Ticket to Ride

I'm in my 30's and have been looking for games to play while visiting my parents or with my roommate and his kids, and "Ticket to Ride" has quickly become a favorite. I first heard about it online about a year and half back, on a gaming show hosted by Wil Wheaton, and immediately ordered a copy. It's a game that's simple enough that a child can grasp it, (I'd say 10 years old would be a good starting age, though it is advertised as being for ages 8+) but also complex enough to be entertaining for teens and adults. It's essentially a card collection game, as you try to draw matching colors in order to trade them in and build trains between cities on a map of the US. (With each line needing a specific color and number of cards.) In addition, each player must also complete specific routes or "tickets" between key cities (often at different ends of the map), and can also work on other tasks like trying to build the longest singular train path, which gives you and end-game score-boost. As I said, it's very simple to grasp. But there's quite a bit of complexity, as most of the tasks can be completed multiple ways, and players can actively try to block one-another's routes and strategies by getting to certain areas first. With dozens of locations on the map and numerous "tickets" to play, it makes each new playthrough fun and unique. There's near-endless replay value, and with various expansions and "sequels" having been released, there's even more potential for players who master this original edition. Playtime usually lasts between 30-60 minutes, depending on the number of players and their experience, and it's very quickly paced once everyone gets their hands on the cards they need. The materials include a rather large gameboard (make sure you have a sizable table to play on, as it's roughly twice the size of most standard tabletop game-boards), wooden score-keeping pieces, over 100 cards and plastic trains in about a half-dozen colors. If I were to nitpick, I would definitely say the cards are oddly small and thus can be hard to shuffle and handle- especially at the start of each game, when you'll end up spending 15 minutes just trying to mix them up as much as possible. But it's a small price to pay for such a fun game. Overall, Ticket to Ride has quickly become a family favorite, and it is definitely one I'd highly recommend! A 5 out of 5!

Ticket to Ride: 2-5 Players, Ages 8+, Average Play Time = 45-60 Minutes The average game plays out the same way ninety-nine percent of the time...draw train cards...draw train cards...make a connection and score points...draw train cards...draw train cards...make a connection and score points...draw train cards...draw train cards...draw train cards...etc. Players will sometimes draw ticket cards if they feel that they can make the new random connections the cards task them with before the game is over, but doing this is optional. Ticket to Ride is a great game for kids and adults alike, despite its repetitiveness. The gameplay is fairly simple and turns go smoothly...that is...all you're doing is either drawing to match like colors or placing like colors on the board to make connections. You aren't managing stocks or trying to figure out if the D-20 you rolled entitles you to a critical hit because someone else played an interrupt card. For this reason, everyone in the house (with the exception of the person who hates board games) enjoys playing this game. The thirteen year old says that this is her favorite game to play, because it is "fun." The ten-year old enjoys the whole "train theme" and making connections. As for me, I enjoy it because of the strategy element. If I see one of the kids trying to make an obvious connection between two distant cities, for example, I may decide to make my own connections to block them. Players can't make connections over someone else's, meaning they have to make detours if they really wished to continue to make their original connection. Some city routes have dual connections to combat this. I enjoy the strategy of placing connections based on what my ticket cards require me to do without making it too obvious. Rather than form a long chain of trains, I'll place a connection here and a connection there so that my route isn't obvious until it is almost complete. By then, it's usually too late for anyone to block me. I highly recommend you give this a try, especially if you are looking for something new to play on family game night.

This is an excellent board game, with a reasonable mix of skill and luck involved. Depending on how many people are playing, and how quickly they take their turns, this game can take anywhere between thirty minutes and two hours. The rules are simple, and while experienced players have an advantage against beginners, people can get up to speed after a few turns of their first game. Strategies for winning consistently can be gained after only one or two games. There are many versions and expansions for this game, all of which are fun and interesting and worth looking at to see which best suits your group of players. But, this is the most basic form of the game and has the most straight-forward set of rules: - You have "tickets" telling you which cities your trains need to connect in order to earn points, if at the end of the game, the connection isn't completed, you get a negative point value for that "ticket". - You have colored "train car" cards, which you combine to build connections between cities. If a connection is colored, you need that color to make the connection and if it is grey, then you can use any one color to make the connection. - On each turn, you can either: build a connection between two cities; select a new "ticket"; draw two "train car" cards from 5 visible possibilities or from the face down deck. - There are "locomotive train car" cards, which are wild, but are more expensive to draw from the visible cards (only get one). - The longer the set of train cars used to make a connection, the more points you earn (1=1, 2=2, 3=4, 4=7, etc.) - Whoever has the longest connection at the end, by train car length, gets additional points. The expansion versions add other possibilities, depending on the map (tunnels that can take more than one card to complete; ferries that require at least one locomotive; etc.). Some of the maps/expansions are better suited to more players and others are limited to just two or three players. You can probably find a version of this game that is best suited for your group, but this basic version is a good version to start with. I would also highly recommend the PC or mobile version of this game, which can provide access to many of the maps and give you an idea as to which version of the game you would prefer, without buying all of them. Overall, this is one of the best board games out there, well suited to beginning players or more advanced board gamers.

Love this game! Easy to understand and requires the right mix of strategy and luck that anyone can master after a round of play. Great two player game! Usually takes about an hour to play

Every week we play board games as a family. When you play that often either you get board with what you have because it's always the same, or you play ticket to ride. It is different enough each time that you will never have the same experience twice. Like any good game it is more fun with more people. It is a simple strategy game where you complete train routes by placing track sections on the boar for points, o blocking people so they don't get points. If easy enough that even younger children can figure it out easily. Keep an eye out for the expansion packs.

