Learn from these highly rated Board Games about Economy and Industry

Brass Birmingham

Suitable for 2 – 4 players | 60 – 120 mins duration | Recommended age 14+ | Game complexity: EASY Genre: Economic,Industry,Transportation Solo game mode: No Co-op: No Online Version: No
Click here for the official rulebook

Preview	Product	Rating	Price
	Roxley Games Brass Birmingham Board Games, 168 months to 1188 months	477 Reviews	$79.99 $73.74	Buy on Amazon

Brass: Birmingham is an economic strategy game sequel to Martin Wallace’ 2007 masterpiece, Brass. Birmingham tells the story of competing entrepreneurs in Birmingham during the industrial revolution, between the years of 1770-1870. As in its predecessor, you must develop, build, and establish your industries and network, in an effort to exploit low or high market demands.

Each round, players take turns according to the turn order track, receiving two actions to perform any of the following actions (found in the original game):

1) Build – Pay required resources and place an industry tile.

2) Network – Add a rail / canal link, expanding your network.

3) Develop – Increase the VP value of an industry.

4) Sell – Sell your cotton, manufactured goods and pottery.

5) Loan – Take a £30 loan and reduce your income. Brass: Birmingham also features a new sixth action:

6) Scout – Discard three cards and take a wild location and wild industry card.

The game is played over two halves: the canal era (years 1770-1830) and the rail era (years 1830-1870). To win the game, score the most VPs. VPs are counted at the end of each half for the canals, rails and established (flipped) industry tiles. Birmingham features dynamic scoring canals/rails. Instead of each flipped industry tile giving a static 1 VP to all connected canals and rails, many industries give 0 or even 2 VPs. This provides players with the opportunity to score much higher value canals in the first era, and creates interesting strategy with industry placement. 

Twilight Imperium: Fourth Edition

Suitable for 3 – 6 players | 240 – 480 mins duration | Recommended age 14+ | Game complexity: EASY Genre: Civilization,Economic,Exploration,Negotiation,Political,Science Fiction,Space Exploration,Wargame Solo game mode: No Co-op: No Online Version: No
Click here for the official rulebook

Preview	Product	Rating	Price
	Twilight Imperium 4th Edition | Strategy Board Game for Adults and Teens | Adventure Game | Ages 14...	1,268 Reviews	$164.99 $125.39	Buy on Amazon

Twilight Imperium (Fourth Edition) is a game of galactic conquest in which three to six players take on the role of one of seventeen factions vying for galactic domination through military might, political maneuvering, and economic bargaining. Every faction offers a completely different play experience, from the wormhole-hopping Ghosts of Creuss to the Emirates of Hacan, masters of trade and economics. These seventeen races are offered many paths to victory, but only one may sit upon the throne of Mecatol Rex as the new masters of the galaxy.

No two games of Twilight Imperium are ever identical. At the start of each galactic age, the game board is uniquely and strategically constructed using 51 galaxy tiles that feature everything from lush new planets and supernovas to asteroid fields and gravity rifts. Players are dealt a hand of these tiles and take turns creating the galaxy around Mecatol Rex, the capital planet seated in the center of the board. An ion storm may block your race from progressing through the galaxy while a fortuitously placed gravity rift may protect you from your closest foes. The galaxy is yours to both craft and dominate.

A round of Twilight Imperium begins with players selecting one of eight strategy cards that both determine player order and give their owner a unique strategic action for that round. These may do anything from providing additional command tokens to allowing a player to control trade throughout the galaxy. After these roles are selected, players take turns moving their fleets from system to system, claiming new planets for their empire, and engaging in warfare and trade with other factions.

At the end of a turn, players gather in a grand council to pass new laws and agendas, shaking up the game in unpredictable ways. After every player has passed their turn, players move up the victory track by checking to see whether they have completed any objectives throughout the turn and scoring them.

Objectives are determined by setting up ten public objective cards at the start of each game, then gradually revealing them with every round. Every player also chooses between two random secret objectives at the start of the game, providing victory points achievable only by the holder of that objective. These objectives can be anything from researching new technologies to taking your neighbor’s home system.

