Growing up I was pretty lucky; my family was always playing games, whether it was board games, card games, or video games. It was a good way for us to spend time together, laugh, and learn new skills. Over the years I’ve played a lot of games and I want to share them with everyone. Many of them are train based games, but some are just general fun for the family. The first game I want to talk about is one of my grandpa’s favorites, Ticket to Ride by Days of Wonder. Ticket to Ride is a multiplayer board game, where each player is trying to connect up their routes to make it across the country, before another player takes the route they want. If they do take the easy route it could mean you have to go the long way or worse, not go at all. Some may remember that a few years back we had a club game night where we played Ticket to Ride. It was a lot of fun and everyone seemed to really enjoy the game. The game is fairly easy to play and to set up. The original Ticket to Ride is set in the United States. The playing board is a simple map of the US that has different colored routes, each route is separated by red dots. Each color, except gray, corresponds to one of 9 train car cards you can draw. In order to take these routes, you have to have the same number of corresponding colored cards as there are in that route. As usually there are wild cards that can be played as well. The gray routes on the map can use any color but they all have to be the same. If you need 3 cards for the gray route and you choose red, then all the cards have to be red. Sounds pretty easy right. The difficulty comes with route cards. At the start of every game each player is dealt three destination cards. Destinations are train routes that can be very short or cross country. Each player has to keep 2 of their destination cards but they can keep all 3 if they want. These destination cards are one of many ways for a player to gain points. If they finish a destination, then they gain however many points that destination gives them. Then the player can choose to take more destinations or just keep taking routes to create the longest train and keep other players from easily getting their routes finished.
Players have to be careful though, because each route they take, uses their train cars and they only have so many. Taking routes though helps the player gain points as well. A one car route is worth 1 point, but a 6-car route is worth 15. It’s important to pick your routes wisely. Each turn the player can play a route, draw two train car cards, or pick a new destination. The first player to get down to 2 train cars starts the final round and then the game is over. Points are tallied and the longest train is found, which awards 10 points to the player. Destinations that were finished add to a players points and those that weren’t finished deduct points. Who ever has the most points in the end wins! Ticket to Ride is easy for new players to pick up and remains fun for those who have played many times. Each game is different, and I’ve played quite a bit and still haven’t gotten the same set of destinations twice. It’s also a good game for people who love trains and those who maybe aren’t as into trains as the rest of us. It requires no real knowledge of trains to play, but if you do have a train enthusiast playing, you will learn some interesting things. Ticket to Ride isn’t limited to the United States either. Since it’s release 2004, the Ticket to Ride board game family now includes, Europe, Nordic Countries, Germany, Asia, India, The Heart of Africa, Netherlands, United Kingdom, France, and Japan. They have two specific to the cities of New York and London, which play with the underground maps. They also have Rails and Sails, which takes your around the world both by steam trains and by steam liners. And for younger players there is Ticket to Ride: First Journey The physical board game runs about $50. I know that sounds a little steep for a board game, but this isn’t your typical board game either. The game board is made with good heavy material and is coated so it’s not easily damaged, it’s also not a small board, which is nice for reading. The toy trains are made from good quality plastic. The cards in the game aren’t flimsy and can hold up to wear and tear. Even the box is made to last. My Ticket to Ride has traveled with us to South Carolina twice, traveled back and forth to friends, and made its way through two nieces and still looks almost new. I can’t say that about a lot of things. If you want to play this game but aren’t sure you would have anyone to play with or just aren’t interested in a physical copy, they have created a digital game. You can download it on the iOS (Apple) app store or on the Android store for about $7 for the base game. You can also play other maps, but I do believe they are an additional cost. You can also purchase the game through Amazon for the Kindle at the same price. If you want to play on your computer, it can also be found on Steam for $10. (Note: Steam is a digital marketplace for computer-based video games. You can purchase most games through them, and they keep track of your games in a library. Through this platform gamers can download and keep track of what they have purchased easily. It also allows friends to play games together easily and much more. For more information visit www.Steam.com) The Steam version does include more content with the base price and allows you to play against computers or against other players. It also has a ranking system and competitive play with all players. You can also download all of the other versions of the game for the same price it would cost to buy just the physical board game. I can tell you that any form of this game you get will be amazing. We currently have Ticket to Ride and Ticket to Ride: Nordic Countries as physical copies. Grandpa, myself, my husband, and many of our friends have Steam copies of the game. I also have it on my Kindle and my phone. It’s just a great game to be able to play whether you are on the go or looking to sit down with your family and friends. Until next time, keep gaming.
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PCRCThe Page County Railroad Club has a wealth of railroad information shared between it's members. In this blog we will do our best to share that knowledge. Archives
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