Brass: Birmingham is the sequel to the already masterful Brass: Lancashire. In both games, you take on the role of competing entrepreneurs during the industrial revolution in England. The game takes place over two historical periods - the canal era and the rail era. Between the two games, not much has changed but the changes made are impeccable and make for a more interesting and dynamic game. One that rewards flexibility over rote strategy as the map and bonuses change with each game played.
These changes also make Birmingham the more approachable of the games. While still a difficult teach, the game consists of rounds of taking two out of six possible actions. Each action is relatively easy to understand like paying resources to build an industry or paying to add a canal (or rail) to your network. But the interplay of these actions and how they can be used to advance your position within the game is where the teach becomes complicated but also where the game shines the brightest!
While this is a beefier game than many people would seek to approach, I can say that anecdotally, at least, it is more approachable than it first appears. I have had several people sit down and give it a try despite the game being far outside the norm of what they would usually play. More importantly, they have sat down to play it again! So don't reject it outright if it is not what you would usually pursue.
Pairing Brass with a piece of literature, like the game itself, was surprisingly easier than I initially thought. Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South focuses on Margaret Hale as she moves with her father to the industrial town of Milton (one that while not real could easily have been found on the Birmingham board). Gaskell skilfully weaves two interlocking stories together - the first is an Austenian love story between Margaret and the town's cotton mill owner, John Thornton, and the second being one of the first worker strikes against their employers.
While the love story is admittedly heavily influenced by Austen's Pride and Prejudice, Margaret Hale far surpasses Elizabeth Bennet as a compelling character (which I'm aware is a huge claim). I believe this stems from Margaret having a background more approachable than Elizabeth's gentry upbringing. I also believe that it is Margaret that allowed this novel to survive the century of brutal criticism that fell upon it from Victorian men with lots of standing but little imagination.
I highly recommend giving North and South a read if you have not and get into the spirit of the times by playing a round or two of Brass: Birmingham. To help with this, I'm offering this month's Bloggy Bundle in two "flavors" - Full Dutch or a mix of Dutch and English. The Mixed Bundle has the game in Dutch but the novel in English.