Ticket to Ride: Europe
From the craggy hillsides of Edinburgh to the sunlit docks of Constantinople, from the dusty alleys of Pamplona to a windswept station in Berlin, Ticket to Ride Europe takes you on an exciting train adventure through the great cities of turn-of-the-century Europe.
The second installment in our best-selling Ticket to Ride series of train adventures, Ticket to Ride Europe takes you into the heart of Europe. In addition to the new board map, Ticket to Ride Europe offers you brand new game play elements including Tunnels, Ferries and Train Stations. We've also upgraded you to First-Class accommodations with larger cards, new Train Station game pieces, and a lavishly illustrated game board.
When Alan R. Moon, the game designer, and we embarked on this new adventure, we worked hard to make sure we'd bring you more than just a new map, but rather a whole new game experience on the tracks of turn-of-the-century Europe.
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COMPONENTS
Game consists of a large board (showing the map of Europe), one very large deck of train cards, smaller deck of destination (task) cards, plastic trains in different colours for each player and wooden token for score keeping. As is a custom for euro games, score is kept on a track around the map. Everything is of very nice quality.
DESIGN
Completely in theme and very clear. There is absolutely nothing bad I can say about the design.
RULES
At the beginning of the game each player gets 4 (1 large and 3 standard destination cards) and chooses two to keep. During a turn, player can either pick two (or one if he picks up a revealed locomotive card) revealed or hidden train cards, connect two cities or choose new destination cards. This goes on until one player spends all his trains. Players score points for each connection, but also from finishing destination cards; but for each non-finished destination card at the end of game, player loses that many points. There are also 10 additional points for the player with the longest road.
Additional Rules to original Ticket to Ride include ferries (you need to use Locomotive or two to build connection), tunnels (you might need to spend additional cards to build connection) and stations (you may use other players connection for your own destinations cards).
FUN
Ticket to Ride is a classic, and not without reason. It is a beautiful, simple family game loved by so many people around the world. It has it’s dose of luck and strategic thinking, but it is never too heavy for the players, it plays fairly quick, and it has trains, and who doesn’t like trains?!
REPLAYABILITY
As simple game as it is, it has to sacrifice a fair amount of replay value, so I don’t recommend playing it for too many consecutive nights. On the other hand, as popular as it is, it has a nice amount of different expansions, that can help with this issue…
OVERALL
This game is a must have for every board gamer. Apart from being a classic, it is also a great game for introducing someone to a hobby, fantastic for lazy nights where you don’t want to activate your brain cells too much and completely safe for younger children to play…
8.5
My wife wanted to know a good board game to get us for Christmas, and I said Ticket to Ride. On Christmas morning, I unwrapped TTR Europe. I had only played the original game and at first was disappointed. But after we played it a couple of times, I decided this was better than the original. This game has train stations, that let you “ride another players rails”
How the Stations Work
If you need to build to a city where the track is already built on by another player, you can spend a train card for the first station and place it on the last city you are built to and then from there to the next city is counted as yours for the purpose of completing a ticket card. This portion is not counted in your total number of tracks for the longest track. If another player built to the next city too, you would have to place two stations, as each station just allows you to use someones rails to the next city. So if you playing with two or three players, where you cannot use both tracks of a double track, you can still complete your ticket card with stations. Note: The first station costs you one train card, the second two train cards, and the third three train cards. These sets of two or three cards do have to be the same color.
Ferries and Tunnels
There are also ferries and tunnels. Ferries go across the English channel and the Mediterranean Sea and require one to three cards of one color and one or two locomotives (wild cards) to use. Tunnels are like other track except they are rounded with “notches” on the outside and these may require extra train cards of the color you are using to build your line. You declare what color you are using, and lay the cars in the discard stack. Then turn up the three top cards of the draw pile of train cards. For any of those three that either match the color you are using, or are a locomotive wild card, you need an extra card of your color to build your tunnel. If you do not have the extra train cards of that color, you cannot build this turn. You get your color cards back, since you didn’t build, and play resumes with the next player.
When one player has two or less train pieces left, all players are on their last turn.
Played last night for the first time in a few years and really enjoyed it. I own and play the USA version occasionally so it was nice to mix it up with a different board and a few more game mechanics.
OVERALL GAME PLAY: Ticket to Ride is a simple game where players are collecting colored train cards to connect two cities as a route. At the beginning of the game the players are given Destination Tickets that will combine several routes. Point are awarded exponentially for completing routes (4pt for a three train track, 7pts for a four train track, and so on) and also rewarded points for completing Destination Tickets. Destination Tickets not completed at the end of the game count as a negative. The game ends when one player only has two trains left to place. At this point everyone has one turn left.
There are a few differences, other than the board, in the Ticket to Ride: Europa Version.
TUNNELS: Tunnels are a new aspect of the game that add a level of fun and frustration to the game play. Once you are ready to lay a route and have the cards for it you declare the route. At that time you turn over three cards from the draw deck. If any of them are the color of your route or include a wild then you have to pay an extra card of the color for every matching card to complete the route.
For instance, you have a route of three yellow trains. Your draw your three cards from the deck and there is a blue, yellow, and wild. You will have to pay two extra yellows for the yellow and wild.
WILDS: Not too crazy of an idea, but different from the US version, there are some routes where you must have wild card to complete it. Just a little twist.
STATIONS: Stations are little building that you can play on a city to piggy back on some one else’s route who has cut you off from your destination. These little guys can help when you lose a route and don’t see an easy way around.
IN CONCLUSION: As with the other Ticket to Ride games I have played the art work and quality is great. The game play is fantastic. I love the feeling when your side of the board is starting to get full and you’re not sure if the next player is going to take your route or if you’re going to make it to your destination. While the player interaction is at its highest level, this aspect of the game does bring that out. The Ticket to Ride series is a great game for all gamers of any level.
