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Game Info
Year
2023
Collection
Mechanic profile
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Description
The Oranienburg canal, which gave this game its name, was built between 1832 and 1837 in Brandenburg. The Havel River was difficult to navigate near the Oranienburg mills, so a canal was built from the Havel that crossed the older Ruppin canal, thereby forming the Oranienburg canal cross. During the industrialization in the 19th century, lots of companies and businesses were formed at this important waterway. Moreover, additional streets and railways were built.
In Oranienburger Kanal, you erect new industries and shape the infrastructure by building pathways, streets, railways, and canals. Most important of all are bridges that connect buildings. To do all of this, you have access to various actions that you select in the right moments.
At the end of the game, the player with the best industrial area and the best infrastructure wins.
Oranienburger Kanal also includes a solo game!
—description from the publisher
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All mentions
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 3
This page: 3
Sentiment:
pos 2 ·
mix 0 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 1
Showing 1–3 of 3
Video 4O5V5Kz4yjY
All You Can Board Review at 11:34 sentiment: negative
video_pk 63708 · mention_pk 157192
Click to watch at 11:34 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
negative
Pros
- deep thinky puzzle with multiple strategic paths
- card-driven building system with evolving goals
- expansion decks increase replay value
Cons
- complex scoring can be hard to grok; requires time to learn
- not as engaging as other Rosenberg titles in some respects
- price and reprint changes (Canal) create confusion
- artwork and components feel subpar compared to other Rosenberg games
Thematic elements
- resource wheels; canals/railways/roads; buildings/cards
Comparison games
- Glass Road
- Ora et Labora
- Black Forest
- Nusfjord
- Fields of Arle
- Through the Desert
- Kingdom Builder
- Atiwa
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- building cards and route tiles placed between buildings — Acquire building cards, place route tiles (canals, roads, railways) between buildings; some rules constrain canal/railway counts.
- detailed scoring conditions on cards — Each card has a scoring condition that triggers under certain surrounding conditions (e.g., canals/roads) and some cards offer trade-offs for resources.
- Network/route building — Acquire building cards, place route tiles (canals, roads, railways) between buildings; some rules constrain canal/railway counts.
- resource wheels and multiple anytime actions — There is a resource wheel that can be spun via anytime actions; spinning the wheel can be triggered by actions.
- Simultaneous Actions — There is a resource wheel that can be spun via anytime actions; spinning the wheel can be triggered by actions.
- worker placement — Each player has a large personal board; seven actions per round, each action can be used once per round; seven rounds total.
- worker placement with a 4x4 grid — Each player has a large personal board; seven actions per round, each action can be used once per round; seven rounds total.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- This is a play it for me.
- the main enjoyment I get out of this game is that dice splitting decision
- Fromage is a simultaneous worker placement game.
- this is one of the better Rosenberg games I've played in the last 5-10 years
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 3mK_3b5LGoU
Totally Table Playthrough at 0:00 sentiment: positive
video_pk 38440 · mention_pk 161324
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Engaging spatial puzzle with multiple activation pathways
- blends engine-building with routing strategy
- Solo playthrough includes live rule teaching and in-game explanations
- Clear path to victory with visible early and late-game planning
Cons
- Setup is fairly involved and components require careful ordering
- Rule interpretation relies on a reference book and token icons, which can be dense
- The complexity may be intimidating for casual players
Thematic elements
- Infrastructure expansion, resource management, and engine-building through routing choices
- Industrial era city with canals, railways, and urban infrastructure development
- Live instructional commentary with rule-teaching on the fly
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- action drafting — Actions are taken by placing a stack on an action spot; a red marker blocks the leftmost option, limiting available actions each round
- Action selection using a stacked action disc system — Actions are taken by placing a stack on an action spot; a red marker blocks the leftmost option, limiting available actions each round
- Bridges as a secondary activation mechanism — A building gains an activation when it has two Bridges connected; affects timing and reactivation opportunities
- Canals, roads, and rails interplay with placement rules — Canals must connect from existing canals; roads can be placed flexibly; rails require iron and wood; players may overbuild on existing paths but not on other types
- Endgame scoring with multi-faceted victory conditions — Scoring includes buildings, prestige, routes, canals, rails, and money, with penalties for unfilled roots and other nuanced rules
- Network/route building — Canals must connect from existing canals; roads can be placed flexibly; rails require iron and wood; players may overbuild on existing paths but not on other types
- Resource management — Resources (wood, coal, clay, iron, brick) are produced and consumed to construct buildings; a production wheel and various tokens regulate gains
- Resource wheel and production loop — Resources (wood, coal, clay, iron, brick) are produced and consumed to construct buildings; a production wheel and various tokens regulate gains
- Routing puzzle around buildings — A building activates once it is fully surrounded by the correct types of routes (paths, roads, canals, rails). Different buildings require different surrounding patterns
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- The key puzzle of this game is that as we build these structures we do not get to activate their special abilities
- surround the building with these different routes and there’s four different types of roots we have paths, roads, canals and rail track
- every building that we build has a chance of activating twice for the whole game
- two Bridges attached to it you also get to activate its special ability
- this wholesale trade… it’s going to be worth 12 points at the end of the game
- final score of 123 points
- Between 120 and 129 Prestige is you are victorious
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video Xsnni7rE_fo
The Board Gaming Doctor Playthrough at 0:00 sentiment: positive
video_pk 33740 · mention_pk 100328
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- engaging round-by-round playthrough
- strong synergy with expansions and dockside bar mechanic
- variable setup increases replayability
Cons
- rule complexity can be intimidating
- mid-game resource crunch can hinder plans
- pathway optimization may be punishing if mismanaged
Thematic elements
- industrial expansion, trade, urban development
- A canal-building frontier city with interconnected canals and railways, inspired by 19th-century European industrial expansion.
- solo, round-by-round playthrough with reflective narration
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- construction and route-building — build roads, canals, and rail to unlock points and upgrades.
- Network/route building — build roads, canals, and rail to unlock points and upgrades.
- Point Salad — points granted for proximity, upgrades, and completed networks.
- Resource management — manage wood, brick, iron, clay to finance building and expansion.
- round-by-round action selection — plan actions across rounds and respond to emergent board state.
- scoring via surrounding, upgrading and pathway completion — points granted for proximity, upgrades, and completed networks.
- wheel movement / tempo control — use a wheel mechanism to reposition resources or actions between rounds.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- I love this game. I think it's a challenge every time.
- I'm really excited for the release of the new version later this year.
- This is Oranienburger Kanal. Really excited for the release of the new version later this year.
- I really enjoyed this round by round structure.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–3 of 3