2p Noob

Scotland Yard often refers to the London Metropolitan Police and this handy game from Ravensburger.

Components 2.5 Stars

As with many games from anyone, there are many sheets of tickets and playing acessories needed for this game. There are Taxi, Tube and Bus tickets, double movement tickets and hidden movement tickets for Mr. X set up boards for the officers and rings for the bobbies. All these cardboard pieces are brightly color associated and made of a thick durible cardboard. The paper on top is either quite sturdy or Ravensburger has a great punching die as I had none of these pieces rip or tear.

The plastic pieces for the police and Mr. X are made of a durible plastic which are colored on top and translucent on the bottom allowing people to see the number underneith the pieces with out moving them.

Within the kit is a flimsy and uncomfortable cardstock and cloth string visor for Mr. X. Its purpose is to block Mr. X’s eyes from their opponents, so opponents can’t watch Mr. X’s eyes when scanning the board. I would reccomend using a baseball cap or tinted sunglasses.

Mr. X’s movement board includes paper, a carrier and a cover to hold the pieces in place that Mr. X uses. It serves it’s purpose and fits all the pieces well except the 2x move piece. You are responsible for a pen or pencil.

Lastly the box insert for the pieces and tickets doesn’t hold the pieces well. My husband and I agree that we will be adding plastic bags in the box to help.

Easy to Learn 3 Stars

Because Ravensburger is a German game company, all instructions are in German first, then a few other languages and English last. There are a couple places in the instruction books (yes there are two) that show there is a rough translation. The sentances don’t make perfect sense or syntax but a lot can be inferred. Because of this opening the game brand new without someone who has played before, can prove to be a challenge. Once you have a good idea of what you are doing

Replay Value 4 Stars

Initially designed for 3-6 players the 2013 edition from Ravensburger includes a 2 player variant. As a game for two players it can prove to be an exciting game that pushes brain power on both sides of the table.

This game can be easily won by any player who is able to make adaptable plans and think a couple moves ahead of their rival.

The 2013 edition also has a few minor varients to increase the difficuty of game play for all players.

Final Thoughts

While this game has not been put away since it was purchased, It will prove to be a game that will be frequently taken back out. For use with children it is great for critical thinking and mapping skills. Social players may feel a bit isolated if playing only with a few players and power gamers may feel underwhelmed if their fellow players aren’t up to their level to match wits. Beware the Alpha player who wants to take control of others pawns. in the smaller player scenarios, they can have the opportunity to contol more than one officer, but don’t let the control the other players too.

That being said this game is great for people who like to imagine themselves as Sherlock Holmes and out smart their opponents or even the Moriarty who wants to flaunt their opponents ignorance.

Ticket to Ride is the beginning of the Days of Wonder Franchise which has captured imaginations world wide. Introduced to us by my in-laws it has become a family classic and played by three generations.

Easy to Learn 5 Stars

Ticket to Ride has many charming rules that allow for a potentially challenging 2 and 3 player experience and an accessible map to 4 and 5 players. Not only is Ticket to Ride easy to learn it is easy to teach. Depending on childrens abilities it is a great way to teach matching and beginning counting skills for young children.

Components 3.5 Stars

The board is of a high quality and beautifully designed in the period 19-teens style. The train cars are made of a durible plastic the artwork on the playing cards is stunning and the stock used for the cards is also durible.

That being said you can tell that this is a European game set in the United States. Some of the geographic locations of cities are not where they should be. This may not distract you, or you may never notice, but notible sites are Duluth and Helena.

Also, the playing cards are small. This was rectified through the USA 1910 expansion which made larger cards to replace the small ones included in the game. My large handed husband generally makes color piles so he doesn’t have to hold his cards.

Neither of these points are “game stoppers” but are something to be considered when choosing who to play with.

Replay Value 3.5 Stars

While the possibilities of routes are varied, you may find yourself playing the same way every time.

There are rule varients for 2 & 3 player games which restrict the use of the “double routes”. This rule is handy if you and your opponent have overlapping routes but will not come into play if you are both going east/west but they are north through Canada and you are south through Texas. As for playing with 4 & 5 this quick game still proves capable of causing chaos and laughter between friends and family.

Final Thoughts

Ticket to Ride proves to be a great gateway game into further gaming endeavors. The mechanics of playing lend to a light hearted atmosphere that allows for interaction between people while still wondering if you need a GPS to get from New York to Miami. Any shortcomings this game may have can be overlooked as long as players still enjoy themselves. This is why Ticket to Ride still has a place in my “go to” gaming rotation.

For me, Pandemic was an impulse buy that has paid off in huge ways.

Let’s start with the three main areas:

Easy to Learn 3 Stars

Owning V 2.0, my husband and I have both found the instructions a little garbled to understand. The Rulebook does include in game scenarios that answer many players questions, but not all. Through repeated play and teaching others to play the game, many questions can be answered intuitively once the game mechanic is properly learned. From this temporarily steep learning curve it is easier to pick up, teach and play with others once you have played a few times yourself.

Components 5 Stars

Let me say that is wonderful to have a game where cardboard punch outs do not take the entire game time to set up. The durable wooden and plastic pieces do allow for prolonged game play without fear of overly damaging pieces to question their uses. One thing I am saddened by is the loss of the petri dishes for disease storage from V1 to V2, but it does not detract from the game. A simple pickup from your local craft/hobby shop or even bait/tackle shop and you can make your own. A more permanent storage would be preferable over the small bags given with the set.

Replay Value 5 Stars

Every game is different. Different roles, lead to different game play, 2p 3p and 4p strategy is different. The game comes with various levels from hard to master. The game mechanic is designed in such a way to allow difficulties to arise within the game. Just ask the CDC nothing ever goes to plan when you don’t know what a disease will do next.