At the end of every turn, a player can claim one public objective and one secret objective. As play continues, more of these objectives are revealed and more secret objectives are dealt out, giving players dynamically changing goals throughout the game. Play continues until a player reaches ten victory points.

Maracaibo

Suitable for 1 – 4 players | 30 – 120 mins duration | Recommended age 12+ | Game complexity: EASY Genre: Economic,Exploration,Pirates Solo game mode: Yes Co-op: No Online Version: No
Click here for the official rulebook

Preview	Product	Rating	Price
	Capstone Games: Maracaibo, Big Box Strategy Board Game, Unique Story Mode Feature, A Nondestructive...	No ratings yet	$74.99 $60.99	Buy on Amazon

Maracaibo, the new strategy game for 1-4 players by Alexander Pfister, is set in the Caribbean during the 17th century. The players try to increase their influence in three nations in four rounds with a play time of 40 minutes per player. The players sail on a round course through the Caribbean, e.g., you have city tiles where you are able to perform various actions or deliver goods to. One special feature is an implemented quest mode over more and various tiles, which tells the player, who chase after it, a little story. As a player, you move with your ship around the course, managing it by using cards like in other games from Alexander Pfister.

Gaia Project

Suitable for 1 – 4 players | 60 – 150 mins duration | Recommended age 12+ | Game complexity: EASY Genre: Economic,Science Fiction,Space Exploration,Territory Building Solo game mode: Yes Co-op: No Online Version: No
Click here for the official rulebook

Preview	Product	Rating	Price
	Capstone Games: Gaia Project, Strategy Board Game, A Follow Up Game From Terra Mystica, Includes a...	139 Reviews	$99.95 $71.89	Buy on Amazon

In the board game Gaia Project, fourteen different factions live on seven different kinds of planets, and each faction is bound to their own home planets, so to develop and grow, they must terraform neighboring planets into their home environments in competition with the other groups.

In addition, Gaia planets can be used by all factions for colonization, and Transdimensional planets can be changed into Gaia planets. All factions can improve their skills in six different areas of development — Terraforming, Navigation, Artificial Intelligence, Gaiaforming, Economy, Research — leading to advanced technology and special bonuses.

As you play, you’ll colonize new planets, upgrade mines into better structures, and unite planets into federations. Which will you choose: will you expand near other factions, so you can trade with them, or will you expand on your own, so you can expand more freely? Besides that, you’ll need to learn new technologies to get better.

In the end, only the best will survive and win.

Race for the Galaxy

Suitable for 2 – 4 players | 30 – 59 mins duration | Recommended age 12+ | Game complexity: MEDIUM Genre: Card Games,Civilization,Economic,Science Fiction,Space Exploration Solo game mode: No Co-op: No Online Version: Yes

Preview	Product	Rating	Price
	Race for the Galaxy Card Game	737 Reviews	$34.99 $28.22	Buy on Amazon

Race for the Galaxy is a 2-4 player card game where players build intergalactic civilizations. Players use game cards to represent worlds or technical and social developments with some worlds enabling players to produce goods to gain card draws or victory points when utilized with the appropriate technologies.

At the commencement of each round, players select, secretly and simultaneously, one of the seven roles associated to the phases in which the round progresses, activating that phase for the round and giving players the opportunity to perform the phase’s actions.

The player with the highest total of Victory Points wins the game.

Imperial 2030

Suitable for 2 – 6 players | 120 – 180 mins duration | Recommended age 12+ | Game complexity: HIGH Genre: Economic,Nautical,Political Solo game mode: No Co-op: No Online Version: No

Preview	Product	Rating	Price
	Rio Grande Games Imperial 2030	No ratings yet	$59.99 $56.26	Buy on Amazon

Imperial 2030 is for 2 to 6 players, and it combines economic calculus and military skills in a unique strategy game without any luck of cards or dice.
The world in 2030. The new great powers China, India and Brazil are in ascendance, threatening the hegemony of the old Imperial powers United States, Russia and Europe. This has sparked a new global race for power and influence. Ultimately, these six states are only puppets in a treacherous game, because their fates are controlled by powerful international investors operating in the background.
Each player takes on the role of such an investor who is on the constant lookout for the maximum return on his investment, and therefore tries to obtain ruthless control of great powers. But control of a state may also slip away – so the cunning investor must always be ready to take advantage of the new conflicts and strategic possibilities of the ever-changing landscape.