I’ll get this out of the way first – my score/rating is a bit biased on TtR because my wife loves the game. Not that I don’t enjoy it too (In fact, I enjoy it very much as well), but having this be THE game to play with my wife makes it a clear winner for me, as she does not enjoy a lot of games I play.
Introduction: We love the original TtR, but I always felt something was missing. 2 of my gaming buddies own the USA version, and we have played it a handful of times. My wife wanted me to order it after we played our first game, but I hesitated. Flash forward to 4 months later, and still I hadn’t bought it. Wife still loved the game, but I couldn’t bring myself to purchasing since we had access to it. However, I had been hearing great things about TtR: Europe, and I got a deal that version online recently and decided to add it to my wife’s anniversary gift(s).
Once I read the rulebook, I was immmediately intrigued. See, in the base game, you are dealt your cards and tickets from the start, and other than choosing your action/each turn (draw 2, take 2 from the offer, take tickets, or claim a route), there isn’t much more. There really isn’t much risk or surprise to me in the base game, other than what you draw (or if someone takes a route you needed).
Europe: Now, in Europe, one issue with the base game is eliminated right off the bat – big tickets. Each person is dealt one of the 6 big tickets at the start, plus 3 regular tickets (of which you must keep at least two). This balances out the large tickets every game.
Next, you have wild cards/locomotives. In the base game, they were just a nice occasional bonus, but not necessary at all. Here, they are a much sought after commodity. You NEED them to access ferry routes (1-2 locomotives for each ferry route), so they go much faster and become more useful. This was a very nice addition.
Then, you have tunnels. When claiming a tunnel, you must play the number of cards to claim the route PLUS flip over three cards from the draw deck. If any match the color you played, you must match from your hand or lose the route (returning cards to your hand). This extra element of risk greatly enhances the game, and once in particular made my wife nearly throw her cards across the room…lol (very unlucky flips! she lost the route, and I claimed it next Turn).
Lastly, you have Stations. every player gets 3, they cost 1, 2 and 3 cards respectively to play (matching color). These help you merge into a “stolen” route, when another player has blocked you (thus removing arguably one strategy of the main game, but yet adding its own). Each unused Station is worth 4 points at the end, so you must use them sparingly/wisely.
All of these additions don’t change too much of the base game, but add just enough for us to make this perfection. The added risk elements and added usefulness of wild cards, coupled with the improved balance, makes this version shine without adding too much complexity or fiddling. It’s still reliant on some luck of the draw, but the changes help mix it up and keep it fresh and exciting.
I am very happy with the purchase, and I’m glad this is the version I bought. Highly recommended, even the wife gives this one two thumbs up and loved the additions. Knowing she will never turn down a game, and will stay invested in the game through the end, is a huge plus (and extremely rare). If you only buy one version of TtR, this is the one.
Sunday night is game night at the Gamer Bling household, with the Gamer Bling Official Companion, Gamer Bling Expansion #1, and Gamer Bling Expansion #2.
Each one gets to choose the game of the week in rotation. Recently, that game was Ticket to Ride: Europe, as chosen by Gamer Bling Expansion #1.
The Promise
Ticket to Ride: Europe promises to take you “on a new train adventure through the great cities of turn-of-the-century Europe,” a promise that is reinforced by the appearance of five different people dressed in five different colors, all looking happy and adventurous.
Curiously, the game also promises that you can “erect lavish train stations” and become “Europe’s greatest train magnate,” goals that seem far beyond the reach of most of the people on the cover, especially the schoolgirl in yellow and the sooty engineer with the wrench and oilcan.
So… adventure or capitalism? Already Gamer Bling begins to wonder who the heck writes their marketing text.
The Delivery
Despite the personable faces on the front cover, you do not play a person adventuring by train. You are, in fact, much closer to a train magnate. However, unlike what you might have experienced in Sid Meier’s venerable Railroad Tycoon, the tracks you lay do not even have to be contiguous.
The map is a very nicely rendered and thematic map of Europe before The Great War. Single and double train routes connect the various cities. Each route is colored to show what sort of cards a player must discard to gain control of that route.
Broken down to its most basic mechanics, the game is a mix of set collection and territory grabbing. Each turn, you either acquire cards for a set (either by taking a face-up card or via a blind draw from the deck), or else discard a set of cards from your hand to claim a route that matches the cards in quantity and color.
Players score points by claiming routes (longer routes are worth proportionately more) and by connecting the cities listed on your “tickets,” which are basically secret missions.
There is a bit of passive conflict inasmuch as you can claim a route that someone else may want, but there is no overt attacking. The ability to place train stations to allow you to use another player’s route to improve your score mitigates any potential hostility that would erupt over contested routes.
Tunnels also allow for a bit of a gamble; when claiming a tunnel route, it costs 0-3 more cards than its list price, as determined randomly by deck draws.
Finesse
Color-matching games are problematic for the colorblind, but Days of Wonder very nicely has symbols unique to each color. Thus even those with complete colorblindess can play by matching symbols on their cards to the symbols on the map.
In addition, since the game pieces are (a) limited in quantity and (b) used as a game-end timer, DoW very nicely includes extras in a separate baggie to replace any that get eaten by your dog or your toddler.
Skills
As a homeschool parent, Gamer Bling believes in seizing every opportunity for learning. Here’s what the kids can learn or practice with Ticket to Ride: Europe.
Long-Term Planning: Connecting a city in Spain with one in Russia requires forethought. It’s a long route, with a lot of links and multiple paths to select from.
