Introduction
Some people play video games some play indoor games and some play board games. Board games are very interesting games. People love to play board games. There are also different types of board games. But here we are presenting you a best train board games.
The best train board games
For some strange reason, there is a long-standing association between board games and trains, dating back to the early days of popular board games in the Victorian era. In fact, the theme is so popular among designers that there are over a thousand railroad-themed games out there, making it difficult to choose the best. Many of these, as we’ll see, belong to the heavy subgenre, in which players manage the economy of railroad companies by laying tracks across the landscape. But there are lighter options, including family-friendly board games and one of the best-selling board games of all time.
Ticket to Ride
Where else to start, if not with this legendary game and its many geographical and mechanical ramifications? Anyone who has played the card game Rummy is familiar with its basic principle – to collect sets of identical cards before other players do. But in Ticket to Ride, you’ll exchange these sets for trains, trying to connect the cities printed on your secret tickets for big bonus points. But be careful: if you fail to complete the route, you will lose points, which makes this game not only about trains, but also about blocking. This simple but angst-filled plan proved wildly successful, taking the entire franchise out of the hobby shop realm and into the mass market.
1830: Railways and Robber Barons
From one of the easiest games on the list to one of the hardest, 1830 is our game that represents the great “18XX” sub-genre in which players buy shares in railway companies in an attempt to amass a personal fortune. Whoever owns a controlling stake in each of the companies in the game is given a mandate to manage its activities, such as laying track and operating trains, to generate profits that are shared among shareholders. This money can then be reinvested in stocks of your choice, creating strategic wheels within strategic wheels. This formula, which originated in the game 1829, proved to be so fascinating that it spawned almost 300 spin-off games. 1830 is one of the most popular and affordable, but it is long; for a quick introduction, try the Japanese themed game 1889.
Age of Steam
Another titan of the railroad hobby, Age of Steam was inspired by the 18XX series, but ditched the stock manipulation in favor of a simpler, faster pick-up-and-deliver game. But don’t be fooled into thinking it’s lost strategic wealth: it’s a brutal, unforgiving game where neophyte players can quickly and easily burn themselves into economic oblivion for the duration. The interaction between players is just as brutal, with players fighting in a turn-order auction to capture the juiciest routes and prevent opponents from building. However, once you get your hands on it, the drama that results from this interaction is second to none, and clever, strategic tug-of-war is rewarded every time.
Railways of the World
If you like the idea of Age of Steam but want something more indulgent, Railways of the World is the game for you. It has lighter rules and a more open gameplay loop that allows struggling players to get back into the game, albeit at the cost of some of the strategic depth of the previous game. The reward for this is a more exciting race that keeps everyone engaged, as well as more variety thanks to a deck of bonus cards that come into play differently in each game. In addition, the game has become more attractive, replacing the functional playing field and cubes with colorful plastic trains that maneuver around large, bright maps of the continent.
Ultimate Railroads
“Ultimate” in the title is not a brag about other railway games, but rather an acknowledgment that this is a big edition of the famous Russian Railways series with all its expansions and additions. The game focuses on the strategic placement of workers, rather than the construction of routes, which is characteristic of other games of this genre. Instead, you develop a “track” on your personal player boards by placing workers on the main board. Some areas benefit from multiple workers, while others require specialists, and it’s a constant toss-up between spending time working your way up the ranks and accessing the areas you want.
Colt Express
If you want a train game that really brings trains to your desk, then Colt Express has a 3D model of a locomotive instead of a playing field. The players represent the rogues of the Wild West, who intend to rob the wagons of their jewels. The process unfolds with a deck of action cards, which allow you to pre-program your moves before each player takes their turn, meaning if you’ve missed the mark, you can punch, shoot or loot into the void while your target runs to the bank. But watch out for the automated marshal, which is controlled by each round’s event card, as he seeks to throw your thugs off the train.
Wabash Cannonball
You may already know it as a Johnny Cash song, but it’s also a train game that has an alternate edition called the Chicago Express. It’s an attempt to strip the beloved stock-rail formula of its foundations, and it’s surprisingly successful. The result is a strategy-rich game that’s approachable enough for family play. Players are railroad tycoons trying to cash in on four different companies building tracks in the Midwest in an effort to reach Chicago.