Caylus

Suitable for 2 – 5 players | 60 – 150 mins duration | Recommended age 12+ | Game complexity: HIGH Genre: City Building,Economic,Medieval Solo game mode: No Co-op: No Online Version: No

Preview	Product	Rating	Price
	Caylus by Rio Grande Games	3 Reviews	$149.95	Buy on Amazon

Anachrony

Suitable for 1 – 4 players | 30 – 120 mins duration | Recommended age 15+ | Game complexity: HIGH Genre: Economic,Science Fiction Solo game mode: Yes Co-op: No Online Version: No

Preview	Product	Rating	Price
	Mindclash Games Anachrony - Follower Box	20 Reviews	$239.98	Buy on Amazon

Port Royal

Suitable for 2 – 5 players | 20 – 50 mins duration | Recommended age 8+ | Game complexity: EASY Genre: Card Games,Economic,Nautical,Pirates Solo game mode: No Co-op: No Online Version: No

Preview	Product	Rating	Price
	Pegasus Spiele Port Royal (Händler der Karibik)	1,237 Reviews	$22.95 $19.04	Buy on Amazon

The merchant players in Port Royal, which won the Austrian Game Designers Competition under the title Händler der Karibik, are trying to earn as much as they can out of the Caribbean Sea, but if they set their goals too high, they might take home nothing for the day.

The 120-card deck depicts a coin on the back of each card — with players earning and paying coins throughout the game — and different items on the card fronts. On a turn, a player can first draw as many cards as he likes, one at a time from the deck, placing them in the harbor (an area near the deck).

Each card shows one of the following:

• Person, who stays in a face-up row next to deck.
• Ship, which the player can attack immediately if he has enough swords on his people cards, after which the ship is discarded; otherwise, the ship stays in the harbor.
• Expedition, which remains above the harbor until a player fulfills it by discarding people who have the items required for the expedition.
• Tax Increase, which forces everyone with twelve or more coins to discard half their money, after which the card is discarded.

If the player draws a ship with the same name as a ship already in the harbor, he’s spent too much time dilly-dallying and his turn ends (after using the ship to attack, if possible), with all the cards in the harbor being discarded.

Otherwise, the player can stop whenever he likes, then use/acquire one card if three or fewer ships are in the harbor, two cards if four ships are present, and three cards if five ships are present. Players rob ships, collecting the number of coins shown on them, then discarding the card, while they hire people, paying the number of coins depicted. After the active player takes his 1-3 cards, each other player may pay the active player one coin in order to take one card in the same way.

When one player has at least twelve influence points — which are on both people and expedition cards — the game is played to the end of the round, giving everyone the same number of turns, then the player with the most influence points wins.

Port Royal differs from Händler der Karibik in that it includes ten more cards to allow for play with up to five players and players can win without fulfilling an expedition.

Istanbul

Suitable for 2 – 5 players | 40 – 60 mins duration | Recommended age 10+ | Game complexity: MEDIUM Genre: Economic Solo game mode: No Co-op: No Online Version: No
Click here for the official rulebook

Preview	Product	Rating	Price
	Istanbul Big Box - Board Game, Collect Gems, Be a Master Merchant, 2 to 5 Players, 40 to 60 Minute...	225 Reviews	$96.33	Buy on Amazon

As a trader in the Istanbul bazaar, your goal is to get six rubies first (in a four-player game: five rubies). Rubies cost money and goods, and for those you need your assistants, represented by the dice.

The six icons on these dice tell you what your assistants can get for you: bazaar cards, lira, and four types of goods: cloth (red), fruit (yellow), spices (green), and jewelry (blue).

