Ticket To Ride - Europe

by Days of Wonder

• For 2-5 players
• Tons of replay value
• Takes 30-60 minutes to play
• Ticket to Ride - Europe is a complete, new game and does not require the original version
• Also includes 5 Wooden Scoring Markers, 1 Rules booklet, 1 Days of Wonder Online access number

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 11.8 x 11.8 x 3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• Origin: China
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B000809OAO
• Item model number: DOW 7202
• Manufacturer recommended age: 8 - 12 years
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #718 in Toys & Games (See Top 100 in Toys & Games)
  • #43 in Toys & Games > Games > Board Games
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (268 customer reviews)

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Get ready for a new train adventure as you travel across Europe with Ticket to Ride - Europe, the new edition of the worldwide hit from Days of Wonder. From Edinburgh to Constantinople and from Lisbon to Moscow, the game will take you on a ride to the great cities of turn-of-the-century Europe. More than just a new map, Ticket to Ride - Europe features brand new gameplay elements including Tunnels, Ferries and Train Stations. Plus, we've upgraded you to First-Class accommodations with larger cards, new Train Station game pieces, and a lavishly illustrated gameboard. Like the original, the game remains elegantly simple, can be learned in three minutes, and appeals to both families and experienced gamers. Ticket to Ride - Europe is a complete, new game and does not require the original version. It is for 2 to 5 players, and it takes 30-60 minutes to play.

Product Description

Get ready for a new train adventure as you travel across Europe with Ticket to Ride - Europe, the new edition of the worldwide hit from Days of Wonder. From Edinburgh to Constantinople and from Lisbon to Moscow, the game will take you on a ride to the great cities of turn-of-the-century Europe. More than just a new map, Ticket to Ride - Europe features brand new gameplay elements including Tunnels, Ferries and Train Stations. Plus, we've upgraded you to First-Class accommodations with larger cards, new Train Station game pieces, and a lavishly illustrated gameboard. Like the original, the game remains elegantly simple, can be learned in three minutes, and appeals to both families and experienced gamers. Ticket to Ride - Europe is a complete, new game and does not require the original version. It is for 2 to 5 players, and it takes 30-60 minutes to play.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

201 of 203 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best "Gateway" games ever. January 10, 2006

By B. Sites

Durability: 5.0 out of 5 stars    Educational: 3.0 out of 5 stars    Fun: 5.0 out of 5 stars   

Ticket to Ride Europe is perhaps the best game of its kind. And part of what makes this easy to say is Ticket is really quite innovative and in a class of its own. I'll provide a short and detailed review for those interested.

Ticket to Ride revolves around collecting different cards that correspond to a color. Those cards are then used to build railway lines of that color on the gameboard (a map of Europe). Each player is trying to build certain routes from city to city in return for points. But there are only so many ways to get from place to place and the intrigue of the game is balancing when to collect more cards used to build rails and when to play cards to make sure you secure that critical link in your transcontinental railway. Ticket to Ride, as I mentioned above, is a great "gateway" game because it's not a classic board game style (e.g. Monopoly, Sorry, Cranium, etc.) and so those who are new to the "enhanced board game" field (e.g. Settlers of Catan, Axis and Allies, Pirate's Cove, etc.) will still be comfortable playing Ticket to Ride. The rules are pretty straight-forward and the game moves quickly. It also takes less then an hour.

Longer Version

Ticket to Ride revolves around getting rail cards of certain colors and securing city-to-city lines of that color. The colors of the rail lines vary and the trick to this game is getting to where you need to go in the most efficient manner.

The game starts with everyone receiving "tickets." These tickets have two cities on them and a point value. Your goal is to pick a few of these tickets to try and make a railway between the cities during the game. You try to pick routes that are overlapping and, throughout the game, you can choose new tickets.... But, you never know what routes you'll get and any tickets you don't accomplish by game's end are worth negative points.

Once everyone has chosen their initial tickets, play commences. Each player may choose two of five face-up rail cards (the color cards discussed above that you use to lay rail of that color). Or, you can choose to take 3 new tickets (of which you must keep at least 1) or take two face-down rail cards (so you risk getting colors you can't use yet). The final option on your turn is, instead of taking any cards, you can lay rail using your cards. I won't go into detail here but suffice it to say you can only lay one city-to-city rail line at a time and you must use the required color or colors.

Play continues like this as each player tries to complete his or her route while taking new tickets to branch off into additional routes. The game ends when someone runs out of rails (which can happen suddenly). After a few games, the turns go quickly and the game is fairly fast-paced.

The Original

I would be overlooking a whole population of readers if I didn't comment on the differences between Ticket to Ride Europe and the original Ticket to Ride (which takes place in the United States). Europe adds the ability to build stations which allow you to piggy-back from one city to another on another player's rail line. These cost you points, however, so should only be used sparingly. Again, I won't dive into the details, but stations are necessary to Europe since now you start the game with a long route that is sometimes hard to reach without using a station (or two in worst-case situations).

Europe also adds "locomotive" cards which are essentially wild cards. You can use them as any color rail but they are also needed for certain lines (e.g. to get from London to any city, you'll have to build across water and this requires a locomitive card). And as I mentioned above, another change in Europe is that you often start with a long route that is worth 20 or more points.