Geography: It is, in fact, a map of Europe. Even if it is 1910. At least the kids can learn where the cities basically are, even if the borders have changed. However, the city names are rendered in the local language. Rome is Roma, Vienna is Wien, and Istanbul is Constantinople. This is cool for adults, but less so for kids. But at least the Russian cities are not rendered in Cyrillic.
Family Game Night Value
This is a very accessible gateway game, easy to learn, easy to play, and fun to complain about when the cards aren’t falling your way. Better yet, with the secret-mission Ticket cards remaining hidden until the end of the game, you can’t tell who’s going to win until it’s all over.
It is a regular in the rotation at the Gamer Bling table.
TL;DR
This was an instant hit in the Gamer Bling family. And from everything Gamer Bling has experienced and heard, it is the best of the Ticket to Ride line of games.
Buy it.
And thank you for taking the time to read a Gamer Bling Sunday Night Review.
Ticket to Ride: Europe is a great game that is simple enough for anybody to learn with a great train theme.
But I don’t like trains! Should I give this a miss?
Absolutely not, you don’t have to be a train fanatic to enjoy this game.
OK, talk me through it.
The Ticket to Ride: Europe game board is a map of Europe with major cities marked on it. There are also coloured blocks on the map linking these cities together. These are the train routes that you will claim during the game. At the start of the game you will be given 4 tickets, each of which have two cities on. At the end of the game, if you have a continuous route between these two cities you get the number of points shown on the card, but if you don’t you will lose that many points. From your 4 tickets you must keep 2 of them, but you can throw the rest away if you want to.
So I’ve got my tickets, how to I join them up?
On your turn you can do one of 4 things on your turn – take train cards, claim a route, take more tickets or build a station.
There is a big deck of train cards, most of which has a colour corresponding to the coloured blocks on the map, and there are also some wildcards that can represent any colour. You will have five of these cards face up and the rest in a pile face down. You can choose to take two of these cards on your turn, either from the cards that are face up or from the face down deck. The only exception to this is if you choose to take a wildcard that is face up you may only take that one card on your turn.
The next option you have for your turn is to claim a route. To do this you need to lay down the same number of cards in the same colour as the blocks on the board that connect two cities (you can of course use wildcards to represent any colour). If the route on the board is grey then you can use any colour of card, as long as they are all the same. If the grey block has the train symbol on it then you must use a wildcard for that block, and if there is a thick border on the block then that represents a tunnel. When you try to claim a tunnel you turn over the top three cards from the train deck (discarding them), and if any of those cards match the colour that you are using to claim the tunnel, you have to discard an additional card of that colour to claim the tunnel. After claiming a route you place some of your plastic trains on the board and get some points, with longer routes earning more points.
You can also choose to take new tickets on your turn. You draw 3 new tickets, and you must keep at least 1.
Finally you can choose to place a station. This lets you use an opponents route as your own when deciding if the two cities on your tickets are connected at the end of the game.
And that’s it.
Sounds simple enough!
It is simple. Really simple. Basically your collecting sets of coloured cards and spending them to get points. It doesn’t get much simpler, and that means that anyone can play this. And although it is simple there is strategy to it due to the limited routes available, so you can join the cities on your tickets but you can also cause havoc for other players by blocking them. Should you claim the route you really need early in the game, or will you alert other players to your plans? Or should you ignore your tickets entirely and just claim the long routes worth the most points? There will be cursing. There will be cheering. There will be sighs of relief. There will be fun had by all.
First class!
Er, quite…
Trains, some people love them and other people hate them, where do you sit? Personally ever since I played the original Ticket to Ride I have been against train games. A few things changed that, first I picked up Trains from AEG, its a Deck/Route Building Game which let me play a “Train Game” without all the focus being on the trains, and even better they just used cubes instead of plastic trains. Trains as a theme has always been a big turnoff for me and why I have had a hard time getting into train games, but lately I have been asking to play one. Next a friend that I got into board gaming discovered TTR on his own and brought it over, having a new tolerance for trains I could not say no and found myself enjoying Ticket to Ride much more than when I tried it previously. Then I discovered TTR Europe, there are a few differences between Europe and the original Ticket to Ride that make it a much more enjoyable game for me, below I will highlight the basics and then the differences between the Europe and the original game, then I will give my thoughts and explain why why it doesn’t see much table action.
For the entire review complete with full sized images go to: http://toddsboardgames.blogspot.ca/2013/12/ticket-to-ride-europe.html
Objective: In Ticket To Ride Europe your goal is the same as in the original TTR, gather train cards, complete routes between cities corresponding to your Destination Tickets to score points.
Gameplay: On a turn each player will perform one of the following actions:
1. Place Trains: You must complete a route in 1 action (1 turn). In order to complete a route you must play one train card of the corresponding colour for each train you will place on the board.
2. Draw Tickets: You draw 3 destination cards and must keep one of them, you can keep any number of them but keep in mind incomplete tickets count as minus points at the end of the game. Tickets that are not kept are placed on the bottom of the deck.
3. Draw Train Cards: You may take 2 train cards at random or one face up train card of your choice from the 5 face up cards, if you take a face up train card it is immediately replenished.
4. Place Train Station: A train station may be placed in order to use an opponent’s route as your own. The first train station you play will cost 1 train card, the second will cost 2 and your last train station will cost 3 train cards, the train cards used to pay for a train station must be of matching colour.
End of Game: When one player gets down to two trains left every player gets 1 final turn and then scores are calculated.
Scoring: Through the game players are awarded points for each route they finish according to the number of trains in the route. At the end of the game players will score points for any destination tickets they managed to complete, in addition players are awarded 4 points for every Train Station they did not use and the player with the longest route is awarded 10 extra points.