I bought this game to introduce my parents and younger nephews to Board games and to summarize the experience, it was a huge success! Ticket to ride is a light strategy game where the aim is to connect routes with the chain of trains you have and get points. The person with the highest number of points wins! It is a nice game for kids and elders alike. As this is a beginner strategy game, I would not recommend this game for seasoned strategists, but rather for folks who are just getting into strategy games Build: 9 on 10 The build of the game was really good. The quality of trains was sturdy and the look and feel of the board was professional. I did not need a sleeve for the cards as they did not bend and were nice and flat. They also have a nice touch and feel. While one of my trains was damaged, they had provided plenty of spare trains which made it worthwhile. Packaging: 10 on10 The package was received on time. The product itself comes in nice professional box and has dedicated locations to store each item from the game. It was quite easy to unwrap the product and start using it. Overall: 9 on 10 Overall, having played many many strategy games, this still ends up as one of my favorite ‘light’ strategy games. I often depend on others leaving honest reviews when I need to order a new item. I find that one of the most difficult things about ordering online is that I can’t hold or touch the products before buying them. So, I love reviews from others who have touched, inspected, and used the item I’m thinking about purchasing. I strive for the same in leaving reviews for others – to leave a review that will help others make an informed decision (never to inflate the product's quality). If you have found this review helpful, I’d love if you’d indicate that below.

So here's the deal this game is super fun just like everybody says so don't think my less than 5 star review indicates anything but that. We play it as a family and both the parents and the kids get really into it. High play and replay-ability, quick to learn but a LIFETIME TO MASTER and all that stuff like you'd expect based on everyone raving about it. Observations / suggestions / etc: - Requires a fairly big surface area given lots of cards and lots of pieces are part of this game - Gameplay is super fast, you can get around the horn very quickly (4 players can play in 30 seconds total if they all just draw cards), so don't think you're going to be getting up to get a drink after your turn or anything. Or checking phones seriously just put them away. Good to agree on a set "break time" or something - Total game time is also pretty fast but not silly fast. An hour or 90 minutes or so. - If you play with people who are sneaky you should think about wearing sunglasses so they can't see where you are looking on the board because it might give away your strategy if they could tell where you are focusing - If you're playing against people who don't wear sunglasses try and watch their eyes so you can see where they are looking, it may give away their strategy and you can swoop in and take their routes and win the game that'll teach them - The spot labeled Duluth is clearly in Minneapolis/St Paul and *everyone* who you play with from Minnesota will point it out - I recommend some sort of "card holder" thing if you play with younger kids and/or people with smaller hands. We have some wooden boards with slots cut in them to hold cards and they help a ton in this game (and others). I put a picture of that up. My only real critique of this game - and the reason it's 4 not 5 stars - is the board doesn't sit especially flat. You can see in the pictures I attached. At times you have what seems like a million little trains on the board and just having the board not sit flat makes it seem a bit cheap. This is all about MANUFACTURING quality however, not about GAMEPLAY quality.

If you know, you know. This is quite possibly one of the best board games ever invented. We play with our grown kids and also with their kids (ages 6-13). If you don't have one, you're seriously missing out.

The product came within a few days of ordering undamaged, and all contents were accounted for. Ticket to Ride (North America) is the first entry of the series and (IMO) the best one to start with for new players, as it doesn't have added special game mechanics (i.e. railroad stations) compared to later versions (i.e., Europe, Japan, etc.) of the game. Ticket to Ride (North America) is an easy-to-learn game as the player has one of two actions per round, drawing or playing train cards to create an entire route from one city to another. The only small negative aspect I find with the game is the size of the train cards. It's half the size of the Ride to Ticket (Europe) version and hard to hold with big hands.

Este juego es muy divertido y fácil de aprender. Mi mamá es adulta mayor y lo entendió a la primera. Le gusta porque le ayuda a estar atenta y ejercitando su mente, pero sin ser demasiado complicado o demasiado fácil. Otra cosa buena es que los turnos son muy rápidos, por lo que no hay que esperar mucho entre turno y turno, aunque se juegue entre 5 jugadores. También está padre que es de esos juegos donde todos pueden competir amistosamente o hacerse la guerra para bloquearse unos a otros, dependiendo del estilo de cada quien. Los carritos de tren y el tablero están muy bien hechos y son bonitos. Tal vez me gustaría que las cartas fueran más grandes, porque son algo difíciles de barajar. Esta edición no tiene túneles ni estaciones, como la Europea, pero de todos modos se juega bien.

great game!the rules are simple,every item has a nice touch and i am enjoying it every time i play.they got some great extensions to the game and i will buy also the Switzerland and India extension. i recommend!for the board games lovers,it's a must!

I found the game quite interesting and engaging while playing with the family. A very well though out game to entertain the family and doesn't ever get boring.. Only the cards are quite small to hold. Otherwise no issues. The quality of the product is top-notch. Plus point is you need not be a hard-core gamer to enjoy the essence of this game. It won't even take much time to finish. So if you have 1- 1.5 hours to spare, this game doesn't have any alternative. The price is really high for an indian customer. I had to pay more than 4000 bucks to have one. Seems you have no alternative once it gets into your nerves. But thinking about the indian and other oriental customers the price should be lessened. RISK is also a good game but it is not overpriced. Only 1500 bucks will suffice.

I love this game! It's super fun, easy to play and possible to play with just 2 people.