Ticket to Ride is a game that's been soaring in popularity over the course of the past couple years. The Settlers of Catan was the gateway to European-style board games, but surely Ticket to Ride is the second-most popular of the bunch.
Up to five players can join in on the fun of Ticket to Ride. The goal is to score the most points by strategically building train routes along the map before the game ends. Points are scored by:
- Simply placing train routes along the board
- Completing specific mission routes drawn from the deck
- Owning the longest continuous route on the board, similar to Catan's 'Longest Road' card
Each player has just 45 train cars to work with over the course of the game, so part of the strategy is figuring out the most efficient way to spend those limited resources. Longer city-to-city routes net you more points per train car placed, so selecting routes (when you have a choice) that allow you to play through the five- and six-car routes along the periphery of the board are generally preferable unless you draw an assortment of route cards that have significant overlap and can be built concurrently. Here's a look at the board (U.S / Canada map).
Another trick is understanding when to build your routes. Players can either draw route cards (which are used to build routes), draw new route missions, or build a train route on their turn. Much of the game is spent stockpiling cards, but you need to be careful that someone else doesn't beat you to a route you have your eye on while you're trying to save up for something else. This is particularly the case when you have to go through the middle of the board -- there's a lot of routes that run through there and the one- and two-car routes make it easy for another player to quickly impede your progress at any time.
The other primary component of the strategy is how to go about drawing cards. Players can choose from a selection of "face-up" cards or random ones from the bank. There are also wild cards that can be used to build routes of any color. If a player chooses a face-up wild card, they are only entitled to draw one on their turn versus the normal two. This leads to debates between taking a card you know you can use versus taking a risk on pulling one or two random face-down cards.
As with many good board games, the key to Ticket to Ride is to have a plan. It's most beneficial if you decide probably about 1/3 of the way into the game how you would ideally "spend" all of the train cars in your bank, then make all of your remaining moves with an eye towards that goal. The tough part about having a plan is that other players frequently ruin plans, so you need to be cognizant of possible back-up plans as well as the "critical paths", individual routes that you absolutely have to have to stand a chance of being successful. You also need to be aware of how many train cars other players have left; if someone is down to two, one, or zero cars, that could trigger the end of the game before you've completed what you need to do.
All in all, Ticket to Ride has a very approachable complexity and difficulty level. It's easier to understand than both Carcassonne and The Settlers of Catan and it's a great option to introduce people into euro-style gaming. The fact that you'll draw different route cards every game allows for some replayability, but that's limited in part by the fact that after playing a few games, you're aware of which longer route cards exist, so it's hard for players to hide what they're building towards. It doesn't have as much advanced strategy as some other games I'm into, but a luck factor helps newer players have a chance against veterans. Ticket to Ride is plenty of fun and should be a part of any serious board game collection.
Rating: 8.5/10
The other primary component of the strategy is how to go about drawing cards. Players can choose from a selection of "face-up" cards or random ones from the bank. There are also wild cards that can be used to build routes of any color. If a player chooses a face-up wild card, they are only entitled to draw one on their turn versus the normal two. This leads to debates between taking a card you know you can use versus taking a risk on pulling one or two random face-down cards.
As with many good board games, the key to Ticket to Ride is to have a plan. It's most beneficial if you decide probably about 1/3 of the way into the game how you would ideally "spend" all of the train cars in your bank, then make all of your remaining moves with an eye towards that goal. The tough part about having a plan is that other players frequently ruin plans, so you need to be cognizant of possible back-up plans as well as the "critical paths", individual routes that you absolutely have to have to stand a chance of being successful. You also need to be aware of how many train cars other players have left; if someone is down to two, one, or zero cars, that could trigger the end of the game before you've completed what you need to do.
All in all, Ticket to Ride has a very approachable complexity and difficulty level. It's easier to understand than both Carcassonne and The Settlers of Catan and it's a great option to introduce people into euro-style gaming. The fact that you'll draw different route cards every game allows for some replayability, but that's limited in part by the fact that after playing a few games, you're aware of which longer route cards exist, so it's hard for players to hide what they're building towards. It doesn't have as much advanced strategy as some other games I'm into, but a luck factor helps newer players have a chance against veterans. Ticket to Ride is plenty of fun and should be a part of any serious board game collection.
Rating: 8.5/10
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