Differences:
A lot of people get the wrong impression that TTR Europe is just a new map, well it is not! In fact I don’t really enjoy the original Ticket to Ride so let me explain the key differences and why I prefer Europe.
Train Stations: For me this is the big one, not because I dislike getting blocked but because I enjoy the added level of strategy, without them there is only so much planning you can do but with Train Stations Ticket to Ride feels like an entirely different game. With 4 players I feel like they add to the urgent/rushed feeling that TTR creates, at the beginning of the game do you take those valuable routes or stash train cards, you will have to make similar decisions with your train stations.
Destination Cards: In TTR Europe you seperate the long routes from the short routes and players are each given only 1 long route at the start of the game, during gameplay you can only draw short routes. This helps make the game more balanced and strategy based instead of luck dependent, however I feel like it is a bit counterintuitive to introduce this mechanic after adding Train Stations to the game (which fix the long vs short route problem for me).
Locomotives: Locomotives serve two purposes, first they are a wild card that allows you to help construct routes easier, secondly they allow you to use ferries. To build a route over water you will need to play a number of Locomotive Cards equal to the number of Locomotive symbols on corresponding on the route. To me adding new water routes and wild cards are great because they help speed up the game as well as give more options.
Tunnels: These are a special route that may require additional train cards. Tunnels are noted by their dark black border on the game board. When a player wishes to claim a tunnel route they first turn over the top 3 train cards from the deck, for each card corresponding with the colour of the route, you must pay 1 additional train card to complete your route. Note that locomotives always count against you. The way tunnels work also seems counterintuitive to me because they slow the game down while Locomotives seem to be put in place to speed the game up, they also make things more random while Locomotives allow for more in depth strategies.
My Thoughts: Although I enjoy Ticket to Ride Europe it does not get played much, mostly because my main group is starting to get into less light games. I think where TTR Europe sits best is as a family game, it is not nearly as frustrating as the original game and has some fantastic mechanics that make it easy for non gamers to really “get into the game”. That being said my personal bias has always been that trains are too boring to hook anyone on our hobby which leaves me with an easy to learn, somewhat addicting, G rated boardgame perfect for families to enjoy together.
Who Would Enjoy Ticket to Ride Europe?
Family Gamers: Ticket to Ride Europe is a great game for families, it has a family friendly theme and the rules are easy to grasp, the box recommends 8 plus. The rules are still deep enough that they allow you to develop a strategy. Also you can learn some geography while playing and playing doesnt take long at all.
Casual Gamers: Ticket to Ride Europe is still every bit as accessible as the original Ticket to Ride and a great way to introduce friends, I like it because it allows room for a bit more long term strategy which is in my opinion a very important aspect when trying to hook new gamers on the hobby. I enjoy TTR as a casual game because of the very fast setup / packup time, and more importantly because turns go around the table at a quick pace.
Gamer Gamers: Although not first choice, many serious gamers I know do enjoy TTR but as a much more cutthroat game where the focus seems to be blocking and keeping hidden the route you are working on is much more important. Although the original Ticket to Ride is better for this, TTR Europe can still be fun and I find makes a much better game to play with your non gamer friends.
When I look for new games to buy (and i don’t have anything specific on my radar), I usually have two basic criteria: will The Wife play it? and will it go well with non-gamers? Ticket to Ride scored 10/10 on both accounts.
Gameplay
The main idea in this game is to build railroad routes between cities to complete tasks (“tickets”). The ticket will tell you to build a route between city A and city B and will reward you with some points for doing so. You also get points for actually building the route parts, so sometimes it is beneficial just to build something anywhere, even if it’s not a part of your ticket.
Building routes requires playing several same-colored cards, so the next most important part of the game is collecting sets of those cards. Some routes may be completed by any color, some have to be filled wit hspecific cards. You can draw the cards from a visible set of 5 cards or you can test your luck and draw random face-down cards. There are also wildcards matching any color (some routes actually require them too).
Interaction
Interaction in Ticket to Ride is… variable, which is in my opinion one of the stronger points of the game. It comes in two flavors: you can build routes in the spots you opponent wants, thus blocking them and / or you can ****** the card colors they need for their routes. Depending on the number of players, your strategy and some luck of the draw, you may want to mess with your opponents to a lesser or greater degree. Of course the more players, the bigger chance of the map getting crowded and subsequently, more blocking. Two player games tend to be relaxed and solitaire-y, while five player games usually end up a bit tense. Most of the times though you can get around it by using a different route ar by placing a station.
Luck factor
On the surface, the game is very random. The tickets you draw are random (meaning your goals are too), the cards you draw are semi-random – so theoretically there is a lot of luck in the final score. After one or two plays though you will see the layer of strategy. Do I hoard train cards for a long time and then build several routes or do I build as soon as I have anough trains for one route? Do I go for my most expensive ticket as soon as I can, thus revealing my most important goal or do I intentionally obscure my priorities to my opponents? Do I hunt for specific colors of train cards from the face-up deck, or do I get lots of random cards and try to get statistics work in my favor?
Dont get me wrong, there is still a lot of luck involved in the game, but there are also several tools for you to manage it – if you choose to use them.
Impressions
Personally, I did not like Tictet to Ride very much after my first play. I thought it was okay, but nothing worth writing home about. Recently however, I had the chance of introducing several friends to board games and TtR shone brightly in that aspect. I even realized I began to like the game myself 🙂
The game is light, even when there is some blocking involved, gives you just enough downtime to socialize (but not enough to get bored) and has quite a nice replay value (could be better with more expensive tickets but that can be solved with a “Europe 1912” Expansion).
