Ticket to Ride: Nordic Countries
2-3
8+
30+
In this 2-3 player version in the award winning Ticket to Ride board game series players collect cards of various types of train cars that enable them to claim railway routes and pass through tunnels and onto ferries, as they connect cities throughout the Nordic Countries
As with previous versions, the game remains elegant, can be learned in 5 minutes and provides hours of fun for families and experienced gamers alike.
User Reviews (13)
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I love playing board games (obviously why I am here), unfortunately my wife does not share my same level of enthusiasm for the hobby. She does enjoy games on ocassion but is very specific in what she is willing to play. Because of this, finding game that we can enjoy together between only us can be challenging. Fortunately, in TtR Nordic we seem to have landed on a winner.
Gameplay
TtR Nordic plays much like other games in the series, there is nothing new introduced here except for the plaer size and route accessibility. The game plays 2-3 players but I have found that 2 players is ideal. Three player games are fun but could be equated to playing a 4-5 player game in the original version, the game can be played but you are apt to experience a high level of frustration caused by having your routes routinely blocked by players in pursuit of their own routes.
Artwork/Components
Nordic does not disappoint in this department. I find that the artwork in this rendition is actually the best in the whole series. I love the northern feel of the map and cards. The selection of the train colours of Purple, White, and Black are beautifully mached to the map colours. I couldn’t help but get a sense of a Christmas atmosphere given the display of snow and the Nordic man that looked distinctly like an elf to my eyes.
Overall Impressions
Great 2 player game. Excellent artwork with proven gaming mechanics. Works well for husband/wife gaming experiences as most routes can be accessible to both partners without too much required adjustment (and won’t result in the other spouse sleeping on the couch).
The Nordic Countries addition to TTR is my favorite stand alone two player map.
Unlike some of the 2 player maps that are available this is a full addition that does not require one of the other TTR(US or Europe) to play.
The winter artwork on the board and train tickets is beautiful and makes this a must play for my wife and I at Christmas.
Nordic Countries includes tunnels and ferries like the Europe edition of TTR which I think adds a nice “gamer” aspect that is missing from the TTR US.
The other difference between this map and the US and Europe maps is it is a vertical map. That might not seem like much of a difference, but honestly the first time my wife and I set the game up it was a major change for both of us. In the end it doesn’t the map plays the same, but to the eye it is just a nice chance.
I got this game for two reasons. First, I really like Ticket to Ride, it is one of the best casual family games I own. Second, I have lived in Scandanavia and really loved it. The bonus is that this is a really fun game in it’s own right.
Pros:
Artwork is beautiful.
Game play with 2-3 players is very tense, especially in the end game.
It is still TtR.
Cons:
Those who aren’t familiar with places in Scandinavia will have a hard time locating/remembering them
Overall this is a win and better than the Swiss map.
When I got into boardgaming a few years back, Ticket to Ride was my introduction to the wonderful world of Euro games. Since then it had become a favorite between my wife and I. While it was a great game to play with friends and family, it always felt a little lacking. Buying the 1910 expansion helped a little bit, bit it was still an open board.
Enter TTR: Nordic. This is a great version of the game for 2 players. The map is tight and cramped, making it hard not to get in each others way. This fast became the go-to version for when the wife and I want a fun game to play.
I will say though, that if you are new to the series, this version does have a couple extra rules and twists that make it just an iota more complicated than the vanilla version. But it still super fun and easy to learn.
For Ticket To Ride fans, well at least for this one, the key to these games are the maps. Yes, you can get Marklin and introduce passengers, but mainly, once you get the game play down, which is pretty easy to learn, the replay value comes from owning all the different versions so you can conquer new maps.
With Nordic, the map is smaller, which allows 2 player gaming. This is the big selling point for this edition in my house. My wife and I love playing games, but we can’t always get 4 people together to play, especially on a weeknight or something, so I’ve been searching out Euro type games with 2 Player options (like Belfort). Since I love TTR, Nordic was a natural pick up and we really love being able to just pull it off the shelf on a whim to get some game time in rather than planning a big night of TTR:Europe or Marklin.
Now, note that other TTR titles can also be played with 2 players, but the maps are so big you end playing a game of drawing cards and racing to finish routes. What Nordic does is give you that smaller map so that players are forced into competing for routes, amping up the competition level.
If you own none of the TTR series, start with the original or Europe IMHO, but if you’re a fan and want a simpler version for the reasons I suggested, Nordic is a great pick up and you definitely won’t be sorry.
Originally available only in Scandinavia, Ticket to Ride: Nordic Countries, like its immediate predecessor, Ticket to Ride: Switzerland, is designed for two to three players. Yet where Ticket to Ride: Switzerland was merely an expansion – consisting of a new board and new Destination Tickets, all packaged into a flat, album sized box – Ticket to Ride: Nordic Countries is a full game. So the game comes complete with a new board, new Destination Tickets, and new rules, but also the game’s own deck of Train cards, three sets of train pieces, three wooden scoring markers, and the new Globetrotter card.
