Steam

I play games.

Recently, that means that I play boardgames, and this morning it occurred to me that I like games and novels for some of the same reasons.

Conflict and interactivity. Players engaging in solitaire at the same table is boring; characters running around in the same novel without struggling against each other is lethal.
Intelligence, surprises. Games that are predictable or easy to master are dull; novels whose end you can see from the beginning are a waste.
Choice-driven. Games whose outcome is entirely or principally driven by a random element do not hold my attention; stories in which the hero gets lucky or is saved by outside forces have no dramatic tension.

Steam, by Martin Wallace, is one of my favorite games, for some of the foregoing reasons.

	Designer	Martin Wallace
	Artist	John Austin, Jared Blando, Craig Hamilton, Christopher Moeller
	Publisher	Mayfair Games, Devir, Edge Entertainment, Hobby World, Phalanx Games B.V., Phalanx Games Deutschland, Phalanx Games Polska, Swan Panasia Co., Ltd.
	Year Published	2009
	# of Players	3 - 5
	User Suggested # of Players	Best with 5+ players Recommended with 3, 4, 5 players (131 voters)
	Playing Time	90
	Mfg Suggested Ages	10 and up
	User Suggested Ages	12 and up (32 voters)
	Language Dependence	No necessary in-game text (36 voters)
	Category	Economic, Trains, Transportation
	Mechanic	Auction / Bidding, Loans, Network and Route Building, Ownership, Pick-up and Deliver, Tile Placement
	Expansion	Age of Steam Expansion: 1830's Pennsylvania / Northern California, Age of Steam Expansion: 1867 Georgia Reconstruction, South Carolina & Oklahoma Land Rush, Age of Steam Expansion: African Diamond Mines & Taiwan Cube Factories, Age of Steam Expansion: Alabama Railways, Antebellum Louisiana & Four Corners, Age of Steam Expansion: Amazon Rainforest & Sahara Desert, Age of Steam Expansion: America / Europe, Age of Steam Expansion: Atlantis & Trisland, Age of Steam Expansion: Australia & Tasmania, Age of Steam Expansion: Barbados / St. Lucia, Age of Steam Expansion: Bay Area, Age of Steam Expansion: Beer & Pretzels, Age of Steam Expansion: California Gold Rush & Underground Railroad, Age of Steam Expansion: Disco Inferno / Soul Train, Age of Steam Expansion: Jamaica / Puerto Rico, Age of Steam Expansion: Mississippi Steamboats / Golden Spike, Age of Steam Expansion: Orient Express & Disoriented Express, Age of Steam Expansion: Outer Space & Reversteam, Age of Steam Expansion: Portugal, Age of Steam Expansion: Secret Blueprints of Steam Plans 1 & 2, Age of Steam Expansion: Sharing, Age of Steam Expansion: Special 2008 Spiel Limited Edition – Essen Spiel & Secret Blueprints of Steam Plan #3, Age of Steam Expansion: Vermont, New Hampshire & Central New England, Mayfair Game Variants & Mini-Expansions Set #1, Mayfair Games Limited Edition Promo Expansion Set #5, Mayfair Games' Limited Edition Promo Expansion Set #15, Ni'ihau: A Solitaire map for Steam (fan expansion for Steam), Steam Barons, Steam Expansion: Andalusia, Steam Expansion: Isle of Wight, Steam Expansion: Sardinia, Steam Expansion: Sicily & Malta, Steam: City Growth Special Contracts, Steam: Demanding Suppliers, Steam: Five Way Town, Steam: Map Expansion #1, Steam: Map Expansion #2, Steam: Map Expansion #3, Steam: Map Expansion #4, Steam: Map Expansion #5
	Family	Components: Map (Continental / National scale), Digital Implementations: Steam, Game: Steam
	Primary Name	Steam
	Alternate Names	Martin Wallace's Totally Renamed Train Game, Raíles: Millonarios del Vapor, Steam: Auf Schienen zum Ruhm, Steam: Les voies de la richesse, Steam: Rails to Riches, Steam: Wyścig do Bogactwa, Steam. Железнодорожный магнат, Stoom: Rails, Roem en Rijkdom, 蒸汽：致富之道