Overall – if you are looking for a light casual game or a gateway, you can’t go wrong with Tickets.
You can also read this review on our website: Ticket to Ride Europe Review
Choo Choo! Train coming through the reviews. You are seeing this correctly, we are reviewing Ticket to Ride Europe today!
Gameplay
Ticket to Ride is a game where you’ll be placing a lot of little train carts. The board consists of various cities in Europe with connections between them. At the start of the game, you’ll get 3 normal destination cards and a large one. On those cards, you’ll see between what cities you need to make a connection. The more points a card is worth the further the destination. At the start of the game, you get to choose what destination cards you keep. Usually, you’ll want to get cards that are close together and get rid of the ones that aren’t. If you don’t complete a destination card, you’ll lose points at the end of the game.
Your hand will consist of various colorful train cart cards. Whenever you want to place a train cart on the board, you’ll have to pay the number of cards equal to the number of train carts you want to place. A connection between cities can be a colored one or a non-colored one. if it’s a colored one, you need to pay it with cards of the same color. If it’s non-colored, you can pay with any color as long as it’s all the same. Completing a connection will give you points right away.
Then there are also two other types of connections. You have the ferries and the tunnels. Ferries force you to pay some connection tiles with locomotive cards. The tunnels force you to grab the top three cards of the draw pile. If any of your connections color is drawn, you’ll have to pay more cards. If you can’t, then you can’t finish the connection and you take your cards back.
Your turns consist of drawing train cart cards, playing cards to create connections and drawing new destination cards to gain even more points. The last turn begins when a player has less than three train carts left.
Our opinion
Ticket to Ride Europe is a very fun game that is easy to understand and easy to play. The game can be played with 2-5 players. We like playing it with 2 players, but we feel like the board is just too big for 2 players. The game is most fun when you have to be quick with laying down connections before other players steal the best connections between cities. With 2 players this isn’t really possible, because you are often playing away from each other and rarely meet each other on the board. Other than that, the game is very fun to play with 3-5 players. The board is perfect for that player count. All materials are top quality, the miniatures really add a lot to the feel of the game. The game also has a lot of expansions that will add new boards/mechanics to the game.
Along with the fact that the game is just good quality, there are also different strategies that you can use in the game. Larger connections give you more points, so making a detour to your destination might benefit you more in the end, but leaves you with less train carts to use.
Should you get it?
It depends a bit. If you will only be playing this with 2 players, see if you can try it out somewhere first and see how you like it. If you have a group of people and are able to consistently play with 3-5 players, then yes this game is definitely worth it. With 2 players you might be better of playing one of the smaller standalone games like New York or the expansion India which is designed for 2-4 players, but it contains a board designed for 2-3 players.
One line impression and recommendation:
A fairly relaxed, semi-competitive jaunt across Europe, good for new gamers and younger kids with a little help.
Recommended.
How to play:
Players attempt to complete tickets to travel across Europe by claiming coloured railway routes. To begin each player is dealt four coloured train cards and a number of tickets (one long and three short trips) which represent the routes you are attempting to complete. Each player can do one action during their turn, they may claim a section of track if they have enough matching coloured train cards, draw additional train cards, draw additional tickets or build a train station (these allow you to use another person’s track to complete a ticket).
Review:
Ticket to Ride was another early edition to our games collection. My other half was on the hunt for games that play well with just two players and brought this one home to try out. With two players it is a more relaxed game as it is possible for both players to stay relatively isolated from each other. As the number of players increases there is more tension and competition involved as players start claiming routes that others had their eye on. I find it scales well from two to the maximum five players and the train station mechanic avoids too many disagreements over stolen routes. I like this; however, it may be a negative for those who enjoy strong competition or “take that” style games.
We have played Ticket to Ride with my in-laws as well as friends with great success. Little Miss 9 played with me as a team, as all other players were adults, but she picked it up quite quickly – more quickly than my father-in-law in fact. She only had trouble with a couple of rules and came up with some very inventive ways to fulfil our trip tickets. It’s also been quite popular with our friendship/gaming circle as a good warm-up game or as a break from anything more intensive.
The game is quite good-looking, the board is a beautiful big map of Europe which feels lovely under your fingers and the cards are all beautiful. Although there is a very strong colour matching requirement, all the colours have a corresponding symbol for those who are colour blind. You are also given a few spare trains in each colour in case the cat eats any, which is a nice bonus. The cities are labelled with their local name as of 1901, so you get a little bit of history along the way.
There are a couple of drawbacks which prevent me from giving a higher rating. Firstly, I can’t play too many games in a row as there is limited number of trip tickets (especially the long trips) and after a couple of games you will start repeating trips and other players will recognise where you’re trying to go. The Europa 1912 expansion should help with this but I haven’t yet played it. Secondly, I have a niggly irritation with the fact that the map printed on the trip tickets is not identical to the one on the board which can make it difficult to find cities.
Overall:
A good warm up to (or break from) more serious gaming and a good introduction game. Competitive while still allowing everyone to keep playing right to the end.
A lot of people say that they prefer this version or that version of Ticket. Personally, I like most all the versions, and just think they are a great way to change things up and not let the game get stale.
Ticket Europe is simple, fairly quick, and fun. You spend the game trying to make your own routes, preventing your friends from connecting their routes, and trying to have your routes be in a continuous line for longest route.
The game is fairly simple. You start out with routes to complete, and cards to complete them with. You can pick a few of the routes you drew, or all of them (been playing expansions recently, can’t remember how many for the basic version), and then get started.
