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Carnegie was inspired by the life of Andrew Carnegie who was born in Scotland in 1835. Andrew Carnegie and his parents emigrated to the United States in 1848. Although he started his career as a telegraphist, his role as one of the major players in the rise of the United States’ steel industry made him one of the richest men in the world and an icon of the American dream.
Andrew Carnegie was also a benefactor and philanthropist; upon his death in 1919, more than $350 million of his wealth was bequeathed to various foundations, with another $30 million going to various charities. His endowments created nearly 2,500 free public libraries that bear his name: the Carnegie Libraries.
During the game you will recruit and manage employees, expand your business, invest in real estate, produce and sell goods, and create transport chains across the United States; you may even work with important personalities of the era. Perhaps you will even become an illustrious benefactor who contributes to the greatness of his country through deeds and generosity!
The game takes place over 20 rounds; players will each have one turn per round. On each turn, the active player will choose one of four actions, which the other players may follow.
The goal of the game is to build the most prestigious company, as symbolized by victory points.
-description from publisher
Ages | 12+ |
---|---|
Players | Solo, 2 Players, 3 Players, 4 Players |
Play Time | 120m – 180m |
Designer | Xavier Georges |
Mechanics | Action Retrieval, Connections, End Game Bonuses, Follow, Income, Movement Points, Resource to Move, Solo / Solitaire Game, Square Grid, Tech Trees / Tech Tracks, Turn Order: Progressive, Worker Placement, Different Worker Types, Area Movement, Grid Movement, Variable Phase Order |
Theme | Economic, Industry / Manufacturing |
Publisher | Quined Games, sternenschimmermeer, Tesla Games |
aFamilyOfTrees
Played a 3 player game with the KS edition. When I first saw this game, I didn't think much of it. But as more critical praise was given to it, I figured I should give it a shot. It's also created by a very well respected designer whose games I quite enjoy. Thematically we are philanthropists styled after Andrew Carnegie, building up the civic and physical infrastructure of the US and using our capital to donate to charities. I love that as a theme, I think it is a great model for how philanthropists and the government should operate. Unfortunately, that theme only feels loosely draped over the mechanisms. The charities you donate to have zero thematic association with the mechanism of end game scoring goals and the infrastructure projects and workers you send out with them just feel like a way to get points and income. It just doesn't feel like, when I take these actions, that I'm actually doing the thing it's thematically tied to. This is my biggest criticism of the game. It is strategically and mechanically sound, but the thematic bond could have been much better, I feel. I think the action selection mechanism is novel, it keeps everyone engaged every turn. We've seen this kind of thing before though, but it's still good. At the start I didn't think I'd be using actions like HR or R&D all that much, but I was surprised how much the actions really flowed together. If you're playing well you kind of need to do each of the actions, no one is more valuable than the other. I really like that kind of synergy in a game. My only other criticism of the game is the process of picking departments. The game flows really well but that all comes grinding to a halt as soon as you do the Management action and people need to pick departments to build. There are 16 out there and we were having to pass the rules around to remind us of what they did, getting AP about picking the right one, etc. You also have to pick one at the very start of the game, which is excruciating if you're playing with people who've never played before! This really seems like a design flaw in my mind. I'm sure as you get better at the game and play with others who know the game, this is reduced, but it felt jarring to essentially stop the game for 5-10 mins while people pick departments. Overall I think Carnegie shows a lot of promise and I'd like to play it more. It could move up to an 8 with further plays.
ader314
April 2023 - 8 - 2 plays (both at 2 player) + Great tableau building economic game + Fun interaction with the follow mechanic planning on what opponents might do and where to send employees on missions so they get returned quickly + Different departments each game lead to different strategies each game = First play you have no idea what to do for the first several rounds since every option is available and no clear direction. Second play was much more exciting seeing the departments available and making a plan for the game. - Only played at 2 player and only 2 plays, but so far haven't felt constrained on the map even with the dummy discs placed during setup. More players may lead to some more interaction/racing on the board.
Arah
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [b]Micro Review:[/b] Carnegie is a drab looking euro. But fun! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Players: :meeple: - :meeple::meeple::meeple::meeple: [i]Mid-heavyweight Skirmish game[/i] Interesting decisions but has fiddly setup and rules. [c]Theme: [/c]:star::star::star::nostar::nostar: [c]Skill: [/c]:star::star::star::star::nostar: [c]Replay: [/c]:star::star::star::star::nostar: [c]Fun: [/c]:star::star::star::star::nostar: [c]Euro: [/c]:star::star::star::star::star: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [b]Why I love it?[/b] -Good bot that simulates interaction. -Some interesting mechanisms. [b]Some of its limitations:[/b] -Bot reduces the interactive aspect if it increases in difficulty. -Planning ahead can lead to AP. -Very point-salady. -Optimal play has a fixed start and opens up later in the game, also opens up in 3-4p. At 2p, is more by the book so it may have reduced replay here. [b]Player Scaling:[/b] Good at all player counts: 1-4p. [b]Alternatives:[/b] -Concordia. [b]Notes:[/b] -KS version is almost equivalent to retail and its expansion.