Days of Wonder Ticket to Ride

Features:

For 2-5 players
Tons of replay value
One of the most popular specialty games of all time
Takes 30-60 minutes to play
There are 225 Colored Train Cars

Ticket to Ride- It has quickly become my go-to game for family game nights

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 40-80 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!

NicoleDFriedley

Buy it.

This is an awesome game. If you like to spend time with your family, you've got to buy this. Many hours of fun. If you don' really like your family, then don't buy it. I'm not really sure what you should do if you don't like your family. Maybe try a trial separation? Maybe take a trip by yourself? Maybe it's not your family that's the issue, maybe its other issues, like your job. I wish you luck. All I can say, is this is a fun game.

AmandaRose

We aren't into gaming at all but really enjoy the strategy that goes into this game and that ...

My husband and I were introduced to this game by friends and then he HAD to have it. We took it on vacation with my family and I think there were at least 3 games a day among various groups of people. Needless to say, it has become a go-to game when we are together with friends or family. You can play with just 2 people but I find that it is much more enjoyable and interesting with at least 4. We aren't into gaming at all but really enjoy the strategy that goes into this game and that you can complete the game in a reasonable time frame. The board is a big map with destination cities. Each player has destination cards and the goal is to get from one destination to another by linking train pieces across the map. You connect city to city by collecting and playing cards of different colors. Earn points by connecting cities - the longer the distance, the more points. Once a destination route is complete, you also earn points for that card. A shorter distance (New York to Chicago) is worth less than longer distances (New York to LA). Of course there are different rules for collecting and using cards, how to score points, etc. that you can read into deeper once you purchase.

MelissaBinder

It is a favorite game now in our family

Having played this game multiple times with all ages 8-65 years old, we have made a few modifications. At the beginning of the game, we deal out six train cards instead of four. We also can draw cards and play trains in a single turn. I agree with other reviews that 2-4 is the ideal number. It is a favorite game now in our family. Last January on a no school day, we had three games going and then a championship game and a consolation game. The kids, aged 8-12, only played one game but enjoyed playing and were competitive players. The championship game was game on and very competitive!

JamieTracy

5 out of 5 of my clan agree!

It's rare to find a game that everyone in the family loves. This is that game. With most games, we get one of 3 scenarios in my household. 1) my boys like it. They're a little older and we play a lot of strategy games. My daughter (who is the youngest) doesn't win these often and either tires of them quickly or doesn't like them at all. 2) My daughter likes it. These tend to be games steered more towards chance where strategy is not so important. The boys generally only tolerate these because I make them play (gotta keep it fair, you know) Or 3) a few games are somewhere in the middle that none of us loves but none of us hates either. The compromise game. But with Ticket to Ride, we have a real winner. There's enough strategy in it that you can make or break your game on your own merits, but there's also enough element of chance in it (and the strategy isn't typically too deep) that younger kids will enjoy it too (as long as they're old enough to grasp the game mechanics in the first place). Light-hearted, fairly fast-paced, and - excuse the cliche but seriously - fun for the whole family!

MarshaFelton

Hours of fun! Recommended!

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.

MarisaSalas

Favorite family game!

We LOVE this game! At first the instructions seemed a little daunting to us, but after a quick google search we stumbled upon an extremely helpful video done by the actor, Wil Wheaton. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHmf1bau9xQ Once we learned how to play, we were able to quickly and simply explain the rules to our 9 year old daughter in minutes. We originally bought the game for her. But to be honest, my husband and I have enjoyed playing it so much that I think we've played it 4x as much as she has. It's a very basic strategy game - Your goal is to have the most points at the end of the game. You gain points by claiming routes and completing destination tickets. We've tried playing the game with a couple of different strategies and no two games are ever really the same. It's a fantastic family game for up to 5 players, great for children and/or adults. Highly recommend it to be added to anyone's game collection.

JulieAnnHadocTorio

Start with fewer people when learning how to play

Great game...But we gave this to the kid who doesn't like to think ahead and only sees one way of doing things. Our mistake was to play the first time with 5 people. It took forever with that many people and figuring out how to play. It is not a difficult game but you do have to learn how to play it. We should have played the first time with 3 players and then I think he would have liked it. Once the game is learned it can be rather fast-paced. He has decided never to play again...but the rest of us love it and play often.

AbdullaAlMamun

Sooooooo much fun!

Essential board game for anyone who plays board games. To the last generation that had Monopoly & we now have Ticket to Ride. This game is played by my wife and myself on a regular basis & my 7 & 5 year old love it as much as we do. Great family game & also a great game to introduce to non-gamers. It has tons of replayability & always is great competitive fun. If you like games you must have this in your collection.

ChetanAnandSingh

Super fun

Great game

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