Ticket to Ride (Aventureros al Tren)
Description
Travel across North America, Europe and more, collect cars and connect major cities in this rail race for victory! Ticket to Ride is, along with Catan, the gateway game par excellence. Its global success is due to its elegance and simplicity: on your turn, you only have 3 options, but the strategy that results from them is surprisingly deep. The main mechanic is Set Collection, where you collect wagon cards of different colors to claim routes on the map. The tension increases as the map fills up and the routes you need are blocked by other players. The heart of the game lies in managing your Destination Tickets: these give you big points if you complete the routes between the indicated cities, but penalize you if you don't. This forces you to weigh the risk of going for ambitious goals. The game is visually appealing and uses plastic components that are easy to handle. If you are looking for a board game that is incredibly accessible, perfect for any age or experience level, with rules that are explained in 5 minutes and that guarantees fun and competitive indirect interaction, Ticket to Ride is the safest investment. Get on board and claim your longest route!
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How to play
On your turn, you have only 3 options: 1. Draw Wagon Cards: You draw 2 wagon cards (color) from the visible or blind pile. 2. Claim Route: You pay the cost of car cards of the corresponding color and place your plastic cars on the map route. You gain victory points immediately. 3. Draw Destination Tickets: You draw 3 destination cards and keep at least one. The game ends when a player has 2 or fewer plastic cars left. Players earn points for their claimed routes, bonuses for the longest continuous route, and subtract points for uncompleted Destination Tickets.
Why you might like it
Simple and elegant rules (the game is explained in 5 minutes), The risk/reward system of Destination Tickets is an excellent hook, It is the quintessential travel game (with a multitude of maps and expansions). If you are looking for a game that is easy to explain, quick to play and with a very addictive objective system, Ticket to Ride is a safe bet for any type of table.
What to keep in mind
Heavy reliance on drawing the necessary wagon cards, Roadblocks can be frustrating and random, Interaction is indirect, and can be too shallow for heavy game players
Mechanics
Base game
This expansion requires the base game to play