5 Pottery.

   2. If pursuing a Manufactures strategy in a 2-player game, consider using an extra development action to get rid of Level 3 and Level 4 Manufactures. Then surround Birmingham with links and build there.

   3. Beer

      1. Develop level 1 Beer early.

      2. Build Beer early.

      3. Never use a card for making Beer for anything else.

      4. If you have a choice of where to build, consider the following:

         1. Note info in game about the number of cards per location.

         2. For example, Redditch, Wassal, and Nuneaton only one per era.

         3. Coalbrookdale 3 per era.

         4. Uttoxeter: 1 in 3-player, 2 in 4-player.

         5. Go first where there is competition.

         6. Don't worry (much) about other players consuming your beer (at least you get the points).

   4. Try to sell multiple industries at once.

      1. Easier in canal because beers not usually connected.

8. Opening actions.

   1. Loan

      1. First player: take loan, will be first again. Especially if can build iron next round.

      2. Or if a later player and players before spend money, take a loan.

   2. Develop

      1. Beer level 1 because so as to secure Beer positions whenever you get cards for (focus on level 2 and above).

      2. Iron maybe. But not in 2-player if player before took loan, since it sets them up for building iron.

   3. Build link

      1. But only in two-player if player 1 developed (cost 4) because link is cost 3.

         1. Then take loan and build iron, iron will fly to market and you will become cash positive immediately.

      2. Don't connect to a Merchant

      3. Look for future link to coal.

9. Turn Order.

   1. There are advantages in setting-up to take 4 actions at a time.

   2. When last, take loan or don't spend much.

   3. Then when in first make major spend actions.

   4. This sets up a cycle of last-first, last-first.

10. Misconceptions.

    1. The advantage of leaving Beer in Canal Era for Rail Era. Pros and cons. If can be the first player and get the double-rail action, then maybe. But would have got 5 VP anyway (by using the Beer during the Canal Era).

    2. Mix mass industries. Cotton and Manufacturer. Or Manufacturer and Pottery. Won't be able to reach highest value levels. Exception is building the Level 1 Pottery in Rail.

    3. Tendency to consume Merchant beers. Better to make own beer. Use Merchant if own beer is taken and Merchant beer only way to sell.

1. • Usually start with the Black Leader. This leader can collect points for all other colors, so getting it out early is usually the best option.

Strategic Considerations

• Whether to put your leaders in the same kingdom or split them between more than one is an important decision.

• Whether to build an early monument or not.

• The defender in any conflict has the huge advantage of winning ties. A strong opening may bait opponents into an external conflict or force them to race us for points; both options favor us. If they want to play aggressively, it will take them multiple turns to build up their kingdom to reach ours, and we will have time to prepare. If they ignore us, we retain an advantage by quickly building a temple (Black and Green ideally). When our opponents use their actions to start conflicts, it is at a disadvantage, and thus forces them to make risky plays. If they do not, we capitalize on their apathy by quickly scoring multiple points in a turn (here).

Tactical Ideas

• Consider blocking in temples you control; don't leave red tiles exposed. This will make internal conflicts more difficult. However, the tiles you have in your hand can make this impractical, and, if you have leaders protected with lots of temples, internal conflicts become extremely risky decisions for your opponents. Regardless, as the game progresses and you start collecting treasures, you are going to have exposed temples.

  • A better tip would be not to leave any spots adjacent to two or more temples. Doing so gives any player looking for an internal conflict a free tile.

• One of the most common mistakes I see inexperienced players making is allowing other players with monuments covering all colors to turtle in a corner for too long!

• Construct kingdoms to prevent a single conflict or catastrophe tile from destroying it. One mistake I see beginners make is not thinking about the shape of their kingdom. For example, a kingdom that looks like this:

  • ##

  • ##

  • ###K

  • P#

• is poorly structured. In an external conflict, the attacker will choose to resolve red first, your Priest will lose and then your King will be cut off from all those settlements and he'll lose too. Swap it around a bit, though, and you're in a far better position:

  • ##

  • ##

  • #K##

  • #P

• Now, should your Priest lose, your King is still very likely to win. Not only are you safe from an external conflict, but you're also safe from a disaster and an external conflict. No tile your opponent can play will stop you from having four black to defend your King with.

• Consolidating control after an internal conflict. After winning an internal conflict, fill in the space vacated by the losing leader. This requires, of course, initiating the conflict on your first action. The advantage is that it prevents the losing player (or another player) from taking the spot and defeating you.

• How to win treasures. If you have a temple with a treasure on it that you are trying to connect to another kingdom and currently only your king is in your kingdom, don't build up your kingdom so that it is only one or two empty spaces away from the treasure. This is just asking another player to steal from you. They can just plop their trader next to the treasure, drop another tile to connect the two kingdoms (which doesn't give your king any points since a tile played that connects two kingdoms doesn't earn points) and take the treasure. The better play is to move your trader in to position next to that temple and put another red or green tile next to him. This will give you some defense again internal or external conflicts. Attempt to make your board position riskier to enter. They may still be able to knock you out of the space, but if they do, they probably aren't in a position to connect the two kingdoms in the same turn, so you still have a chance to do battle again. To summarize, don't play tiles in such a way that there is zero risk for your opponent to just move in and take advantage of your tiles. Even if there is zero risk based on the tiles you have behind your screen, your opponent doesn't know that, so don't throw away a good bluff (here).

Bluffing

1. • Because instigators of conflicts must declare the additional tiles they will commit first, and defenders respond, bluffing is not directly part of conflicts. But bluffing can figure in misleading other players about the tiles you have behind your screen, either to discourage them from attacking or to entice them to.