Age of Industry Expansion: Belgium & USSR

About this expansion

Age of Industry Expansion: Belgium & USSR is a two-map expansion for 2–5 players, with games taking approximately 120 minutes.

The expansion brings two distinct industrial settings to the Age of Industry system. The Belgium map is designed for 2 players and portrays one of the first countries to be industrialized on the European continent.

Belgium’s industrial identity is represented through its regional strengths. Flanders featured important textile production, Walloon was known for iron processing, and the south and east held large coal reserves. With a smaller domestic market, the Belgian Government was interested in increasing transportation efficiency and linking Germany and France, taking part in the development of a public rail network.

The USSR map is designed for 3–5 players and focuses on the Donbass Coal Basin, which covers parts of the former Ukrainian and Russian Soviet Federation Republics. Its setting is Stalin’s First Five-Year Plan, implemented within the context of a planned economy.

• Belgium: a 2-player map centered on textiles, iron, coal, and public rail development.
• USSR: a 3–5-player map featuring the Donbass Coal Basin and heavy-industry development.

The First Five-Year Plan was conducted to increase the production of goods and boost the development of heavy industry. Together, these maps contrast Belgium’s transportation links and regional resources with the USSR’s planned industrial expansion.

With its two different player counts and historical contexts, Age of Industry Expansion: Belgium & USSR offers focused maps for exploring industrialization in Belgium and the Soviet Union.