Every turn, you’ll send out 5 assistants. By combining the resulting icons and your previously saved Goods Markers, you’ll be able to collect and store resources (goods, coins, and crystals) or acquire Bazaar Cards and Mosque Tiles to get more benefits.

Terraforming Mars

Suitable for 1 – 5 players | 110 – 130 mins duration | Recommended age 12+ | Game complexity: MEDIUM Genre: Economic,Environmental,Industry,Science Fiction,Space Exploration,Territory Building Solo game mode: Yes Co-op: No Online Version: No

Preview	Product	Rating	Price
	Indie Boards and Cards Terraforming Mars Board Game, Multicolor (6005SG)	3,422 Reviews	$69.95 $54.65	Buy on Amazon

It’s time to tame the Red Planet! Humanity begins terraforming Mars in the 2400s. Corporations, sponsored by the World Government on Earth, initiate huge projects to raise temperatures, oxygen levels, and ocean coverage until the environment becomes habitable. More and more people will migrate from Earth to the Red Planet as terraforming advances. As you compete to be the best corporation on Mars, experience ‘Science Future’!

Stockpile

Suitable for 2 – 5 players | 45 – 45 mins duration | Recommended age 13+ | Game complexity: LOW Genre: Economic Solo game mode: No Co-op: No Online Version: No

Preview	Product	Rating	Price
	Nauvoo Games LLC Stockpile BOARD Game	No ratings yet	$179.97	Buy on Amazon

In Stockpile, players act as stock market investors at the end of the 20th century hoping to strike it rich, and the investor with the most money at the end of the game is the winner.
Stockpile is an economic board game that combines the traditional stockholding strategy of buy low, sell high with several additional mechanisms to create a fast-paced, engaging and interactive experience.

Through the Ages: A Story of Civilization

Suitable for 2 – 4 players | 120 – 120 mins duration | Recommended age 12+ | Game complexity: HIGH Genre: Civilization,Economic Solo game mode: No Co-op: No Online Version: No

Preview	Product	Rating	Price
	Czech Games Through The Ages, Multi-Colored	No ratings yet	$64.44 $43.95	Buy on Amazon

Clans of Caledonia

Suitable for 1 – 4 players | 30 – 120 mins duration | Recommended age 12+ | Game complexity: MEDIUM Genre: Economic,Farming Solo game mode: Yes Co-op: No Online Version: No

Preview	Product	Rating	Price
	Karma Games KAR38205 Clans of Caledonia, Multi-Colour	No ratings yet		Buy on Amazon

Scythe

Suitable for 1 – 5 players | 90 – 115 mins duration | Recommended age 13+ | Game complexity: MEDIUM Genre: Economic,Fighting,Miniatures,Science Fiction,Territory Building Solo game mode: Yes Co-op: No Online Version: Yes

Preview	Product	Rating	Price
	Stonemaier Games Scythe Board Game - An Engine-Building, Area Control for 1-5 Players, Ages 14+,...	4,859 Reviews	$79.99 $66.82	Buy on Amazon

Scythe is set in an alternate-history in the 1920s. It is a period of farming and war. There are five Eastern Europe factions vying for fortune and land in the mysterious region called ‘The Factory”

Each player represents a character trying to make their faction the richest and most powerful in Eastern Europa. Players begin the game with power, coins, combat acumen and popularity. Each player starts in a different location and has a hidden goal. They will build infrastructure, explore the world and combat other factions.

Game advances as players gain stars (achievements on the board). The game ends when a player places their 6th star on the Triumph Track. Stars are earned by:

Deploying, upgrading mechs
Building structures
Enlisting recruits and workers
Completing an objective card
Winning combat
Gaining popularity and power
The goal of Scythe is to have the greatest number of coins at the end of the game. Typical winning fortune is $75. You collect them during the game but earn most during end-game scoring.

Collect coins for star tokens, territories and resources controlled.

You earn coins for:

Every star token placed
Every territory controlled
Every 2 resources controlled
The number of coins you earn is dependent on your popularity (the higher popularity the more coins). You also get bonus coins based on the location of the structures you have built.