Ticket to Ride (board game)

Ticket to Ride
Designer(s) Alan R. Moon
Illustrator(s) Julien Delval, Cyrille Daujean
Publisher(s) Days of Wonder (2004)
Language(s) English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Finnish, Polish, Danish, Czech, Swedish, Hungarian, Norwegian, Korean, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Greek
Players 2–5
Age range 6+
Setup time <5 minutes
Playing time 1-2 Hours
Random chance Moderate
Skill(s) required Strategy

Ticket to Ride is a railway-themed German-style board game designed by Alan R. Moon, Illustrated by Julien Delval and Cyrille Daujean, published in 2004 by Days of Wonder. The game is also known as Zug um Zug (German), Les Aventuriers du Rail (French), Aventureros al Tren (Spanish), Wsiąść do pociągu (Polish), and Menolippu (Finnish).

The game won the 2004 Spiel des Jahres, the Origins Award for Best Board Game of 2004, the 2005 Diana Jones award, the 2005 As d'Or Jeu de l'année, and placed second in the Schweizer Spielepreis for Family Games.[1] Ticket to Ride: Europe won the 2005 International Gamers Award. As of August 2008, over 750,000 copies of the game had been sold according to the publisher.[2] As of October 2014, over three million copies were reported sold, with retail sales of over $150 million.[3]

Gameplay

Explanation of the railroad cars depicted on the train cards
Card color Car depicted
Black Hopper car
White Reefer
Red Coal car
Green Caboose
Blue Passenger car
Yellow Boxcar
Ballet Slipper Pink Freight car
Orange Tanker
Gold Steam locomotive

At the beginning of the main game, players are dealt four train car cards as their playing hand. They are also dealt three Destination Ticket cards, each of which shows a pair of cities on the map. These become goals, representing two end-points which players are secretly attempting to connect. The player must keep at least two of these destination cards and discard unwanted tickets to the bottom of the stack, if any. Once kept, a destination ticket may not be discarded for the rest of the game. Each player also selects a group of 45 colored train pieces with a matching scoring marker.

Each turn, the player has to choose from three options:

  1. draw two railway car cards in various colours from the draw piles (with the restriction that drawing a wild Locomotive card face up forfeits drawing another card), or
  2. draw three additional destination ticket cards and keep at least one (replacing undesired tickets at the bottom of the stack), or
  3. play their collected railway car cards from their hand to claim routes on the board which is a map of the United States and southern Canada and place the corresponding number of train pieces from their store on the claimed route, thereby earning points.

Note: a player may only execute one of the options above per turn.

The routes are of varying lengths (requiring varying numbers of matching coloured cards), and each discrete route marked on the board can be claimed by only a single player. Some cities are connected by two parallel routes that can each be claimed by a different player (unless the game is played by 3 or fewer players, in which case only one of the routes can be claimed). The same player may not claim both parallel routes between two adjacent cities. Longer routes are worth progressively more points than shorter routes, e.g., a route of length four is worth more than two routes of length two.

On his or her turn, a player can claim any route anywhere on the board that has not already been claimed, regardless of whether the route helps to complete his or her destination tickets. The routes score points by themselves, as mentioned above, but routes not connected to a player's destination do not help him or her in reaching the destination or completing his or her destination ticket.

The game ends when one player has exhausted or nearly exhausted his or her supply of coloured train pieces. When this occurs, every player then plays one additional turn, after which they each reveal their previously hidden destination tickets. Additional points are awarded for having successfully connected the destinations on the cards, whereas points are subtracted for any incomplete tickets. A ten-point bonus is awarded to the player who has the longest continuously connected set of routes.

Spinoffs

Since the game's release in 2004, Days of Wonder has released six additional stand-alone board games, one card game, and multiple electronic game versions.

Board games

Europe

A game of Ticket to Ride: Europe at the start of the game.

Released in 2005, Ticket to Ride: Europe takes place on a map of Europe as it was at the turn of the 20th century. The game includes two new types of route: Ferry routes, which require Locomotive cards to be played when claiming them, and Tunnel routes, which adds the risk that additional train cards may be necessary to complete the route.

