Board Game

Review

Furnace Review: Become A Successful Capitalist in the Late 19th Century!

07/09/24, 0 comments

It's the late 19th century, when capitalism was rapidly advancing, and it's time to buy new companies and make them even more productive - so we can become the wealthiest capitalists in the industrial revolution.

Por Cesar Cusin

traducido por Joey

revisado por Tabata Marques

Índice

1. > The Rise of Capitalism

The Rise of Capitalism

The last three decades of the 19th century were characterized by the rapid growth of capitalism. Capitalist production advanced considerably in the main capitalist countries, cities grew fast, and communication improved quite heavily. This time became known as the "Steel Age", as steel replaced wood in most constructions.

Watch some gameplay:

Furnace really surprised me, quite positively too. It is relatively simple to explain and play, but has a depth I didn't see at first. It has a lot to offer you if you want to learn.

To play this game, you'll need to adapt to different situations, manage your resources well, and be assertive when making decisions. You'll also need to work well under pressure, maximize your results with what they have, and, finally, work on your logic and math skills.

For instance, you'll need to be able to adapt to any situation because, straight from the get-go, each player will have a different setup, which, I think, is brilliant. Each capitalist has different skills, and you'll also get different companies. You'll have to deal with that, adapt, and make the most out of the resources you have.

Managing your resources is also important, particularly as you'll get them from your companies and whenever you get a compensation at an auction. Having enough resources when you start a chain reaction is critical; trust me, you don't want to start making something and then have to stop because you don't have enough resources, which will leave you with idle companies. You can't just "wing" this part because the game will punish you. This is genius! You'll have to learn how to manage your resources one way or another.

Being assertive when you make decisions will be critical as well. Furnace teaches us that, if we don't take our choices seriously, we may pay for them for the rest of the journey. A bad choice at an auction will prevent you from making products for at least one round, and that's a lot for a 4-round game. So, consider your options thoroughly because they're crucial. Making good choices is great for this game and real life!

The game's auction system will teach you how to work well under pressure, as there will always be one or two companies that will bring you more advantages or let you make more products. However, this game is built on choices, and in auctions you'll often feel "tense" in a good way while also learning how to think fast and make good choices. Furnace is great to learn how to work well under pressure in a relatively risk-free environment.

This game's production phase will encourage you to think carefully about how you can maximize your results. That is, with the resources you get from your companies and compensations, you'll have to find the best way to maximize your results. This is also great to work on your math and logic skills.

If you don't have great math or logic skills, a bad situation can become even worse in Furnace. You'll need logic to understand what are the most important steps in the "work flow", and find the best order of processes to make everything work properly. This game is truly full of lessons!

In Furnace, these are the rules: be flexible, manage what you have well, use it correctly, and profit!

I highly recommend Furnace to your collection!