Childrens Toyshop
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Toys : Ticket To Ride
Rating: 
- All aboard!
This is the first, the original Ticket to Ride game - and the most basic, so it is perfect for those new to the series to learn the rules.
You are presented with a map of the US and southern Canada. You are given route cards for building railways between cities. By completing the routes, you receive points, and the one with the most points at the end is the winner. Simple, no?
So, do you build routes north-south or east-west? Except your fellow players are also building routes too - and there is only space for one or at the most two tracks between cities. AND you need the right kind of train to lay on the tracks, trains that can only be put together from a separate stack of cards.
From these foundations arises a game of fiendish competitiveness and easy-to-learn skill. It will fascinate players from ten to a hundred, and can be quite addictive. The game has proved so popular that further and more complex versions have been produced, but this is the simplest and first of them all, and is recommended for starters.
Rating: - Looking for fun? This is just the Ticket!
Days of Wonder's board game 'Ticket to Ride' comes in a number of variants but if you are looking for a good place to start then you cannot really do better than the original American edition.
The rules are somewhat simpler than the European edition that adds in stations, tunnels and locomotives giving the American edition a simplicity that not only makes it easier to learn but more suitable for family play. It also means that the games are usually significantly shorter.
The rules of the game are far too complex to list but the aim is to create train journey routes to join cities together. Each of these routes you establish earns you points - the longer and more difficult the route, the more points you get. However there is also a limit on the number of train carriages (which are used to establish the routes) you have means that there is a time limit to the game and you cannot afford to simply waste these.
This allows several approaches to the game giving it a high level of replayability. There is a random element in the route cards you are given (the tickets), but equally much of the game requires thoughtful placing of your carriages.
It is compelling to play and makes for a great addition to your board game collection with excellent replayability and great production values (it features high quality, colourful plastic train pieces and a heavy, attractive board).
Rating:
- Great little game.
This is great to play. Quick turns, simple rules. With two players, it only takes 30mins, so you can play best of five in an evening ... Which you WILL want to once your opponent snatches certain victory from you using "New York to Los Angeles"!
Very enjoyable. Highly recommended.
Rating: - Everything silentkid said, and more
This was the first "proper" game I played, and since then, I've got a small group of family and friends over the stigma that is attached to board games. The stigma that is mostly due to Monopoly.
The only real thing I can add to silentkid's review is:
- There are no dice. The 'I rolled a four, which means I've lost' scenario doesn't happen.
I played it once, then bought it. My sisters played it once, and bought themselves copies. My old folks played it once and bought it for three of their friends for Christmas presents.
Buy this game, then once you realise that games don't have to be boring, track down more "Spiel des Jahres".
Rating: - Great game
Ticket To Ride is a great game for all the family. With each game lasting roughly one hour and quick setup and take down, this game is anti-dote to such family board game horrors like Monopoly and Risk.
The basic idea of the game is build train routes connecting various cities across the USA to collect more points than your opponents. To complete a route requires a number of coloured Truck Cards of a certain colour. Long routes are worth more points than short routes but require some hard saving of Truck Cards. Points are awarded for completing a route between cities, completing a Ticket (a longer route made up of smaller routes), and by having the longest sequential route on the map at the end.
The components of the game are of superb quality. The large game board is made of tough cardboard and displays a map of the USA with the major cities and rail routes marked between. The train trucks are made of good plastic and are very colourful. The trucks combined with the map make for a very appealing game to look at. The cards that come with the game are also of good quality and are laminated for durability - trust me, they'll get a lot of use. :)
The rules are just four, beautifully illustrated, pages long and extremely easy to understand. The basic game strategies are also easy to pick up, with more advanced strategies available for the more competitive amongst us. There's quite a good mix of different strategies in this game, and each game may require you to choose a different strategy from your last. You must also remain fairly flexible with your strategies too, because you never know what your so called friends might do to ruin your plans.
Game play is very tight, and I found that game scores can run very close – making for an exciting game, all the way down to the finish.
There's a definite cut-throat side to this game as it's often wise (if you're competitive) to delibrately block opponents routes regardless of your own objectives, but this cut-throat side only adds to the overall FUN of the game.
I'll list the reasons why I think Ticket To Ride is a great game, and you'll see why I'm not fond of so called 'family games' like Monopoly and Risk:
- No one gets eliminated. This is a BIG plus for a family board game.
- Even if you lose the game, more often than not, you've completed at least some of the Tickets you hold and therefore have SUCCEEDED at something. A nice feature for a family game; keeps everyone happy. :)
- A tip for free, don't count player scores until the end. This keeps everyone guessing right until the end about who is actually going to win.
- Player turns are very short. Each turn consists of just one action: picking up more truck cards, laying a route between two cities, or picking up more tickets (think missions in Risk). This means you never have to wait long for your next turn. :)
- The game works equally well with 2 - 5 players.
There is a European version of this game with some additional rules which add more balance to the game (less hot spots on the map!). I prefer the European version even though I win more on the USA version. Maybe that's just because I'm from Europe, or that the extra rules give a closer game.
The best thing I can say about Ticket To Ride is that everyone who has played it with me has wanted to play it again and buy it for all of their family and friends.