This version has six designated 'long route' destination tickets, therefore the distribution of destination tickets at the beginning is different as compared to the base game. Each player is dealt four destination tickets, one of which is a 'long' ticket, and must keep at least two.

Each player is also given three Train Stations, which allow a player to sacrifice points to use a route already claimed by another player. This allows each player an additional option during their turn. They may choose to discard a matching set of train car cards and play a station on top of any open city. For their first station they must discard a single card, for the second station they must discard a set of two matching cards, and for their final station they must discard a set of three matching cards. Any unplayed station is worth four points at the end of the game.

Märklin

Days of Wonder released Ticket to Ride: Märklin in 2006, based on a map of Germany. Märklin is a German toy company, best known for model railways and technical toys. Whereas railway car cards of each type in the previous games were identical, the cards in Ticket to Ride: Märklin each show a different image of Märklin rolling stock. While this has no impact on actual play, it provides additional theme and flavor.[4]

The game adds passengers and goods as a new point-scoring mechanism. This allows each player to place up to three passengers (over the course of a game) in cities when establishing routes between them. At any later point in time, players can then choose to move their passenger, causing the passenger to traverse a set of connected points, collecting available point tokens (or goods) at each city which is visited. Doing so consumes the passenger, which is then removed from the game. Because the point tokens themselves are removed as they're collected, doing this early in the game earns tokens of higher value, while doing so later in the game tends to traverse longer routes.

This version of the game also uses two different type of Locomotive wildcards. In addition to the standard type, there are +4 locomotives, which can only be used as wildcards on routes of at least length four. The upside of this is that these locomotives can be freely selected from the available face-up cards without counting as a double-draw.

Nordic Countries

In late October 2007, Days of Wonder released a local version of Ticket to Ride in the Nordic countries of Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Norway. While it was initially intended to be sold only in these countries, this version also became available in English, French and German.

The gameboard is located in the Nordic countries, including part of Russia and Estonia. It includes ferry routes and tunnels, like Ticket to Ride: Europe. Players only receive a set of 40 colored train pieces for this version and is playable by 2 or 3 players only.

Deutschland

In September 2012, Asmodee GmbH, Days of Wonder’s German distributor, released Zug um Zug: Deutschland ("Ticket to Ride: Germany"). It was developed and produced specifically at Asmodee GmbH’s request and is only available in Germany and Austria.[5]

As a complete, stand-alone game, it is an adaptation of the same map and routes first introduced in Ticket to Ride Märklin, with a thematic change, the map now being set in turn-of-the-20th-century Germany. The game rules do not include the Merchandise and Passengers mechanisms present in Märklin.

Rails & Sails

Released worldwide in September 2016, Ticket to Ride: Rails & Sails is a standalone game with a double-sided board, the largest used in any Ticket to Ride game.[6] One side is "The World" map and the other is "The Great Lakes" map. This version contains train pieces and ship pieces to be played on land routes and water routes respectively. The travel cards include a modified train card deck and a new "ship deck" used to claim land or water routes respectively. Also included are 3 harbor tokens for each player.

The World - With this map players start with 3 train cards, 7 ship cards, 5 destination tickets, 25 trains, 50 ships, and 3 harbors. After choosing which destination tickets to keep (at least 3), players must discard train and/or ship pieces (back into the box) until they have a combined total of 60 trains/ships. Players have five options during their turn of which they may only choose one. First, they may take 2 travel cards (any combination of train and/or ship cards) or 1 face up locomotive. Replaced face up cards can be taken from either the train or ship deck at the current player's discretion. Second, they may claim a route with a set of train cards (for land routes) or ship cards (for water routes). Wild locomotives (which are all in the train deck) can be used to substitute for any color of train or ship cards. Third, they may draw four destination tickets of which they must keep at least one. Of the 65 destination tickets, eight are Tour Destination Tickets which have 3 or more cities to connect. Fourth, they may build a harbor on a port city (marked with an anchor on the board), but only after they have claimed a route which connects to that port city. To place the harbor, they must discard two train cards and two ship cards. All must be the same color and have a harbor icon on them. A wild locomotive may be used as a substitute. Fifth, they may exchange train pieces for ship pieces or vice versa with the 15 pieces they discarded into the box at the beginning of the game. They may exchange any number of pieces, but each piece exchanged is minus 1 point to the player's score. When one player has a combination of 6 or fewer train/ship pieces, then each player gets 2 more turns. Final scoring includes the players current score from claiming routes and exchanging pieces; then adding completed destination ticket points and subtracting uncompleted destination ticket points; then scoring harbors, 20 points if only one destination ticket includes the harbor city, 30 if two tickets include the harbor city and 40 if three or more tickets include the harbor city; and finally subtracting 4 points for each unplaced harbor. There are no other bonuses in this game.

