Tinners' Trail (Second Edition)
- Players
- 1-5
- Best withThe player count this game plays best at.
- 3 players
- Play timeHow long a full game runs once everyone knows the rules.
- 90 min
- AgeThe minimum age printed by the publisher.
- 14+
- ComplexityHow demanding the rules are, from 1 (very light) to 5 (very heavy).
- 2.9 / 5
- Year
- 2021
About the game
Tinners' Trail (Second Edition) puts players in charge of a 19th-century Cornish mining conglomerate, bidding for plots of land, surveying them for tin and copper, and extracting ore before costs spiral out of control. Profits can be reinvested in infrastructure like ports and train stations to reduce mining costs, or funneled into outside industries for victory points. This edition expands the player count to one to five and replaces dice-based setup with tile-based variability for more consistent balance.
Hobbli's Notes
We appreciate how this second edition modernizes a Martin Wallace economic classic, smoothing out some of the original's randomness while keeping its tight resource-management tension intact. The interplay between timing your ore sales and investing early in outside industries makes for satisfying long-term planning. Solo support and a wider player range make it a more flexible pickup than the original release.
What we like
- Tile-based setup reduces excessive randomness.
- Now supports solo play and up to five players.
- Rewards careful timing of ore sales and investments.
- Deep economic decisions from designer Martin Wallace.
Keep in mind
- 90-minute runtime with real downtime between turns.
- Auction mechanics may intimidate new players.
- Market timing can be punishing if misjudged.
Who it's for
Suited to strategy gamers aged 12+ who enjoy economic auction and resource-management games in groups of one to five.
