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Fig 01: Ticket to Ride Europe, modelled by Tonto.
There are types of games. That’s a good opening sentence, isn’t it? Yes, solid. Factual. I’m sticking with it. Now, I don’t mean card games or worker placement or heavy Euro or whatever. We’ve heard of these terms (even if some of us are still wary of what ‘heavy Euro’ means) What I’m referring to is categories of games that mark stages in a boardie’s life. There’s Starter board games. You know the sort of thing: Snakes and Ladders, Ludo, Draughts, games that were simply always there, and we’ve all had a childhood strop over at least one of them. Don’t deny it. Next category is ‘Every Cupboard Has One’. (I just invented an acronym!) Monopoly’s in there, so is Cluedo, underneath the battered copies of Subbuteo and Guess Who. (I’m also quite certain that even a brief mention of a certain money-based game sets some people frothing at the mouth (I’ve seen some incredible Instagram posts involving fire) so I hope this hasn’t triggered any flashbacks.) These are games I have fond memories of, but they’ve long forgotten what the table looks like.
We’ll call the next category Modern Gateway Classics. We’re looking here at Catan, Carcassonne, Ticket to Ride… and I missed them all out. I was not a board gamer when these were originally released – life led me astray I’m sad to say – and I genuinely didn’t know these games existed until this year. True story. I know, right? Fair enough, you say, nothing stopping you getting involved the second that you stepped into the hobby. Everyone knows them, everyone loves them, you’re missing out if you don’t.
And yet… I’ve resisted. There’s a bloody-mindedness to it. There’s a scepticism as well. Aren’t these just the modern versions of standards like Monopoly (calm down) and Cluedo, fairly basic games I long ago got bored with? How much will I honestly get out of them? I want the new stuff, I want the Arkham Horrors and the Horrifieds and the Unmatcheds.
Then came a moment like the clouds parting before a gleaming sun, a chance not to be wasted. My wonderful, ever-suffering Other Half spotted a game in Waterstones and said the magic words: ‘I’d play that with you if you got it.’ You don’t have to ask me twice. I didn’t buy it straight away – I’m not a madman, the moths are safer if I keep them in the wallet. I shopped around, didn’t I? And instead of buying Ticket to Ride Europe standard edition, I ended up with this - Ticket to Ride: Europe 15th Anniversary Collector’s Edition. I guess we’re all a little mad sometimes. (No, I haven’t been found out yet. Please don’t tell.)
I’m very keen for us to get our game on. The opportunity to bring my Other Half further into my hobby is obviously a massive plus. Questions linger, however. Is there enough substance here for me to enjoy? Is this poster boy for board gaming too mainstream for my tastes? Doesn’t mass appeal mean shallow?
Got a bit serious there. Let’s get back to what we’re here for: fun!
Fig 02: What is life without this sort of luxury, eh? A tin of trains!
Listen up! It’s the rules.
We’ll go over how to play, although many of you will know this game series inside-out. Before you lies a map of Europe (I know, shock of the day) and its major cities all connected by various transport links. These are mainly overground train tracks, but there’s also some tunnel routes and ferry lines too, all of varying lengths. You are tasked with claiming these routes by playing the required train car cards, allowing you to place your little coloured train carriages on the claimed route (this part – the placing – is way more fun than I expected, but I’m getting ahead of myself). Points are scored according to the number of carriages placed, but this is only half the story. (I feel like I’m bringing some dramatic tension to this section. Good work me.) At the start of the game each player is dealt three or four route cards, depending on the variant you play. You will choose which ones to keep and which to discard. You may have London to x for x points, for example, or Berlin to Budapest for x points. Complete these routes and the extra points will be yours at the end. There’s also a bonus for whoever creates the longest unbroken line of carriages.
On your turn, you choose to take one of the available actions, and only one. Draw two train cards, either from the draw pile or the showcase, claim a route, draw destination tickets (which you will do rarely) or build a train station.
It might not sound like you’re doing much - especially if you’re just picking up a couple of cards - but it keeps the game moving along at a brisk pace. Some rounds you’ll find that everyone’s run out of train car cards and you’re all on the draw, desperate for the specific colours you need to complete a route. This can really crank up the tension: who will be first to get some more trains on that board? And are they after the same coloured route as you are? (In my experience, yes. Yes they are.)
That’s pretty much the basics, carried over from the original Ticket to Ride (like I’m an expert on this series). The ease with which these essential rules are described by the rulebook and picked up by new players is no doubt a large part of these games’ success over the years. I managed to absorb this part in a couple of minutes, which is a new record for me. I have some dodgy history with the fathoming of rules, so being able to teach the basics without issue is a boon. However…
Okay, so with TTR Europe came the aforementioned additional mechanics. I’ll discuss the stations first as this issue ties in with my ongoing love/hate relationship with rulebooks (remember, us rulebook fans are called ‘Sticklers’). Each player has three, and you can choose to place a station as one of your actions. What does it do? Excellent question. This is the part I struggled to fathom out, to the point where I played my first couple of games without them. (Interesting note: TTR Europe functions perfectly well without the stations.) I had another bash later at absorbing these rules, but drew a blank. Off to the BGG forums, then, usually a reliable place for help. There were lots of other gamers who had already asked the very same question - thank God, not just me then - and there were plenty of answers. Some were even more long-winded than the rulebook, which isn’t what you want. Others felt as if they were drawing me closer to the truth, such that I muttered to myself ‘Hmm,’ and ‘Uh-huh,’ like I was any the wiser. It’s so odd, because almost every other aspect of the game gets explanatory illustrations, yet the issue of stations only gets an overlong explanation that muddles a simple mechanic.