The Great Lakes - With this map players start with 2 train cards, 2 ship cards, 5 destination tickets, 33 trains, 32 ships, and 3 harbors. After choosing which destination tickets to keep (at least 3), players must discard train and/or ship tokens (back into the box) until they have a combined total of 50 trains/ships. Players have the same five options during their turn as described under "The World" map above of which they may only do one each turn. Game ending conditions and scoring are the same as described under "The World" map above except that the harbor bonus is only 10, 20 or 30 for one, two, or three or more destination tickets that include the harbor city, respectively.

First Journey

Released as an exclusive item in Target Stores in 2016,[7] this version is designed for children 6 and up. This version is for 2 to 4 players. The board is much smaller than the base version, connections are shorter, and game time is quicker. There are no points in this game, but players race to complete six destination tickets. The game ends when one player completes his or her sixth ticket, or if someone runs out of trains, the person with the most completed tickets wins.

Card game

Ticket to Ride: The Card Game

The card game was released in the summer of 2008 and includes a similar artistic style and theme, and general game mechanism of set collection. The card game is playable in 30–45 minutes and supports 2-4 players. Players start with 1 locomotive card and 7 other random train cards in their hand. Players are also dealt 6 destination tickets of which they must keep at least 1. The destination tickets have 1 to 5 colored dots which match the colors of the train cards. In order to complete a destination ticket, players must move cards from their hand, to their rail yard (playing area directly in front of the player), and finally to their on-the-track stack (scoring area). During play, players can "train rob" another player, by playing more of a specific color, than their opponent has in their rail yard. When the train card draw piles are exhausted, the players use the train cards in their on-the-track stack to complete their destination tickets, by matching the colored train cards with the colored dots on the destination tickets. Completed tickets are added to the players score, while uncompleted tickets are subtracted. Additional bonus points are awarded to players who complete the most tickets to the six big cities, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and Seattle.

Computer games

Ticket to Ride: Online

Ticket to Ride and most expansions can be played online at Days of Wonder's website. A four-game free trial subscription is available.

Ticket to Ride: The Computer Game

Days of Wonder has also released a computer game for Microsoft Windows, Apple OS X, and Linux [8] which allows players to play the original game. Ticket to Ride: Europe, Ticket to Ride: Switzerland and Ticket to Ride: USA 1910 expansions are available as purchaseable enhancements to the game.

Ticket to Ride: Xbox Live Arcade

The Xbox Live Arcade version was released on June 25, 2008, and supports play with up to five people on Xbox Live or four people on the same console, and can utilize the Xbox Live Vision cam.[9]

Ticket to Ride: iPad

The iPad version was released on May 18, 2011, and supports play with up to five people using the Game Center or Days of Wonder's own servers. Its offline mode originally only supported a single player with up to four computer players; however pass and play was added later.

