Amazingly, I’ve only this year played Ticket to Ride for the first time… I know, right? The joy of the UK Board game Expo where you can just try a game, have a friendly face just take you through a game. I loved it. So I was thrilled when my brother picked this game up there for my children. A lovely gesture and a game that is proving hugely popular with them. Here is why.
All aboard.
The game is very much (and unsurprisingly) a scaled back version of Ticket to Ride. The biggest difference is their point scoring has been taken out of the game, all players need to do in First Journey is collect 6 tickets from completed journeys to win.
Players start with 20 carriages available to play. The game will end if all are played and whoever has the most tickets would take the win.
On a turn players can either draft 2 train cards or play a route between stations. There is no limit to hand size when drafting. Players can only lay one train route in a single turn. When that route has been taken by a player, carriages played, it is no longer available to others for connecting stations.
The way you complete a route is by drafting train cards from the deck. Train cards come in 6 colours with the multi colour card also (play on any route) and players need to gather enough of the same colour to be able to complete a route in a single play. For example, 2 blue train cards are needed to play on a 2 blue route. You cannot play 1 blue and get halfway, it needs completing.
If players are not happy with their tickets, they can opt to discard their tickets and replace instead of drafting or playing a route. However, don’t forget there is a bonus opportunity if you can go coast to coast.
Choo Choo!
It’s such a simple game, even the adult versions have wonderfully simple mechanics but Days of Wonder have done an excellent job making Ticket to Ride accessible for the younger players.
Like all good children’s games (in my opinion) they should be bold and vibrant in colour and this game passes the eye test here. Focusing in on North America (USA) the train tracks connect the major cities that players need to connect. There is definitely a geography lesson available in this game, it’s superb.
It taps into those problem solving skills on how to figure out the most efficient routes between stations that are achievable with the cards you have drafted. This is something I feel is truly great for developing minds.
The routes are more straight forward also, no tricky tunnelling challenges in the way and I think the largest route is only 4 carriages needed and there are not many of those, most are 1 to 3 links needed between the cities. For those that have played the original you know these can be significantly larger.
The only way of catching a train I have ever discovered is to miss the train before.
There is a lot going even in this children’s game. The planning of the routes you need for your tickets. What are your opponents doing with the routes they are looking to take? Can you take tickets with some of your already constructed routes? Do you play a route or look to gather more train cards for betterment? If it is not quite working out do you sacrifice a turn for new tickets?
Plenty to ponder making it a very worthy game to try out.
Final Thoughts.
This is really a fine game for children, so much more involved than children’s games of the past and plenty for them to get stuck into and work out for themselves. Even adults get something out of this game as they will also need to plan and strategise. I’m thrilled it has proved a huge hit for my family. I hope it will for yours also.
