The good people at Days of Wonder Games were kind enough to send me a review copy of the latest Alan Moon design, Ticket to Ride. Therefore, it seems like the least I can do is review it (the game might be disappointed if it wasn't able to fulfill its purpose in life). I trust the opinions contained herein aren't too colored by their generosity. Ticket to Ride is a card/placement train game for two to five players. The actual theme (the players are Phileas Fogg wannabes who are trying to visit the most cities in a week) is a peculiar one, since it has virtually nothing to do with the game play. I assume it was used to make the game more attractive to families, who might shy away from a "train game". I trust everyone will ignore the theme (or mentally replace it with a more standard "track building" one) and just enjoy the game for what it is. Normally, at this point I'd describe the game's mechanics in loving detail. But since one of TtR's selling points is how easy it is to learn, let's see how quickly I can outline the game for you. Ticket to Ride is played on a board showing 36 cities in the U.S. and southern Canada. They are connected by 100 or so routes characterized by their length (from one to six spaces) and color (one of the eight train colors, or the neutral gray). Some pairs of cities have two routes between them. The game also comes with a Train deck (with cards in the eight colors, as well as locomotives, which serve as Jokers) and a Ticket deck (each of which shows two cities and a point value). Each player begins with 45 plastic trains in their color, four face down Train cards, and three face down Ticket cards (they have the option of discarding one of the latter). On a player's turn, they can do exactly one of the following: Add two train cards to their hand. (There is a display of five cards. Players can choose from these, or draw from the deck. Exposed locomotives count as two picks.) Claim a route. (The player chooses an unclaimed route and plays a number of Train cards equal to the length of the route and of the same color as the route. Gray routes can accommodate any color, but the cards still must all be of the same color. Locomotives can substitute for any color. The player scores for the route after claiming it, with longer routes providing more points per card played than shorter ones. The player then places one of his trains on each space of the route.) Add Ticket cards. (The player takes three Ticket cards and retains one, two, or three of them.) If, after claiming a route, a player has reduced her supply of trains to two or fewer, it triggers the end of the game. Each player takes one final turn. Players have already scored for their claimed routes. For each ticket card they hold, they add its point value if they have connected the two cities on the card with their own trains; otherwise, they subtract the point value from their total. Finally, the player with the longest continuous chain of trains on the board (think longest road in Settlers) gets a bonus. Most points wins. In his first completely original solo design since 1995, Alan Moon proves he doesn't need a collaborator to create a thoroughly enjoyable game. It seems silly to say this about such a straightforward design, but it really does feel as if no one but Moon could have created this game. It has all of his well known touches, the open display, the timing factor, plus the inherent tension that his best games include. That the game appeals to both casual and serious gamers is a wonderful bonus. One of the best parts of the design is the constant conflict between adding cards and claiming routes. In this, the game is similar to several other Moon designs, such as Union Pacific and GettheGood, where players want to accumulate, but fear their scoring will suffer if they don't play some of these cards soon. Those other games include an explicit timing mechanism that ratchets up the tension. Timing is present in TtR as well, but here it is in the form of the other players. You know that route from Portland to Salt Lake City is crucial to your strategy, but there are valuable cards you can take from the display. Plus, you'll have to use a locomotive to claim it *and* you don't want to give away information too early. So you'ld rather wait, but what if someone else take it instead? I find this tension of hoping my key routes won't be claimed by others is present on almost every turn of the game and it really adds to its enjoyment. There's another timing aspect as well and that's the threat of an opponent triggering the end of the game. It's vital that you not bite off more than you can chew, lest you be left holding a fistful of Train cards or even worse a bunch of unfulfilled tickets when your grinning opponent brings the game to an unexpected halt. You always need to be aware of how close the game is to ending and modify your play accordingly. One of the big surprises about the game is how many viable strategies there are for such a simple design. First-time players typically begin by claiming sufficient routes to lock in their initial tickets, then go fishing for new tickets that they think they might be able to accommodate. However, adding new tickets early on is also possible, to give you a feel for what your final position needs to be. You can go with a few tickets or a lot; with shorter paths or the higher scoring, higher risk longer ones. It's also possible to take on tickets late in the game, which is usually unwise, but can be a good gamble for the player who feels they have no other hope of winning. Another possibility is to just go after long routes, regardless of where they are, and hope to score enough points like that. Each game I play, I see some new possibilities and I suspect there are subtleties in the design I have yet to appreciate. One of the few disappointments I've had with the game so far is how difficult it seems to be to play defense. Not only do you have to correctly deduce what routes your opponent needs, but there is also the loss of both time and resources if you choose to block him and it isn't clear that the sacrifice is worth it. It's possible that sound defense is more important than it first appears, however, so I'm willing to keep an open mind on the subject. TtR is a paragon of minimalist design and does a fine job of solving knotty problems with the simplest of rules. For example, in the two and three player game, when there are pairs of routes between cities, only one can be used. This keeps the game just as tight with smaller numbers of players as with the full complement, without having to modify the game board. Another small brilliance is the significant penalty for not fulfilling a ticket, which properly slows the use of the "ticket strategy", ratchets up the game's tension even further, and allows for come from behind victories. Days of Wonder is known for their lavish production standards and Ticket in no way disappoints. What's interesting is that their first two big box games (Pirate's Cove and Mystery of the Abbey) were naturals for this approach, but TtR could have easily been produced more modestly, with a more modest price. It will be interesting to see if DoW's gamble to splurge on Ticket pays off. But in the meantime, exult in the big, beautiful game board, which shows all the cities and routes clearly, with easily distinguishable colors. Graphic designer Cyrille Daujean has also added some nice little touches to the map, of the kind that Doris Matthus and Janet Breese are so fond of including. The plastic trains are nicely thematic and fit well on the route spaces. The cards are small, which is a sound decision, since there is no limit to hand size and it isn't unusual to wind up with a stack in your hand. But it does make them hard to shuffle and I have some concerns about how long they will last. As for the card design, the red and orange Train cards can be differentiated, but it isn't uncommon for someone to try to claim a Red route with some Orange cards; players should make a point of keeping these straight. Each type of Train card has a distinctively shaped index, which is a nice touch for the color blind, but it would have been nicer if they were a little larger. Even better would have been a player's aid matching each index shape with the route color on the board. But these are quibbles; overall, the components are beautiful to look at and add considerably to the game's enjoyment. In summary, I can certainly recommend Ticket to Ride to a wide variety of gamers. It is extremely easy to learn, plays quickly, and can be finished within an hour (although a few five player games might push that limit a bit). I'm not sure I would describe the game as deep, but it does feature a variety of strategies and requires good judgment to play well. My games have been with two and five players and both of those extremes have worked well. Best of all, this is a great gateway game, ideal for luring in new gamers, due to its ease of play and wonderful appearance. It's another notch in the old belt buckle for both Alan Moon and Days of Wonder and should be a great addition to any gamer's collection. Back to Table of Contents -- Game! # 4 To Game! List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 2004 by George Phillies. 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