Playing trains between cities is how you complete a route. The number of segments in the route are how many cards you need, and the color of the route is the color the cards need to be. For the grey routes, it can be any color, but they must be the same color (eg, you go for a 2 segment grey, you can use 2 blues/greens/reds/etc, but you cannot use a blue and a red, that’s just crazy, there are rules). Locomotives(rainbow cards) can be used as any color, but if there are darkened locomotive(s) on the route, you need that many to complete the route.
On your turn you can do one of three things. You can draw cards, which is the most common action. This involves drawing some combination of 2 cards from the 5 face up cards(everyone knows what you’re going for) and the draw pile(you don’t know what you’re getting). If there is a locomotive face up, you can draw that, but it takes up both your card draws.
The second thing you can do is place trains, which was described above. The third option is drawing new routes. If you have completed your routes, or are confident you will soon, or simply want to be bold and daring, you can draw a few new cards (again, the specific number escapes me). You must keep one of them each time you do this.
As you go, you score routes. 1 segements – 1 points, 2s – 2p, 3s – 4p, 4s – 7p, 5s – 10p, 6s – 15p. Points are tracked with the tokens around the outside of the board. At the end of the game, any routes you completed add their value (the number in the corner) to your score. Any incomplete routes subtract from your score. 10 extra points are awarded for the longest continuous route.
All in all, this game is a ton of fun with many expansions that offer a large degree of variability and fun new tasks, goals, and maps.
If you like trains, locomotives, and board games, Ticket to Ride is a must have. Ticket to Ride: Europe is a fast paced game that is very easy to learn with games ranging from 30 mins to 1 hour (Depending on the audience and experience of the players)
Overall Gameplay
The game can be learned in less than 10 minutes as the instructions are very clear and the design of the game is clean and simple. The game requires players to think and plan ahead in order to map out the best route possible to complete their destination tickets. As players gain knowledge of the game and the possible ticket routes, intensity level rises (players will begin blocking each other, etc).
The Game
1. Initial board setup
2. Tickets are randomly distributed (3 short routes, 1 long route)
3. Randomize player order
4. Players can do one of the following on their turn.
.Draw train cards
.Build one segment of a route
.Construct a train station
.Draw 3 new tickets (must keep atleast 1)
5. Players record their points based on the segments they build
6. Players strive to complete tickets in order to gain points
Game continues until one person has 2 or less trains remaining at any given time which triggers the last turn ending with the person who triggered the end game sequence. Then points are tallied and player with the most points win.
Strengths
-game is easy to setup and learn
-games are quick
-fast paced (turns don’t take forever)
-colourful board and components
-random element in drawing train/tickets (if you like luck!)
-up to 5 players
-has expansions
Weaknesses
-limited strategies available
-train cards are subject to wear and tear
-luck based on drawing
-the game does not promote interaction or communication between players
Conclusion
Ticket to Ride is one of the most played board game in my collection as it is easy to setup and is light on the brain (just the right balance if you don’t want to think too hard). The game is a great addition to anyone’s board game collection as it is suitable for all ages due to its simple and clean game mechanics. This game is also an excellent game to introduce to non-gamers as I will guarantee that they will be asking for more which is why many people consider Ticket to Ride games as a gateway board game. In my opinion, I find the Europe version more fun than the USA version due to a more clustered map and the implementation of the tunnels which gives it a challenging kick. Definitely a good investment!
After the phenomenal success of the 2004 Ticket to Ride, expansions were all but guaranteed. Days of Wonder did not disappoint, producing Ticket to Ride: Europe in 2005. The game carefully maintains all the light appealing gameplay that made the original so popular while adding component upgrades and a few new mechanics to keep things fresh. While not all additions are welcome the overall game, combined with an exciting new map is a definite improvement and sure to extend the enjoyment you get out of the railroad laying competition.
What’s new:
It’s worth saying that the heart of Ticket to Ride is very much preserved – you have a map with major cities connected by railroad tracks. Claiming each track requires discarding colour-matching cards, allowing you to place your train cars on the route. Routes bring you points and help you complete your “tickets” – assignments of connecting two specific cities. Set collection and a choice between building up resources and being first to claim routes are still the major parts of the game. At the end of the games the tickets you complete bring you extra points and the incomplete ones detract from your score. Days of Wonder did not see a need to mess with success and the core structure of the game remains unchanged.
The game accommodates 2-5 players just as the original and its’ duration remains unchanged providing an experience that’s light but substantial in terms of time. It still says 30-60 minutes on the box but from experience 60-90 is more like it.
What does change is the map. You are now laying tracks under the mountains of France and across the fields of Ukraine – from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Black Sea in the south. The map is appealing, functional and as useful in brushing up on your geography as ever. In an interesting decision the names of all cities presented not in their anglicized version but the way these appear in the corresponding language. So you will have Wien instead of Vienna and København instead of Copenhagen. It is an interesting decision and adds flavour, though it does take a bit of getting used to.
The cards depicting different types of train cars receive an upgrade – these are now poker-sized – an increase from the mini-sized cars of the original game. The change is welcome as the bigger cards are easier to handle and add clarity, though it does increase the game’s footprint by a tiny bit.
The tickets are now of two types – normal and long. Every player starts a game with a single long ticket that requires a connection of two far away cities and is worth a significant number of points. This gives players a long-term mission to work towards as the completion of this long route is likely to take up the majority of the game.
Three new additions are featured in the game rules themselves. First and most welcome, Days of Wonder added a new physical component in stations – small plastic buildings to be placed on the map. Placing one into a city requires discarding a small number of matching cards and it allows you to use another players’ route originating from the city as your own. All unused stations are worth points at the end of the game. The change is awesome in that it opens up lots of new possibilities and avoids frustrating situations where you were blocked from completing a ticket because all routes were already taken. Sure, there is a cost to using these but it is a change that significantly improves the playing experience and is very enabling.
