It's really easy to understand, it's super fast-paced because you can only do one thing on your turn (draw new cards or claim a route), and it still gives the brain a nice workout if you like to play tactically. The parade float cards have replaced the illustrated train cards but essentially they just give you the colours you need to claim routes so in that sense they work in exactly the same way as the main game. At the beginning of their turn, before taking their regular action, a player may discard Locomotives to buy ONE Technology Card. Remember that any 4 cards may be used as a Locomotive (or any 3 cards if you have the Booster Technology), even in this occasion.

Players should, in turn, reveal their destination cards and add or subtract the points indicated according to whether or not that route was made. Then it is time to see who has made the longest continuous path, which is worth an additional 10 points. There are 30 destination cards in the game. Shuffle these and deal three to each player. All cards should be kept secret so other players don’t know where you’re heading. Again, the artwork on the cards is of a good standard. But when playing this game you will have to use the train cards from the original game and not the ones in the box. This is a good looking game. The board is a good size with colourful routes across it and a nifty score board around the edge. You need a bit of room to set up though as the board and the play area required is quite big. Well for a start instead of using trains you use haunted carriages which fit the theme pretty well because, well, the veil between this world and the other world is so thin obviously you’ll be taking your journey with spooks and ghouls around the town.

Locomotives

The little carriages themselves are brightly coloured plastic and are brilliant, they do exactly what they need to do – be seen and be counted. There are also some additional treats available in this version of the game. Achieving the longest route game mechanism has been made a little simpler and a lot more fun. As a couple who had been together for almost eight years we loved spending time together, but also started to have our own hobbies and interests to keep us busy. We had collected the usual suspects of gaming. Namely games like Monopoly, Scrabble, Pass the Pigs, etc. We loved playing a good game now and again, but I could see that there was a different level of board games out there to be played.

Advanced Technologies can be added to the game for a more competitive experience. Note that the number of Advanced Technologies is limited. The route scoring table is on the game board. There are also some cards in the game that show you how many points you score for each route length. These should be recorded by moving your scoring marker each time you claim a route. Draw Destination CardsIsle of Man, Isle of Wight, Northern Ireland and the Scottish Highlands) may take longer to reach you. You just need to be aware that if cities are connected by a double route, you cannot claim both routes! If you are playing with only two or three players, the double routes don’t count. Once one of the routes of any colour has been claimed then the other route cannot be used. Some routes between two cities benefit from two train lines, however, these only come into play when there are three to five players. When there are just two players these double routes are not in play, and you will need to find another way around. There are also some grey routes on the board. These can be claimed using any colour train card, as long as you play the right amount. For example, you can claim a grey route three trains long with three red train cards, or three green train cards.

Capturing the essence of 1920s Berlin with its evocative artwork and historical accuracy, we stumble upon sights from the iconic Brandenburg Gate to the bustling streets of Potsdamer Platz. Allows you to claim 4, 5, and 6 space routes. The Mechanical Stoker is still needed to claim 3 space routes. Exception: The Southampton - New York route is a special route that can be claimed at any time and without any Technology. When claiming a Route, you may play 1 less card than required. You must still play at least 1 Card, and you cannot ignore a Locomotive on a Ferry route. Meanwhile, on the reverse, Pennsylvania is of a close-up map of the US state. Here, shares are the addition that give it a unique twist. Every time you complete a route, you then get to claim a share in one of the companies stated next to said route. This adds a different kind of incentive into the mixer. The biggest shareholder in companies earns points at the end, too!Some players like to add up the points for the routes they claim at game end, rather than each time a route is claimed. If you are likely to forget to immediately score some of the routes you claim, we recommend designating a player as the scorekeeper; have him move all the Score Markers throughout the entire game, or at least prompt the other players to do so when they forget. Whilst we will do everything we can to meet the delivery times above, there may be factors outside of our control and we cannot guarantee delivery within this time frame.

When taking extra destination cards you also need to consider where you are in the game. If you or one of your opponents are getting down to your last few trains then it might not be worth you taking extra destination cards, because the game will likely end in the next couple of turns. So timing is important with taking destination cards. Destination cards are kept secret until the end of the game and there is no limit to how many destination cards you can draw – just remember that you get points deducted for any that are unfinished! Game End The board itself is a good size. The map of the USA is a thing of beauty, highlighting main cities from Montreal and Vancouver to Los Angeles and Miami, with everywhere in between all connected by rail. The concept of the gameplay is complicated at first but satisfyingly simple once you grasp the mechanics of the game. Days of Wonder takes its name from the childhood fascination many feel when they first play games. In 2004 it became the youngest publisher ever to win the Spiel des Jahres, just 2 years after it was founded. Accessible, low-key, and very replayable, this is the perfect option for newcomers and tabletop veterans alike When one player gets down to two or fewer trains left at the end of their turn, each player, including that player, gets one final turn. The game then ends and it is time to see who has won!Don’t get me wrong there is a bit more to it in terms of setup and how many cards you draw, how many you keep and that sort of thing, but I won’t get bogged down with that here – I will save that for a How To Play feature. Ferries are special routes linking two adjacent cities across a body of water. They are easily identified by the Locomotive icon(s) featured Because the score for some routes may be affected by technologies such as the Boiler Lagging or the Steam Turbines, waiting until the end to compute Routes points doesn't work in this expansion. When looking at who has the longest continuous path, you should look at each colour in turn. Trains can pass through the same city more than once, but each train can only be counted once. If two (or more) players are tied for the longest train, then they each score 10 points. On the UK side of the board, technology plays its part. You start out as a small train tycoon in England. At first, you can only build routes that are one- or two-trains in length. But if you spend the wild train cards, you then ‘upgrade’ your tech! Then you can build longer routes. Then you can start extending your network into Wales, Scotland and Ireland. There’s even bonus cards up for grabs, with other means to score points!