This version was released with three additional extensions available for purchase and download: Ticket to Ride: Europe; Ticket to Ride: Switzerland; and Ticket to Ride: USA 1910, which itself includes three separate game modes. In August 2012, Ticket to Ride: Legendary Asia was added,[10] and in April 2016, Ticket to Ride: Nordic Countries became available.[11]

The iPad version of Ticket to Ride was named the 2011 Digital Game of the Year by the Danish Guldbrikken (The Golden Pawn) Awards, which referred to the game as “the exemplar of how a board game makes the leap to the digital world without compromise. The iPad version dazzles with its superb finish, easy availability and unparalleled expandability, as well as the ability to play on just the iPad or over the Internet.”[12]

Ticket to Ride Pocket (iPhone and iPod Touch)

The iPhone version was released on November 16, 2011, which is a simplified version of the iPad game. Online play was added as an update on February 2, 2012, and users can also play a multi-player game on a local network via WiFi or Bluetooth. The iPhone version now offers expansion packs as in-app purchases.[13]

Expansions

The expansion packs build on the original game. Some come with new map boards and can only be played if the gamers have either the Original Ticket to Ride or Ticket to Ride: Europe, while others are add-ons, that increase the strategy or dynamics of any full game version.

Add-On Expansions

Mystery Train

The Mystery Train expansion for the original Ticket to Ride was released in 2004 as a free giveaway in the December edition of Game Trade Magazine and at the Spiel 2004 game festival in Essen, Germany. The expansion cards are also available as a free download from the official site, or may frequently be purchased on eBay. Mystery Train includes a total of twelve cards:

The new destination and character cards are shuffled into the destination ticket deck after players have drawn their initial destination cards. While the destination cards simply function as normal destinations, the characters each have special rules associated with them. Engineer cards can be played to allow the player to search the entire destination ticket deck and select a desired destination. The remaining character cards provide various score bonuses at the end of the game if certain conditions are fulfilled.

USA 1910

The second expansion for the original game released in 2006, Ticket to Ride: USA 1910, contains large format reprints of all the cards from the original deck, including 4 routes with revised point values. Additionally, the expansion adds 35 new destination tickets (with the 1910 logo in the upper right hand corner), a new 15 point Globetrotter bonus card for the most completed tickets, and the 4 destination tickets from the long out-of-print Mystery Train expansion. Released at the 2006 Essen game festival, it also includes three new ways to play Ticket to Ride which include:

Dice Expansion

The Ticket to Ride Dice Expansion, compatible with any map (although the 9-train route in Nordic Countries and Rails & Sails The Great Lakes, and the 10-train route in United Kingdom are not claimable with this expansion), was released in 2008. Instead of drawing train car cards, players roll dice and use them to claim routes, take destination tickets, or perform other actions. Tunnel dice are used instead of drawing cards when players try to build tunnels in maps that include them.

Europa 1912

On September 9, 2009, Days of Wonder announced that the Ticket to Ride Europa 1912 expansion was expected to be released on October 22 in Europe and October 28 in the USA. The expansion includes 101 destination tickets — the 46 original tickets, plus 55 new ones that enables 3 new variants to the Ticket to Ride: Europe map:

Europa 1912 also introduces Warehouses and Depots — two new game elements that brings a new layer of strategy to any version of Ticket to Ride. During the game, train cards are added to the various warehouses (one warehouse for each player). Players who build a route to a city that includes a depot can collect the train cards stored in the warehouse of matching color, making them an important part of any strategy.[14]

Alvin & Dexter

The Alvin & Dexter Expansion can be used on any version of the game. Alvin (the Alien) and Dexter (the Dinosaur) are placed on different cities just prior to the start of game play. When Alvin or Dexter occupy a city, it is said to be "in chaos" and no routes can be claimed into or out of the city until the monster is moved. Any player may move Alvin or Dexter on their turn provided they discard 1 or 2 locomotive cards and can move the monster up to 3 cities away for each locomotive card discarded. Players collect Alvin or Dexter cards when they move one of the monsters, and additional bonus points are awarded to the player who moves the monster the most during the game. Destination ticket points are cut in half for tickets with the city occupied by Alvin or Dexter at the end of the game.

Halloween Freighter

Released in October 2012, the Halloween Freighter expansion is a set of Halloween themed trains and stations that can be used to replace one of the train sets from any Ticket to Ride game.

Character Score Markers

Released in 2013, This is a set of specially shaped scoring markers in 8 different colors, that can be used with any expansion.