Then I found the answer. It was in the most obvious place - and the least expected. I had downloaded the Android version of Ticket to Ride (yeah, I’ve got Ticket Fever), and I was mooching around the rules of the numerous variations for no particular reason, and there it was: the simplest, most brilliant explanation of how stations work, complete with an easy to understand image. Why this isn’t in the rulebook is beyond me. It simply clicked for me and I immediately saw the possibilities for additional strategies.
I shall present that explanation now to save you a lot of hassle (yes, you, for you are the only one alongside me who is brand new to this series and this game in particular). If all has gone well with this blog then it should be immediately followed by a real-world replication of that revelatory image.
The green player wants to get from Kyiv to Sochi so that they can complete their destination ticket. There are three routes to claim: Kyiv to Kharkiv, Kharkiv to Rostov, Rostov to Sochi. Green has two of these. However, Blue has jumped in and taken the middle route, Kharkiv to Rostov. The Green player can play a station on Rostov and use the Blue player’s route to complete their ticket. Green can only claim this one route via this station. It’s worth bearing in mind that you can claim bonus points for unused stations. You only get three.
Fig 03: This is my version of the picture that saved my sanity.
What’s so good about this 15th anniversary edition, then?
Erm, everything! The box is larger than the original to accommodate the plus-sized board (this may not be good news if you have limited shelf space or you’re trying to sneak this item into your collection): it’s now a big glossy container with excellent thematic cover art. This is a product that wants to be seen. As for that game board… Wow! The first time you unfold it and lay it out will draw a gasp from you. In fact, I still get a buzz every single time. Make no mistake, it’s a table hog – mine had no idea what hit it. It’s a thick and sturdy board, and the map is amazing. This might sound a bit odd (I know, it’s not like me to veer towards the weird), but seeing it took me right back to my childhood and an atlas that I adored. It gave me the same urge to explore. It’s a beautiful illustration that makes you want to play. No joke though – check that you’ve got the space for a jumbo board plus cards and playing pieces.
There are forty five train carriages plus spares – in case any get lost – in each of the five player colours, and each is a distinct design. Blue, for example, has transport carriages holding little automobiles, while red has a post office motif. The designs are detailed, cute and fun, and give each player an identity. Oh, and each set of carriages comes in its own tin. Yeah. Next level luxury. There might not be anything cooler than each player getting their own tin of trains. Actually there is: opening your own tin of trains. Every part of this product is of such high quality that it makes you want to keep playing. Your three little stations are in your tin too. The game suggests that you line up your forty five train carriages at the side of the board ready to play and leave the spares in the tin, but I prefer to set up the other way round. You can play how you please, but remember that my way is best.
As this big box contains all three TTR Europe expansions, there’s stacks of cards. They’re on high grade card stock and the artwork is gorgeous, particularly for the varying colours of train carriages. Even the chunky plastic score markers are a step above the usual cardboard tokens you’d expect to find. All in all, a great package with lots of tactile appeal.
Fig 04: This picture makes me want to play again right now.
Alright then. How does it play?
I am a human being of both logic and illogic. As of 2024, Ticket to Ride has sold 18 million copies. That, alongside endless rave reviews, should speak for itself. Logic states that this is a no-brainer addition to the collection. The stubborn part of me, referred to earlier, insisted that there are far too many board games in the world to plump for obvious ‘boring’ options that everybody and their cat seems to own. I want to be interesting and exciting, daring and on the cutting edge. I demand to be an individual! (Woah, cool it, one too many cups of tea this morning.)
Here’s the ludicrous thing about this situation: it was the Other Half who got me into this hobby in the first place, and now it seems like she’s made matters ten times worse. I was very, very wrong to turn up my nose at Ticket to Ride. I am a total convert.
It’s so easy to set up. It’s so easy to understand. It really engages your brain. You have to plan your routes to complete your destination tickets, and have alternative routes in mind in case someone gets to that tunnel first (happens all the time). There’s an element of luck involved with the card draws, but this is mitigated by a showcase you can choose from should that one yellow card you need appears.
There’s an array of strategies you can take. Stacks of destination tickets and four game variations in this edition. Keep just one at the start or push your luck and try for all three (or four)? Nibble away at the shorter routes? Hold out for the longer, higher scoring ones? Do you draw more destination cards and risk getting stuck with one you can’t fulfil, which will cost you points at the end? Do you focus on completing your own destinations, or should you be watching how many routes your opponent stitches together and take that one there in the hope that you can stop them completing a big ticket? Even if someone does this to you, there’s usually another way around the map, a longer way. Sometimes much longer.
These are compelling reasons to return to TTR Europe again and again.
However, it’s the simple, pure pleasure of placing those trains on the track that I find irresistible. It’s driven me to madness: I dream about it. Yep, it’s broken me. I’m thinking about my next playthrough right now. I’m wondering which tactics are best to use. I’m eyeing up the original on eBay. I’m hunting for the Nordic Countries variant: we’re off to Norway soon and this seems like excellent ‘research’. I downloaded the game on my phone. And on my tablet. I’ve even – brace yourself – played TTR Europe against myself, and found that I’m very competitive and that I hold a grudge (don’t judge me).
If you’ve been insane like me and you haven’t yet bought a copy, now’s the time, and I’d urge you towards this premium edition if you have the space. It was expensive upon its original release, but you should be able to shop around for a good price these days (and a subtle hint: you could be in the right place right now).
Two questions remain: which Modern Gateway Classic should I try next, and will my sanity cope…?