In Kohle & Kolonie, which is set in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the players run small coal mines in the German Ruhr area (Essen, Hattingen, Bochum, Witten) during the age of industrialization. They need to modernize these mines so that when these smaller mines are merged into larger ones, they can be prepared to take control of the auction and therefore the larger mine. Additionally, players have to ensure the availability of workers for their mines, while also constructing and caring for a railway system that comprises infrastructure in the mines. Finally, if players don't invest money or workers in their mines in order to secure them, they increase their chance of suffering a mining accident, which will lead to negative fallout when it comes time to bid for consolidated mines. Whoever best manages these tasks wins.