The Develop Action in Brass: Birmingham: Which Tiles to Skip

The rulebook calls the Develop action “your friend,” and new players tend to take that as advice to Develop often. It is better read as advice to Develop on purpose. Every Develop is an action that builds nothing, links nothing, and sells nothing. It earns its place only through the tile it reaches.

What Develop does

Discard any card. Remove 1 or 2 tiles from your player mat and return them to the box. Each tile must be the lowest level of its industry at the moment you remove it, and the two may be from different industries. Pay 1 iron for each tile removed.

Iron for a Develop follows the normal iron rule: take it free from any iron works on the board that still has iron, owned by anyone, with no connection needed. Only if no iron works has iron do you buy from the iron market.

Two tiles can never be developed: the level 1 and level 3 potteries, which show a lightbulb icon. Those must be built to leave your mat.

The cost in actions

With 4 players, you get 15 actions in the Canal Era and 16 in the Rail Era. A Develop that removes 2 tiles skips two builds for one action, which is a good rate. A Develop that removes 1 tile is a full action for a single skip. When you Develop, try to take two tiles.

The iron is the other cost. While someone’s iron works has iron on it, a Develop’s iron is free. Once the board is dry, each cube comes from the market and the price rises as it empties, up to £6 a cube when it is bare. Develop while the iron is free.

Tiles worth skipping

Level 1 tiles you will not build in the Canal Era. They cannot be built in the Rail Era, so any left on your mat block that industry until you clear them. The rulebook’s tip: build or develop at least one coal mine and one iron works in the Canal Era.

Tiles that score little for their slot. The level 2 and level 4 potteries cost nothing but a coal and score 1 VP each. They are cheap to build, but each build is an action. If you are racing toward the 20 VP level 5 pottery, developing them away can be faster.

Manufacturer levels that do not fit your plan. The manufacturer line zigzags between income and points. Developing past a level that does not suit the moment is often worth the iron. The industries lesson shows each level.

Tiles worth keeping

Breweries. The rulebook warns against developing breweries carelessly, and there is a second trap. Your level 4 brewery can only be built in the Rail Era. If you develop past your level 3 breweries in the Canal Era, you cannot build any brewery until the Rail Era begins. The same timing applies to the level 5 pottery.

Tiles you can build and flip this era. A level 1 coal mine that flips at once and pays income is worth more built than skipped. Skip a tile only when building it would not earn its action.

The free Develop

Gloucester’s merchant bonus is a Develop with no iron: sell to Gloucester using its beer, and remove 1 lowest-level tile from your mat. It cannot remove a lightbulb pottery. Because it rides along with a Sell, it costs no extra action, which makes it the cheapest Develop in the game.

Develop and the gift economy

When you take iron from a rival’s iron works, their tile moves closer to flipping and paying them income and VPs. When you take it from your own, you get that benefit instead. Iron needs no connection, so you can choose. Drain your own works first unless a rival’s is about to flip anyway and yours is worth saving for later.

A Develop checklist

1. Which tile does this reach, and when will I build it?
2. Am I removing two tiles, or only one?
3. Is the iron free right now?
4. Does this strand an industry I need this era, such as my breweries?