Another change is ferries – certain routes (going over water) have a requirement that at least one (or more, depending on the route) cards you play be a wildcard locomotive. This is a light but interesting addition, forcing players to really hunt for those wild cards and making it more appealing to use a double action to take a face-up one. Overall it has a very small impact but is a welcome quirk nevertheless.
And then there are tunnels. Certain routes (ones going under mountains) might require you to use more cards than the route normally requires. A player picks up three top cards and if any of those correspond to the colour of cards that were played to claim the route – the player has to use an additional number of cards equal to the number of matches. If the player doesn’t have additional cards, their turn is cancelled. This change is intended to add tension and a bit of risk management to the game but what it ends up doing is the opposite of what the stations accomplish – it prevents you from enjoying the game by erecting artificial obstacles in your way. Those looking for a challenge might welcome this change, but for TtR’s key audience of casual gamers – I think this is not a good addition.
In conclusion:
Ticket to Ride: Europe is a definite (but small) improvement over its classic predecessor. It works equally well as a standalone game for those who have never played another TtR and as a small next step for those who got a little tired of the original. It is not a complicated game and one where luck plays a significant role so it’s unlikely to be a centerpiece of your gaming night, but it will work great for families as well as a side attraction for the more experienced crowd. The theme is as effective and appealing as ever. That being said – if you own and occasionally enjoy the original there is really no rush for you to get your hands on this particular version.
The component upgrades improve the experience, majority of rule tweaks enhance the game and the map is good at subtly teaching geography. I would suggest to skip the original and to go straight to this one for most gamers. Just ignore the tunnels and you’ll be chugging along in no time!
If you enjoyed this review please consider visiting Altema Games Website for more neat board game materials.
I will preface this review by stating that I really enjoy the Ticket to Ride series. Ticket to Ride Europe was the first game in the series that we purchased. We had already played the base game and enjoyed it but wanted to try something different in the series. That being said, here is my review:
GAMEPLAY
Ticket to Ride Europe is the second installment in the TtR series. This game is an excellent game to introduce many varied groups into boardgaming and is accessible to ages 10 and up. The premise of the game is to connect cities throughout Europe with the development of train routes. The game involves set collection through train cards and development of the routes through purchasing trains and claiming trackes sections to the coloured routes corresponding to train card colours.
What is new in this series over and above the base game is the implementation of :mountain passes; which utilizes a random draw to determine additional card costs for certain routes, Ferried Routes; requiring the multicoloured wild cards be used to indicate greater engine requirements, and Stations; Stations get placed for free up to a minimal card cost that allow players to connect broken track sections that arwe occupied by other players to assist in achieving routes to cities that were otherwise blocked.
Game length generally sits around 45-60 minutes depending on experience and number of players. This game is simple to teach to players that are new to the series and minimal instruction is required for those already experienced in other TtR variants.
COMPONENTS
This area is always a strong point with Days of Wonder (who have thankfully raised the standard in board game quality and components). The board is a bifold design with nicely attired printing. The graphics on the route markers and corresponding cards is ideal for board gamers that may be colour blind. The train pieces are nicely molded plastics the same size as the route markers and rest evenly on the board. The cards in this version are a nice upgrade in size from the European small sized cards in the original. These cards are very nicely printed on a linen finish. Overall, the game is beautiful and functional.
OVERALL IMPRESSIONS
This game is a winner. Gameplay is simple but can be strategic. As a personal note, I’d prefer not to have stations as I think that this can detract from some of the strategic aspect of the game. Due to the extended and remote geography of the various cities in Europe, completing multiple routes can be challenging at times and players familiar with the base game are likely to complete less routes. Overall, I feel that the European map provides a nice variance to the original game and is worthwile to have in your collection alongside the original.
This is by far my favorite version of the TTR series. For more information on how the general game play works see my comments in the original version. I will mostly be talking about differences here.
There are three differences in rules in the Europe version. On top of those the cards are larger, I really don’t like the small cards in the original version. I know you can buy expansions now that give you a full set of cards that are larger, but it’s not worth the money to me. The first difference is that there are tunnels that are harder to build. For example there may be a purple connection that needs two trains, but it’s a tunnel. So you announce you want to try and build a purple tunnel and first three cards are turned up from the top of the train cards. For each of the cards that are turned up that are purple (since that is the color you’re trying to build) you would need an extra card. So for this 2 train connection if you were unlucky you would need 5 cards to build it on this turn. You have the option to not build, either because you don’t want to or don’t have the cards, and you can try again on another turn, but you can’t do anything else on your turn so you effectively lose your turn. The second change is when going over bodies of water you need to build a ferry. For each of these routes a certain number of locomotives are pictured, this tells how many wild cards you have to have in your set. The last rule change are train stations. When you get blocked on a connection, you can now build a train station at one end and use your opponent’s connection as your own.
Probably the biggest difference that makes this game the best for me is the lengths of the destination routes. There are 6 long routes (worth around 20 points) and everybody gets one of those in their initial 3 routes. You can still throw it out if you want, but usually you want to keep it. From here on out there are no more long routes, I think the longest after that is only 13. I think this just makes things more even and doesn’t allow somebody to get those two long routes that are basically the same route so the scores will be more competitive. If you are looking to buy one version of TTR, this is the one you want.
I really like Ticket to Ride. The whole franchise is great. If you want to see what I think about the game play, see my review of Ticket to Ride (US map). I prefer the Europe version because, well, its Europe. I”m a Social Studies teacher, and I feel like EVERYTHING is USA based, so I was glad to see a map of somewhere else. Learning how to pronounce the names is fun, using some geography skills is good to find places, and the 1912 theme is great. The addition of the tunnels makes the game a bit more random and adds moments of tension that I enjoy.
