Overview
At a glance
Is this game right for my group?
ABG editorial scores on a 1–5 scale.
Harder to teach
High replayability
Low interaction
Scales well
Deep strategy
More strategic control
How it plays
How does it play?
Load coal, read the river’s demand, and turn difficult upstream deliveries into warehouses, locks, exports, and industrial progress.
Core mechanisms
Key systems that shape the decisions players make.
Read the full game description
The Ruhr: A Story of Coal Trade is a historical economic game about moving coal through an imperfect eighteenth-century transport network. Each round changes demand and deposits money along the river before players load coal dice, navigate barges, and sell to towns or factories. Downstream travel is easy; returning upstream consumes scarce actions unless infrastructure and progress tiles improve the route. Deliveries unlock stronger coal, warehouses, locks, country exports, and permanent efficiencies, so an early sale can matter more for the system it opens than for immediate income. The board gradually develops while historical events reshape costs and opportunities. The box also includes The Ohio, a related standalone game that keeps the logistics framework but changes the goods and regional pressures.