Deutschland 1902

In October 2015, Zug um Zug: Deutschland 1902 ("Ticket to Ride: Germany 1902") was released by Asmodee GmbH, Days of Wonder’s German distributor. It is an expansion for Zug um Zug: Deutschland ("Ticket to Ride: Germany") — itself a reworking of Ticket to Ride: Märklin — that adds new tickets to the game providing for more variety during play. There are also passengers, positioned in cities before the start of the game. During the game, players collect passengers to score even more bonus points for the most passengers in given color. The expansion is only available in Germany and Austria.[15]

Orient Express

Released at Essen in 2015, this expansion to Ticket to Ride Europe adds seven additional destination tickets along the orient express which can be shuffled in with your other destination tickets when playing Ticket to Ride Europe.

Board Expansions

Switzerland

Ticket to Ride: Switzerland, originally released as part of the computer game, was released as a board game expansion in 2007. The game features several changes. The first is that it only uses 40 train markers (instead of the usual 45). The second is that 'Locomotive' cards may only be used for tunnels (instead of as general wildcards). Lastly, some routes end at specific national borders rather than cities. This version is out of print and not currently available, but has been re-released as part of the Map Collection 2 described below.

Map Collection 1: Team Asia and Legendary Asia

Released in 2011, map collection 1 featured two different Asia maps; Legendary Asia, designed by François Valentyne, paired with Alan R. Moon's Team Asia.

The Legendary Asia map has ferry routes, similar to the Europe version, but also adds the new mountain route element. To claim these mountain routes (marked with an X on the board) players must discard an additional train piece to the mountain crossing area for an additional 2 points. The bonus in this version is 10 points for the player who connects the most cities together via connected routes and branches.

The Team Asia map is designed for 4 or 6 players divided into 2 or 3 teams of two players. With the addition of 9 trains per color, each team has 54 trains split equally between the two members, 27 each. Teammates sit next to each other and play sequentially. Each player has his or her own train cards and destination tickets, but each team also has an additional set of shared train cards and destination tickets placed in a common holder so both members can see them. Teammates are not allowed to discuss game play or strategy between themselves, but must try to complete their personal destination tickets as well as the shared ones. Train cards can be used from both your own hand and the common team hand, but not from your teammate's personal hand to claim a route. Teammates score together but must play with only their own 27 trains, they cannot play their teammate's trains. Players also have one additional option for their turn. They may use their whole turn to transfer 2 destination tickets from their personal hand to the team's shared hand. The tunnels in this version are marked with a 4, 5, or 6. The player who wants to claim a tunnel route, must draw additional train cards equal to the number on the route, instead of just 3 as in the Europe version.

Map Collection 2: India and Switzerland

Released in 2011, map collection 2 featured one India themed map, designed by Ian Vincent, with the reverse being a re-release of the by then out-of-print Switzerland expansion.[16]
The India map is for 2 to 4 players and includes ferry routes. The Mandala bonus is earned by connecting the two cities on one of your destination tickets by two completely distinct routes. Players can earn 5 additional points in this way for the first two tickets, and 10 points each for the third, fourth and fifth tickets for a maximum of 40 bonus points. The Switzerland map plays exactly as described above.

Map Collection 3: Heart of Africa

Released in December 2012, map collection 3 contains a map of central and southern Africa for 2 to 5 players.[17] Along with destination ticket cards, this expansion also includes terrain cards which can double the points earned for a route under certain conditions. The terrain cards match up to the corresponding route colors; yellow, orange, and red for Savanna/Desert routes; green, blue, and purple for Jungle/Forest routes; and black, white, and grey for Mountain/Cliff routes.

Map Collection 4: Nederland

Released in 2013, map collection 4 contains a map of the Netherlands for 2 to 5 players. This expansion includes bridge toll tokens used in addition to the train car cards to pay the toll marked on each route when claiming it. Bonuses are given at the end of the game for the player (or players) with the most bridge toll tokens left in their stash.

