Days of Steam

About this board game

Days of Steam is a railway board game for 2–4 players, with games lasting about 60 minutes. Players place track and cities, create routes, and deliver goods while carefully managing the steam needed to move their trains.

Each turn presents a balance between building your own opportunities and responding to the plans of others. Your routes depend on the track and cities placed in the game, while your available steam determines how effectively your train can move. Managing these resources carefully is central to making successful deliveries.

Goods delivery is at the heart of Days of Steam. Players receive bonuses for delivering multiple types of goods, creating an incentive to plan routes with a broader range of objectives rather than focusing on only one kind of delivery.

• Place track and cities to shape the railway network.
• Create routes and deliver goods.
• Manage steam to move your train.
• Use hand management to hinder other players or enable your own route.
• Earn bonuses by delivering multiple types of goods.

Hand management adds another layer to the route-building challenge. The cards in your hand can help establish your own route while also giving you ways to thwart other players, making each choice relevant to both your plans and the developing network.

Days of Steam was manufactured in a limited run of 500 copies for Essen 2008 and is listed as number 5 in the Valley Games Modern Line. Its 2009 release combines railway construction, route creation, goods delivery, steam management, and tactical hand management in a focused tabletop experience.