The Game Gallery Review - Bruxelles 1893: Belle Époque

About Bruxelles 1893: Belle Époque, from BoardGameGeek:

This new edition of Bruxelles 1893 is completed with its Belle Époque expansion, both offered in a single big box. Although it respects the spirit of the original game, this new version of Brussels 1893 has been mechanically, graphically and ergonomically redesigned. Those who love Brussels 1893 will find all the pleasure of the original game, and even more because Belle Époque considerably expands the strategic possibilities, without increasing the length of a game. In the Belle Époque expansion, players will experience: New Public Figures and White Works of Art Blocker Tiles and End Game Goals Special Actions and a Brand New Material Bruxelles 1893 is a worker placement game with elements of bidding and majority control. Each player is an architect of the late 19th century and is trying to achieve, through various actions, an architectural work in the Art Nouveau style. The most successful building yields the most points. Each player can also create works of art to increase his score. The action board is modular, with not every player having access to each action each turn. Some actions cost money – acquiring high-quality materials, building a level of your personal house, finding a patron, creating a work of art, selling that art for money and prestige – while other actions are free but can potentially cause you to lose one of your workers; these latter actions include acquiring low-quality materials, activating your patrons, visiting the stock exchange, and taking one of the actions with a cost. Once everyone has passed on taking more actions, the round ends and players have an art exhibition during which they can sell works. After this, players receive prestige points or bonus cards based on the symbols they've placed their workers next to on the action board. After five rounds, the game ends and players score bonus points based on their architect level, their bonus cards, how well they've completed their work, and their money on hand. The player with the most points wins.