Game Preview: Age of Steam: Jamaica/Puerto Rico

By W. Eric Martin
July 27, 2007

Publisher: Bézier Games
Designer: Ted Alspach
Players: 1-2
Release Date: October 2007

Ted Alspach is releasing a half-dozen new Age of Steam maps at Spiel 07, and two-thirds of those maps are for only one or two players, thereby serving an underserved market. One set of those maps is Age of Steam: Jamaica/Puerto Rico, which allows players to set up rail empires in tiny temperate nations.

Age of Steam: Jamaica is for two players only and features a mini map to match the smaller number of players. In addition to a special turn- and action-selection system designed for only two players—the same one used in Alspach’s St. Lucia map for Age of Steam—Jamaica features a distinctive game-ending condition: In Alspach’s words, “Instead of a standard turn-order marker, Jamaica keeps going until there are no more cubes left on the island; considering that goods growth happens after you deliver goods, you’re never quite sure when the game will end!”

Alspach takes a guns-and-butter approach for Age of Steam: Puerto Rico, which is for solitaire play only. You are required to deliver weapons (black cubes) in secret while openly delivering livestock (red cubes). “For delivery purposes, both red and black cubes are delivered to San Juan,” says Alspach. “The catch is that only the red cubes provide income. The black ones give you nothing when you deliver them—but any black cubes remaining at the end of the game take 10 income away from your score.”

In addition to a unique single-player action selection system, Puerto Rico can be played at different difficulty levels so you’ll always find the game challenging. “The ratio of black to red cubes is determined by the difficulty level you select,” says Alspach. “The more black cubes, the higher the difficulty.”

Age of Steam: Jamaica/Puerto Rico is printed on double-sided heavy cardstock that fits in the AoS box with the rules printed directly on the maps. Both maps in this set are compatible with Age of Steam second edition (from Warfrog Games) and the forthcoming Mayfair Games’ Age of Steam.

The preorder cost for all six new AoS maps from Bézier Games is $60 plus shipping, unless you plan to pick them up from Ted in Essen in which case there is no shipping charge. Age of Steam: Jamaica/Puerto Rico should be available for individual order in October for $20; check the link above for details.

Pictures - Click the picture for a larger version
	Kinda crowded
	The game that wouldn’t stop
	Guns and game from one shore to another
	Stash the cache or trash your cash

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