What I like most about the Europe version is that it is not so “square.” See, my only real problem with the original map is that it feels somewhat balanced in its area. The whole map is like one big square, and you could literally build a ring around the map with your trains and do a decent job racking up the points. In Europe, the map seems a little ‘off-kilter’ compared to the US map. Some cities are used a whole lot more often than others, and the map seems to present more of a challenge. Others may disagree, but I find this to be an awesome change of the game. You really have to think of which region of the board you want to build towards, because you can’t build a circle around the map (it really is not possible). I”m having trouble articulating the point, but it has a different feel to it.
Also, you should add the 1912 Expansion to the game (but don’t use the warehouses, they are annoying) and try the Big Cities version of the game. Having more tickets makes the game much more enjoyable.
I am no fan of the first version, aka Ticket to Ride, mainly because of the US map and the cut throat play, it has a hardcore feel to it. This version feels different, more family friendly perhaps, with the addition of ferries, tunnels and train stations, better map. Still it isn’t my favorite, Ticket to Ride Marklin is and would be my pick. The Marklin map is well laid out and gorgeous. The single addition of the passenger figures that are added to the game, to me, makes Marklin the best one. The passengers are used to pick up merchandise tokens scoring points. This adds a needed sub-strategy element to the game. The long and short routes are well thought out, too. Marlin does suffer more than the Europe version with geography location problems, it is mostly a German cities map. I have to use a player’s aid, a printed map/photo of the board with a grid A-Z down one side, 0-9 on the top with the names of the countries and cities listed by their [A-Z] [0-9] coordinates under the map. Given where you are sitting the problem can be worst. i.e. viewing the map upside down. Still Ticket to Ride: Europe is a pretty game,an excellent game and your kids will learn a little European geography from it. If they hadn’t released the Marklin version, it would be my pick.
I don’t think Ticket To Ride is a bad game, but my experiences have been lacking somewhat.
The board and components are gorgeous, and I really cannot fault these. It’s interesting looking at a map of Europe 100 years ago, with all the borders in places we don’t consider these days, and the overall art style is lovely.
The game rules are extremely simple making this a good gateway game. Players get ‘Destination tickets’ at the start of the game. These are cities they must connect up with train routes they have claimed to score points. Any leftover tickets that have not been completed count against your score. Routes are claimed by discarding the required train cards from your hand and placing little train counters on the board. On your turn, you can draw more train cards, claim a route or draw a new Destination Ticket, which adds an element of ‘press your luck’ – will you have time to finish the route before the end of the game, or will you lose points?
There are a handful of extra rules. Players can play ‘stations’ which all you to use an opponent’s route to complete one of your destination tickets, though there is a point penalty for doing so. Also, there are ‘tunnel routes’, which represent the unknown. These routes might cost more than they appear – up to double. Any additional costs are determined by drawing more cards from the deck. If certain train cards show up, you have to pay extra. Throughout the game, players are supposed to try to block each other’s routes off, or try to acquire the cards their opponent needs to claim the routes they desire.
The game lasts about an hour, and because it is easy, it would be a great game to recommend to new players if not for how… dull… it is. Every time I have played it, there has been very little conversation about the game. In fact, there has been little conversation about anything, except ‘could you pass me a card from the pile please?’. For that reason, my recommendation for a gateway game is still (groan) The Settlers Of Catan – your friends will feel much more involved and interact a lot more. Just make sure you introduce them to some other games soon after!
I fretted so much over Ticket to Ride. It was not whether to buy it, but rather, which version? There are four standalone versions and nine expansions (plus a card game)! I poured over online reviews and found that every edition seemed worthwhile, but each had some compromise or potential pitfall. “The USA edition is great, but the cards are too small” said many. “The Nordic Edition is the one to get, but only for 2-3 players…” said others. And the more I read, the more confused and troubled I became.
Then after much deliberation, I ordered Ticket To Ride Europe. It is my first Days of Wonder game, and it is a beauty. I can’t really find fault in this game. I have played with two, three, and four players, and each works well. The only minor quibble I have with Ticket to Ride Europe is the publishers’ use of the European spelling of many of the city names. I know it is the “Europe” edition, and I should not expect that the game cater to my American standard or preference.
It does, however, slow the gameplay as players search for cities like “Brest”, “Venezia”, and “Zagrab” on the huge board. Perhaps that is being too picky, and the map starts to take shape after enough plays. But I can’t help but wonder how that aspect of the game would be different with locations like Chicago, Denver, or Los Angeles in the US version. Is TTR Europe the definitive version? I guess it depends on the gamer and the size of his or her gaming group.
The upside of the Europe map is that learning occurs each time I search the map and locate a city. I am pleased with my choice of TTR Europe, and the many available expansions will ensure the game will stay fresh and exciting for years to come. I love the beauty and simplicity of this game. The quality components and replay value make this a very worthwhile purchase. I count TTR Europe among my favorites.
This game can be a lot of fun, and is very simple to pick up, but requires a lot of organization. Your strategy can become very confused if you don’t keep everything in order, and early on; as the game picks up and you acquire more and more game goals, your choices grow nearly exponentially. Players that don’t want to keep track of all of this will find the game cumbersome, but for those who enjoy strategizing will probably find the game rewarding, especially when completing destinations and completing goals.
I started with the Europe version of the game, but would recommend starting with the standard edition (unless you are extremely knowledgeable about European geography). This is not a huge issue, but can slow the game down a bit when players are trying to constantly track down the cities on the board, due to unfamiliarity with the region.