- All aboard!This is the first, the original Ticket to Ride game - and the most basic, so it is perfect for those new to the series to learn the rules.
You are presented with a map of the US and southern Canada. You are given route cards for building railways between cities. By completing the routes, you receive points, and the one with the most points at the end is the winner. Simple, no?
So, do you build routes north-south or east-west? Except your fellow players are also building routes too - and there is only space for one or at the most two tracks between cities. AND you need the right kind of train to lay on the tracks, trains that can only be put together from a separate stack of cards.
From these foundations arises a game of fiendish competitiveness and easy-to-learn skill. It will fascinate players from ten to a hundred, and can be quite addictive. The game has proved so popular that further and more complex versions have been produced, but this is the simplest and first of them all, and is recommended for starters.
Rating:
- Looking for fun? This is just the Ticket!Days of Wonder's board game 'Ticket to Ride' comes in a number of variants but if you are looking for a good place to start then you cannot really do better than the original American edition.
The rules are somewhat simpler than the European edition that adds in stations, tunnels and locomotives giving the American edition a simplicity that not only makes it easier to learn but more suitable for family play. It also means that the games are usually significantly shorter.
The rules of the game are far too complex to list but the aim is to create train journey routes to join cities together. Each of these routes you establish earns you points - the longer and more difficult the route, the more points you get. However there is also a limit on the number of train carriages (which are used to establish the routes) you have means that there is a time limit to the game and you cannot afford to simply waste these.
This allows several approaches to the game giving it a high level of replayability. There is a random element in the route cards you are given (the tickets), but equally much of the game requires thoughtful placing of your carriages.
It is compelling to play and makes for a great addition to your board game collection with excellent replayability and great production values (it features high quality, colourful plastic train pieces and a heavy, attractive board).
Rating:
- Great little game.This is great to play. Quick turns, simple rules. With two players, it only takes 30mins, so you can play best of five in an evening ... Which you WILL want to once your opponent snatches certain victory from you using "New York to Los Angeles"!
Very enjoyable. Highly recommended.
Rating:
- Everything silentkid said, and moreThis was the first "proper" game I played, and since then, I've got a small group of family and friends over the stigma that is attached to board games. The stigma that is mostly due to Monopoly.
The only real thing I can add to silentkid's review is:
- There are no dice. The 'I rolled a four, which means I've lost' scenario doesn't happen.
I played it once, then bought it. My sisters played it once, and bought themselves copies. My old folks played it once and bought it for three of their friends for Christmas presents.
Buy this game, then once you realise that games don't have to be boring, track down more "Spiel des Jahres".
Rating:
- Great gameTicket To Ride is a great game for all the family. With each game lasting roughly one hour and quick setup and take down, this game is anti-dote to such family board game horrors like Monopoly and Risk.
The basic idea of the game is build train routes connecting various cities across the USA to collect more points than your opponents. To complete a route requires a number of coloured Truck Cards of a certain colour. Long routes are worth more points than short routes but require some hard saving of Truck Cards. Points are awarded for completing a route between cities, completing a Ticket (a longer route made up of smaller routes), and by having the longest sequential route on the map at the end.
The components of the game are of superb quality. The large game board is made of tough cardboard and displays a map of the USA with the major cities and rail routes marked between. The train trucks are made of good plastic and are very colourful. The trucks combined with the map make for a very appealing game to look at. The cards that come with the game are also of good quality and are laminated for durability - trust me, they'll get a lot of use. :)
The rules are just four, beautifully illustrated, pages long and extremely easy to understand. The basic game strategies are also easy to pick up, with more advanced strategies available for the more competitive amongst us. There's quite a good mix of different strategies in this game, and each game may require you to choose a different strategy from your last. You must also remain fairly flexible with your strategies too, because you never know what your so called friends might do to ruin your plans.
Game play is very tight, and I found that game scores can run very close – making for an exciting game, all the way down to the finish.
There's a definite cut-throat side to this game as it's often wise (if you're competitive) to delibrately block opponents routes regardless of your own objectives, but this cut-throat side only adds to the overall FUN of the game.
I'll list the reasons why I think Ticket To Ride is a great game, and you'll see why I'm not fond of so called 'family games' like Monopoly and Risk:
- No one gets eliminated. This is a BIG plus for a family board game.
- Even if you lose the game, more often than not, you've completed at least some of the Tickets you hold and therefore have SUCCEEDED at something. A nice feature for a family game; keeps everyone happy. :)
- A tip for free, don't count player scores until the end. This keeps everyone guessing right until the end about who is actually going to win.
- Player turns are very short. Each turn consists of just one action: picking up more truck cards, laying a route between two cities, or picking up more tickets (think missions in Risk). This means you never have to wait long for your next turn. :)
- The game works equally well with 2 - 5 players.
There is a European version of this game with some additional rules which add more balance to the game (less hot spots on the map!). I prefer the European version even though I win more on the USA version. Maybe that's just because I'm from Europe, or that the extra rules give a closer game.
The best thing I can say about Ticket To Ride is that everyone who has played it with me has wanted to play it again and buy it for all of their family and friends.