In the bustling land of Astoria, everyone is trying to secure their spot as the most successful tycoon. Only one can truly hold the title, though. In order to succeed, you’ll need to produce valuable commodities, sell at just the right times, invest in lucrative buildings, and buy up as many railroads and towns as you can! Ready to make it big? Give it your best shot.

What Is It?

Market Speculation – Market prices of the 6 commodities will fluctuate throughout the game as players produce commodities and increase prices or sell commodities, resulting in the price decreasing. Instead of selling, players can also use commodities they have produced to purchase town cards for end-game points.

Engine Building – Players can use money they get from selling commodities to buy building tiles, which provide various abilities to help players throughout the game (i.e. larger hand size, additional production, et cetera).

Auction / Bidding & Set Collection- Players will also use money to bid on railroad cards in auctions throughout the game. These are worth points, and become more valuable with the more a player has in a particular set. Pairing railroads with towns also earns players bonus points.

At the end of the game, the player with the most points wins!

Who Is It For?

  • 2 – 5 Players – I think it works fine at any count, but for the sake of the auctions, it is best at 3 – 5
  • Ages 12+ – The rules are simple, but younger players may struggle to manage their money, or understand when the best time to sell is
  • Fans of market speculation, bidding/auctions, and set collection
  • Players who don’t mind when there isn’t a strong theme

PROS

  • Turns are quick
  • Aesthetics – Nice art / design
  • Rules – Well written, good detail; Helpful “quick rules” on the back of the rulebook
  • Components – Nice quality tiles / cardboard tokens. The paper money is glossy and a little thicker than average paper money, so it is also pretty nice
  • Equal turns
  • I like that you get to take another action if you start and auction on your turn and do not win that railroad card
  • You have a bunch of choices on your turns which all feel like good options

CONS

  • This could vary depending on how fast railroads go, but it felt like the majority of points were in railroad sets, especially if they were auctioned away quickly. This often made buildings feel under-powered for their costs, and thus not worth taking an action to buy
  • Money is supposed to be private, but it’s large, bright, and double sided. It seems like maybe one-sided coins may have been a better choice here

Final Thoughts

I’m not usually huge on auction games, but there’s something super charming about this one! Buying up and selling off commodities works well, and it’s interesting to try and keep tabs on the stashes of other players, and plan your best times to take certain actions.

I did think it was a little odd that that a player could keep starting auctions after losing them, because if they kept losing, they could run through the deck quickly, shortening the length of the game. But, there is also an option to play a longer game where multiple decks have to run out before the game ends, so that’s a good option too.

Overall, I thought the auctions/set collection, and the buying/selling of mechanisms worked well together and the game was pretty fun!

Additional Information:
My Final Rating – 7/10

Designer – Glenn Drover
Artists – Jacoby O’Connor, Annie Stegg
Publisher – Forbidden Games
MSRP – $49.99
Website

*I was provided a copy of this game to do this review*

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