The aim and play of Ticket to Ride: Nordic Countries is relatively unchanged from other Ticket to Ride titles. The players take it in turns to draw colored Train tickets, either face up or from the deck, attempting to get enough to match the color of various routes on the board. When he has enough, a player can claim and mark a route with his trains. Each route connects two cities, and by connecting one or more routes a player can complete the full route marked on one of the Destination Tickets he received at game start, for example, “København to Narvik” or “Oslo to Honningsvåg” in Ticket to Ride: Nordic Countries. Points are scored for each route claimed, the longer the route, the greater the number of points, though points are lost at game’s end for incomplete Destination Tickets.
Unlike its predecessor, Ticket to Ride: Nordic Countries does not offer any new type of Destination Ticket, so no Destination Tickets that connect the cities of Scandinavia to locations beyond her borders. What it adds is a new theme that shows in the graphical design, typified by the snowbound train and waving Laplander (complete with reindeer) illustrations and the snow-covered cars on the train cards. More Christmassy than the chocolate box style of Ticket to Ride: Switzerland.
It also adds a vertical rather horizontal board as in other Ticket to Ride titles. This reflects the region’s geography which is dominated by Finland, Norway, and Sweden, which together run the height of the board. The northern tip of Denmark sits at the board’s bottom edge; whilst the Estonian capital, Tallinn, lies to the East and to the North, across the Russian border, sits Murmansk, the largest city north of the Arctic Circle. The latter is marked with both a line and with a dark mauve wash to reflect the Midnight Sky.
Given this geography, the board is dominated by long vertical routes with relatively few horizontal routes, mostly located in the South where there are several tunnels. Ferry routes run the length of the Norwegian coast and crisscross the Baltic Sea, connecting the various countries by short sea routes. Tunnels work just as they do in Ticket to Ride: Switzerland and Ticket to Ride: Europe. Similarly, the ferries work just as they do in Ticket to Ride: Europe.
The inclusion of these tunnels and ferries means that Ticket to Ride: Nordic Countries feels much like a two to three player variant of Ticket to Ride: Europe. There is one major difference though – an exceptional route that runs from Murmansk in Russia to Lieksa in Finland and is nine spaces long! This breaks the usual limit of six-space routes and is worth an incredible twenty-seven points! It is a grey route, so cards of any color can be used to claim the route. As with ferries, cards of another color can be substituted to claim one or more spaces along the route, but four cards instead of three. So a player could use eight red cards and four black cards to claim the route instead of the full nine red. Lastly, the Globetrotter card is awarded for the most number of completed Destination Tickets rather a bonus for the Longest Continuous Route.
Obviously, Ticket to Ride: Nordic Countries draws strong comparisons with Ticket to Ride: Switzerland. Both have fewer Destination Tickets and fewer Train pieces – forty rather than forty-five, and both are tight playing boards with an emphasis on the locomotive card. Where their use is reserved for tunnels in Ticket to Ride: Switzerland, they are used for tunnels and ferries in Ticket to Ride: Nordic Countries. Further, their number is limited in this variant, so players will find themselves cycling through the train deck in order to find them and accumulating handfuls of cards in the process. Significantly, there are fewer Destination Tickets in Ticket to Ride: Nordic Countries that duplicate sections of routes on other Destination Tickets as there are in Ticket to Ride: Switzerland.
Ticket to Ride: Nordic Countries offers a more balanced two to three player variant that is as tight as Ticket to Ride: Switzerland, that whilst not as complex, offers a greater variety because it has fewer tunnels and more ferries. In some ways, it is a better introduction to the Ticket to Ride family than the original Ticket to Ride, as it provides more in the way of competition and a challenge. Ticket to Ride: Nordic Countries is the best option if a group is looking for a two to three player way into Ticket to Ride family.
A gorgeous board and card set. If 2 to 3 players games are your normal, this is a good standalone version. There is also 2-3 player Ticket to Ride Switzerland but it requires pieces parts from either Ticket to Ride or Ticket to Ride: Europe. Both are hard to find and can be overly expensive in the aftermarket. Both great games if you can find them at a good price. Nordic Countries is great to play around the holidays.
I was very excited when I bought this game, as it was my first of the Ticket to Ride series. I bought it as a game to play with people who don’t play games often, but quickly became a favorite of mine and my gamer husband. It is a tight and tense map and we can easily play it in 30-35 minutes and is one of our most played games, even with an extensive two player collection.
While there really is nothing new in this version, it is a good deal of fun, and a great way to adjust the game for a smaller get together or for two people to play. Also, this isn’t an expansion, but a full standalone, so if having fewer players is your norm, it is a great version to pick up instead of the other standalone versions requiring more players. Outside of this, it is everything you have come to expect from Ticket; A simple, easy to learn, train adventure.
Enjoyable expansion. Love to play at Christmas. Good for beginners due to the small map.
Number one, you’ve got to love the cover! This is a great first expansion to your Ticket to Ride library. There are extra mechanics on the main theme that make this a fun alternative to the US or European maps.
I like Nordic countries the best out of them all. it adds all aspects into one and adds more strategy
This is our favorite Ticket to Ride for 2 players! The map is small enough to still be competitive with only 2 players, which isn’t true for most Ticket to Ride editions.
In fact, Nordic Countries is our second favorite Ticket to Ride overall, it’s just behind UK & Pennsylvania in our ranking. UK & Pennsylvania we like just a little bit better because you can buy shares in companies which significantly depends the game’s strategy in our opinion.