Ten New Age of Steam/Steam Maps from Bezier Games and Alban Viard

Should you be a fan of Age of Steam or Steam, then you will have new options galore come October 2011 thanks to designers Ted Alspach and Alban Viard, who are each releasing new AoS/Steam map expansions at Spiel 2011.

First up, Ted Alspach of Bézier Games has a set of eight new maps, six of which are sold in pairs and will be available separately and two of which will be available only as part of Bézier's 2011 Steam/Age of Steam map pack, which is available for preorder for $80. These expansions, with descriptions from Alspach, are as follows:

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• Age of Steam Expansion: African Diamond Mines & Taiwan Cube Factories

Harness the power of railroads to dig up diamonds and produce much sought after wooden cubes.

African Diamond Mines has you setting up a mining railroad deep underground to access valuable diamonds with a new depth counter that adds an additional level of strategy. Ramp up production with Taiwan Cube Factories, as you combine resources to produce new ones to keep the new infrastructure in Taiwan booming.

• Age of Steam Expansion: Australia & Tasmania

Go down under as you build railways across the uninhabitable Outback and through mysterious Tasmania.

In Australia, quickly build along the expensive coastal regions of the East Coast and find a way to reach the cities in the west, which will pay more for goods delivered to them. Tasmania requires you to build an efficient distribution system for all of its towns and cities as goods are shuttled in from the mainland.

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• Age of Steam Expansion: Outer Space & Reversteam

Two out-of-this-world maps challenge your railroad building and delivering prowess.

Outer Space requires "straight on" deliveries to ensure you don't shoot right by your destination, as well as a handy set of wormholes to get your goods across the galaxy quickly. Things are quite different in Reversteam, where not only has the traditional "great lakes" area been altered, but the cities want every kind of good except for their color.

• Age of Steam Expansion: Orient Express & Disoriented Express

Special preorder-only maps that are challenging in new ways.

Orient Express is the classic European channel between Paris and Istanbul, where moving passengers quickly and effectively is your goal. On the other hand, Disoriented Express will have you scratching your head trying to undo the knots created by foreign, yet familiar landscapes.

Next, Alban Viard, one of three designers who release Age of Steam maps under the publishing moniker AoS Team, has a pair of expansions for Age of Steam only. Here's a brief description from Viard:

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The first expansion, Age of Steam: Greece features a nice twist from the basic game and deals with the country's recent economic crisis.

The second offering is an odd expansion taking place in the Cyclades islands where players must attempt to satiate the always-demanding tourists on a unique map featuring no hexes.

One hundred numbered sets will be available at Spiel 2011; to reserve a copy, which costs €25, email Alban Viard at [email protected]. Fifty unnumbered sets will be available via mail for those unable (or unwilling) to make the trek to Essen, Germany; to reserve one of these copies, which sells for US$40 and shipping, write to Viard at the same address.