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On the Underground: London/Berlin: Deluxe Edition is a re-release of a fairly old [2006] game of planning and railway line creation on the world’s oldest underground railway. At first glance, one could be excused for thinking this is an expanded game of Ticket to Ride: London, but there is certainly more hiding under the surface. Let’s take the escalator down to the platform, mind the gap and hop aboard.
Gameplay
Gameplay On the Underground is a family game for 2-5 players. Gamers need to develop lines to allow a (rather lazy) passenger to travel along their routes giving bonus points to each player on whose line they travel. The large double-sided board features a plan of the London Underground and Berlin’s U-Bahn transportation system on the reverse.
On each turn, a player may perform up to four actions. The simplest is to extend one of their routes to the next station on a line by placing a wooden route marker. Most stations are linked by just one route, so once a player has placed their track token, they will own all travel between these two stations. Busier sections of the underground could have multiple parallel routes. This enables several players to extend their routes in direct competition. Players may only extend their route in a linear fashion. However, by playing or buying branch line tokens, some side paths can be extended. Bonus points are awarded if a player’s line reaches a terminus or an Overground [British Rail] mainline station.
Players
Within the four actions, a player could forfeit extending their line, instead of taking branch line tokens and gaining points. Players need to consider how they might extend their lines. Depending on player count, players will control several lines at once and can extend and control any number of these during their four actions.
The commuter is a shared passenger that is moved across London. Although they start at Euston, on each turn they will travel around, to up to two different stations. At the start of each player’s turn, four destination cards are drawn and laid out. These are either express stations [yellow] or standard stations [grey]. The passenger may only visit one express and one standard station on each turn. If four grey cards are drawn, then only one station is on the passenger’s itinerary.
Once the player has placed their route tokens the commuter is moved from their starting position to the first express [yellow] station. They will always take the path that has the fewest unclaimed station
Routes
Routes, even if this seems less direct. For every different coloured route that is used a travel point is awarded to that player. During this phase, all players can claim points if the passenger takes a route along their lines. However, it is the decision of the active player to determine the precise pathway taken.
Additional points are awarded if a player can extend their route to link two points of interest. Within the London map, there are eight separate points of interest and four pairs of tiles indicating special events or leisure activities. If a player links two parks, for example, will gain additional three points. Similarly, if a complete loop of a single colour is created [just like the yellow circle line on the London Underground] then points are awarded for each station that is enclosed within that loop.
The game ends once all of the destination cards have been drawn. The passenger will visit about half of the underground stations as they will visit at most two of the four displayed destinations on each turn. The player whose lines have attracted the most journeys and have gained the most points is the winner.
On The Underground
This is a relatively simple concept. A player creates routes across the city in the hope that the passenger will take them to travel to their destination and provide points. Due to the rules of visiting just two of the four destinations on each turn, much of London will not get visited. Players need to keep their wits about them to recall which stations have been used, and those which have yet to appear.
On the Underground is more than just a memory game. The passenger journeys are governed by strict rules such that they will only take the route with the fewest, non-claimed lines. This means initially most action will be within the centre of London. The simple line out to the suburbs will take longer to develop and might not yield as many journeys.
Depending on player count each gamer will have the ability to extend a number of lines. Each route must be a continuous extension of existing train lines of that colour. Initially, players will claim routes within the central part of London before extending out to the farther reaches in the suburbs. Anyone starting away from the central area runs the risk of being isolated and unable to extend their line if others claim stations and routes closer to the centre. With several lines in play by each player, this opens the opportunity for players to develop central tracks as well as separate extending routes out into the suburbs.
About The Design
The components in my edition are first class. The printing and typography on the board are very clear and is nicely laid out. Any player familiar with London will feel completely at home here. The full-size rule book is clear with many examples of scoring opportunities. With one quick read of the rules, we were underway. This is how a quick “out of the box” gaming experience should be.
The ownership of each underground line is depicted by simple, coloured, wooden beams. These are relatively small and fiddly. The game comes with a choice of different passenger figures. In the interest of inclusivity, there is an aged person, pregnant woman, wheelchair user too. Their profiles are identical to those signs seen on the London Underground.
The markers that are placed to indicate the passenger’s destination are Big Ben figures, painted yellow or grey depending on the station type. This placement of these wooden pieces will show clearly where the passenger should be travelling. Their size and printing indicate the quality of this game.
Having a double-sided board, this does increase replay ability. The Berlin side provides freshness. There is also a different set of bonus points in scoring too. Instead of Big Ben, the Berlin destinations are indicated Berlin’s Fermsehtutm. This is a tall radio tower with a viewing platform and revolving restaurant.
More About The Game
There are many features of On the Underground that make it a very enjoyable game. The component quality and the opportunity for planning in advance the movements of the passenger really elevate the game. Every game seems to be very close in its outcome. There is certainly no runaway leader. Unfortunately, with limited points to be awarded at every turn, most of the time the players are advancing their tokens by just two or three points, leapfrogging each other.
The secret to doing well hinges on a couple of aspects.
- A good memory to recall which passenger destinations have been used, and which have yet to be revealed.
- Claiming a few bonus points by reaching a terminus or end of the line quickly.
- Curtailing your opponent’s abilities to expand by “stealing” the single connexions that they require.
- Use your routes wisely to cover the central area with some but use other routes to expand into the suburbs.
In the same way as knowing exactly where to stand on the platform at Piccadilly Circus so that the doors open right in front of you, these few tips will assist in gameplay.
Tips
There is plenty of interaction. On their turn, the active player can determine the pathway of the passenger and therefore affect which other players may gain bonus travel points. A typical game takes seconds to set up and will last about 35 or 40 minutes. The optimal player count appears to be three, or at the most four. With five players the board rapidly becomes crowded. The game works extremely well even with two players.
Final Thoughts
There are so many good elements to On the Underground. This game is much quicker than Ticket to Ride. For players who want a slightly longer gaming experience, we prefer to draw three cards [rather than four] each turn. This will increase the duration of the game by 15 minutes and mean that many more stations in London will be visited by the passenger. This too will increase the value of the routes out to the suburbs as their distant stations are more likely to be visited.
With so many railway games to choose from a board, game enthusiasts may view On the Underground as just another route laying game. The additional mechanics of scoring points, only if the passenger travels on your line, is a new mechanic.
Like any visit to London, On the Underground is an enjoyable experience. The Berlin board will appeal to many, but the familiarity of our home routes will mean the London side gets played the most. It is quite quick and so easy to set up or explain it is almost a “gateway game”
