All posts by Mark

Game Night

Learn to play Night – Ticket to Ride

Learn To Play Night

On Monday December 13th, we will be hosting our first Learn to Play night featuring Ticket to Ride

Game Description

In this classic by Alan R Moon, you compete against other players to complete train segments which connect cities on the map. You score points based on the length of segments you fulfill, and for completing tickets. Tickets are 2 destinations on the map that score you points when connected.

Turns are simple. You choose between 3 actions.

  1. Draw locomotive cards. These come in a variety of colors including a wild locomotive that can act as any color.
  2. Claim a track. Play cards matching the color of the segment you are claiming.
  3. Take Ticket Cards. If you have completed your other tickets are just want more options. Be careful though, any ticket that is not completed by the end of the game, subtracts points from you score.

Variants

Ticket to Ride Europe

Adds stations which allows players to use a segment that was claimed by another player.

Adds tunnels which may require extra cards of the same color to claim these routes.

Adds ferries which require a locomotive card to be played as one of the locomotives.

Ticket to Ride New York

In this fast-paced Ticket to Ride game, players race one another through the busy streets of New York City to visit the most prestigious Tourist Attractions and complete their Destination Tickets. The elegantly simple Ticket to Ride gameplay appeals to both beginners and seasoned players. Learn the game in 3 minutes, play it for hours!

Ticket to Ride London

In this fast-paced Ticket to Ride game, players race one another to claim the most important bus lines and complete their Destination Tickets, connecting Districts in the capital of the United Kingdom. The elegantly simple gameplay of this stand-alone version of Ticket to Ride is ideal for both beginners and seasoned players.

Expansion Maps

Ticket to Ride Map Collection: Volume 7 – Japan & Italy (2019)

Ticket to Ride Map Collection: Volume 6 – France & Old West (2017)

Ticket to Ride Map Collection: Volume 5 – United Kingdom & Pennsylvania (2015)

Ticket to Ride Map Collection: Volume 4 – Nederland (2013)

Ticket to Ride Map Collection: Volume 3 – The Heart of Africa

Ticket to Ride Map Collection: Volume 2 – India & Switzerland (2011)

Ticket to Ride Map Collection: Volume 1 – Team Asia & Legendary Asia (2011)

General

Revisit Games to play before you die

Original Article

This list of games everyone should play was published back in 2017. Games in our library are marked with our logo. We have you pretty well covered.

Now is a good time to revisit the list and and add games that may have either come out in the last 5 years or were overlooked at the time.

LibraryGameYear
Dead of Winter: A Crossroads Game2014
A Game of Thrones: The Board Game (Second Edition)2011
Forbidden Island2010
Terra Mystica2012
Puerto Rico2002
The Castles of Burgundy2011
Ticket to Ride2004
7 Wonders2010
Hive2000
Race for the Galaxy2007
Twilight Struggle2005
Pandemic2008
Agricola2007
Balderdash1984
Betrayal at House on the Hill2004
Carcassonne2000
Dominion2008
Power Grid2004
Quelf2005
Android: Netrunner2012
Tokaido2012
Catan1995
1313 Dead End Drive2002
Shadows over Camelot2005
Anomia2010
Paperback2014

Mark’s Pick:

Game Details
NameQuacks (2018)
Accessibility ReportMeeple Like Us
ComplexityMedium Light [1.94]
BGG Rank70 [7.81]
Player Count2-4
Designer(s)Wolfgang Warsch
Artist(s)Dennis Lohausen and Ryogo Toyoda
Publisher(s)CMYK, Schmidt Spiele, 999 Games, Arclight Games, Brain Games, Compaya.hu: Gamer Café Kft., Devir, G3, Games4you, Kaissa Chess & Games, Korea Boardgames, Lautapelit.fi, Lavka Games, MEEPLE, MINDOK, NorthStar Game Studio, Swan Panasia Co., Ltd. and YellowBOX
Mechanism(s)Catch the Leader, Deck, Bag, and Pool Building, Delayed Purchase, Dice Rolling, Events, Open Drafting, Push Your Luck, Simultaneous Action Selection and Variable Set-up

This is a great press your luck game. You draw chips out of a bag that are numbered 1 to 4. If the sum of the white chips you have drawn exceeds 7, your potion explodes. Other colored chips have special rules about how they score, what advantage they give, or how far along the potion progress track you move. Even if it explodes, the penalty is not so harsh that you can not overcome it. I have still only played with the first set of ingredients, but always have a fun time playing.

Most games have that moment where you have a total of 5 on your white chips, you have 10 chips in your bag and you know only one of them is a white 3. With those odds, how can you bust? Go ahead and press your luck … you draw a chip … and you get ….. unbelievable.

Honorable Mention: Wingspan

Katey’s Pick:

Game Details
NameSagrada (2017)
Accessibility ReportMeeple Like Us
ComplexityMedium Light [1.92]
BGG Rank211 [7.47]
Player Count1-4
Designer(s)Adrian Adamescu and Daryl Andrews
Artist(s)Peter Wocken
Publisher(s)Floodgate Games, Cranio Creations, CrowD Games, Devir, Engames, FoxGames, Galápagos Jogos, Geekach Games, Lanlalen, Lex Games, Mandoo Games, Matagot, MEBO Games, MINDOK, MIPL, One Moment Games, Pegasus Spiele, Reflexshop and Yes Papa Games
Mechanism(s)Contracts, Dice Rolling, End Game Bonuses, Grid Coverage, Open Drafting, Pattern Building, Set Collection, Solo / Solitaire Game, Turn Order: Progressive and Variable Set-up

Sean’s Pick:

Game Details
NamePARKS (2019)
Accessibility ReportMeeple Like Us
ComplexityMedium Light [2.12]
BGG Rank158 [7.65]
Player Count (Recommended)1-5 (1-4)
Designer(s)Henry Audubon
Artist(s)Fifty-Nine Parks Print Series
Publisher(s)Keymaster Games, Albi, Albi Polska, Feuerland Spiele, Lavka Games, Matagot, Surfin' Meeple China and Tranjis Games
Mechanism(s)Contracts, End Game Bonuses, Events, Modular Board, Solo / Solitaire Game, Track Movement, Turn Order: Claim Action, Variable Set-up and Worker Placement