Map Collection 5: United Kingdom & Pennsylvania

Released in 2015, map collection 5 contains a map of the United Kingdom for 2 to 4 players and on the reverse side a map of Pennsylvania. In the United Kingdom expansion, players receive only 35 trains and can only claim the 1 and 2 length routes around London. Players must use locomotive cards to buy Technology Cards to allow them to claim longer routes and other routes further away from London. In the Pennsylvania expansion, routes are marked with different railroad company icons. When a player claims a route, he may also claim a stock share card from one of the companies represented by the icons on that route. Players with stock shares score additional points at the end of the game: the more shares, the more points.

Unofficial expansions

Fans of "Ticket to Ride" have created a large selection of their own boards and destination tickets, including individual city maps, regional maps, and worldwide maps. These can be printed for private use, and played with the original train pieces and train cards.

Reception

The game won numerous awards after being released, including the 2004 Spiel des Jahres (game of the year).[18]

Mike Fitzgerald calls Ticket to Ride "a game that I never tire of, one that lends itself well to the many expansions that Days of Wonder have released. The design principles it uses are all simple and have been done before, but they have never been put together in a game as compelling as Ticket to Ride."[19]

Awards and honors

Ticket to Ride

Ticket to Ride Europe

  • 2005 International Gamers Awards – General Strategy; Multi-player
  • 2005 Japan Boardgame Prize Best Advanced Game Nominee
  • 2005 Italy game of the Year
  • 2005 Nominated Game Academia selection (Austria)
  • 2006 Årets Spill Best Family Game Winner
  • 2013 Hungarian Board Game Award Special Prize Winner

Ticket to Ride: The Card Game

  • 2008 Fairplay À la carte Winner
  • 2008 Golden Geek Best Card Game Nominee
  • 2009 Boardgames Australia Awards Best International Game Nominee
  • 2009 Golden Geek Best Card Game Nominee
  • 2009 JoTa Best Card Game Nominee

Ticket to Ride iOS

  • 2012 Pocket Gamer Awards Best Strategy/Simulation Game
  • 2012 Pocket Gamer Award Reader's choice
  • 2011 Gamzebo.com - Best Board and Card Games

References

  1. ↑ "Origins Award winners (2004)". Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design. Archived from the original on 2008-06-03. Retrieved 2008-06-02.
  2. ↑ "Days of Wonder Website, August 3, 2008".
  3. ↑ Owen Duffy. "All aboard – how Ticket To Ride helped save table-top gaming". the Guardian.
  4. ↑ "Boardgamegeek.com, 24 November 2010".
  5. ↑ "Boardgamegeek.com, 31 August 2016".
  6. ↑ "Ticket to Ride: Rails and Sails to arrive in September". Toy News. June 23, 2016. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
  7. ↑ "Introductory 'Ticket to Ride' is Target Exclusive". ICv2. July 29, 2016. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
  8. ↑ "DRM-free, multiplatform games are back on Humble Bundle with Android 7". BLOG dot HUMBLEBUNDLE dot COM. Humble Bundle Inc. October 15, 2013. Retrieved January 1, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Gamerscore Blog, March 12, 2008".
  10. ↑ "Gamers Rejoice! There's a Brand-New Ticket to Ride Map: Legendary Asia". Wired. August 2, 2012. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
  11. ↑ "Nordic Countries map comes to Ticket to Ride". Pocket Tactics. April 25, 2016. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
  12. ↑ "Days of Wonder blog, October 17, 2011".
  13. ↑ "iTunes Product Information Page, Dec 27, 2011". App Store.
  14. ↑ Erik Arneson. "Ticket to Ride". About.
  15. ↑ "Boardgamegeek.com, 31 August 2016".
  16. ↑ "Get ready for new Train Adventures! « Days of Wonder News Center".
  17. ↑ "Ticket to Ride Finds Success in the Heart of Africa". Wired. January 11, 2013. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
  18. ↑ "Board Game of the Year Award: Codenames Named Best; Where Is Isle Of Skye?". Parent Herald. July 24, 2016. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
  19. ↑ Fitzgerald, Mike (2007). "Ticket to Ride". In Lowder, James. Hobby Games: The 100 Best. Green Ronin Publishing. pp. 315–318. ISBN 978-1-932442-96-0.
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