Summary

Overall, Ticket to Ride Europe is a fun game that even those used to traditional board games will probably enjoy. For those who like extremely complex strategy games, this isn't one. But even still, this is still a great game that you will likely enjoy for its quick and versatile gameplay. It even won me over, and I'm more towards games like Risk 2210 and Settlers of Catan Knights and Cities.

I strongly recommend this game. To learn more or play a demo, go to the Days of Wonder website and check it out (but it can't beat playing at home with friends!). Read more ›

52 of 52 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Improved follow-up to Ticket to Ride USA August 5, 2010

By S. TURNER

Amazon Verified Purchase

Durability: 5.0 out of 5 stars    Educational: 5.0 out of 5 stars    Fun: 5.0 out of 5 stars   

Ticket to Ride Europe is an improved follow-up to the original Ticket to Ride. It improves upon the original by coming with standard-sized cards, by adding ferry and tunnel routes, and by adding train stations. It is a stand-alone spin off, so the original TTR is not required to play.

Much like the original TTR, TTR:Europe involves claiming train routes to complete city-to-city destinations on destination tickets. On each turn, players have take one out of three possible actions:
-- collect train cards (which are used to claim routes)
-- claim a route (by spending train cards). The routes score points as they are claimed, and their point value grows progressively with length: 1 length = 1 point, 2 length = 2 points, 3 length = 4 points, 4 length = 7 points, 6 length = 15 points, 8 length = 21 points).
-- take destination tickets (which give bonus points if you are able to complete the destination by the end of the game, but COST points if you are not able to complete). The player takes 3 destination cards and must keep at least one card, but has the option to reject up to two. The makes it a bit of a gamble - the player may get destination tickets they already have completed, or they may get destinations that are difficult to impossible to complete. The destinations can be close city connections worth a few points or cross continent connections worth 20 points.

Since each turn involves only one of three possible actions, the turns move very quickly and keep everyone engaged in the game. If you take your turn and get up to get a drink, it will usually be your next turn before you get back to the table.... The scoring is fairly well balanced, and since you don't know what destinations other players have or haven't completed, the score can change dramatically at the end of the game.

Unlike the original TTR, there are two new route types that add a twist to the game. The first is the 'ferry' route. These are all 'any color' routes, but they take one or two locomotive (wild) cards to claim. The second is the 'tunnel' route. These are either a specific color or 'any color'. When a player wishes to claim a tunnel route, they state their intention and three train cards are drawn from the top of the deck. For each card that is the same color as the route, the player must add that many cards to complete the route, so it could cost anywhere from zero to three extra cards to build. If the player is unable to add enough cards to claim the route, the turn is over.

The other addition to the TTR:Europe that is not in TTR:USA are the train stations. The train stations allow a player to use the route of another player in order to complete a destination ticket. These can prove very useful when the right cards aren't coming your way, or if a section of the board get clogged by other players. They come with a cost: 1 card to place the 1st, 2 cards to place the second, 3 cards to place the 3rd, and a 4 point penalty for each station placed at the end of the game. However, if the station helps to complete a route, the 4 point penalty is usually a worthwhile tradeoff.

TTR:Europe even has bit of educational value. The city names are in their local names, so Moskow=Moskva, Munich=Munchen, Rome=Roma, Vienna=Wien, etc.

If you are looking for a game to add to your game nights, consider Ticket to Ride Europe. If you are on the fence between the USA version and the Europe version, you'll be happier with the Europe version. Read more ›

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Tunnels and Train Stations August 3, 2007

By Dennis G. Voss Jr. VINE™ VOICE

Durability: 5.0 out of 5 stars    Educational: 5.0 out of 5 stars    Fun: 5.0 out of 5 stars   

The Europe edition of Ticket to Ride stands alone from the basic (United States) and Bavaria/Marklin editions of the game, both in the narrow sense that it is not an "expansion set" to those games, but also in the broader sense that it's a lot more than just the original game with a different map. The rules are fairly similar, so learning all three games only takes a modest amount of time, but the differences across the games alter the strategies a fair bit. Each one feels like a distinct experience.

For those unfamiliar with the series, here's what they all have in common: There is a game board indicating routes among a bunch of cities. The object of the game is to amass the most points, and in one way or another those points come from collecting the routes strategically. Collecting any route between two places will generate points, but each player holds hidden Ticket Cards indicating longer routes of special importance to that person, and stringing together little routes to make this longer connection adds to the payoff (whereas failing to do so imposes a penalty). How do the players take possession of routes? They take turns drawing cards that, when collected into sets, determine which routes they can use, and eventually they start using those cards to claim routes. The main random element is the timing of when those cards turn up in the deck.

The Europe edition contains a few differences from the other two. One difference is that claiming routes is more complicated in this edition. The cost of claiming certain routes is uncertain until you actually try to do it, and some routes require special wild cards to claim (allowing the possibility of a long bottleneck as a player tries to score one of those cards).... More important, in terms of changing the gameplay, is the combination of two features: the Train Station rule and the denser map. Whereas an offensive strategy can be effective in the other two games, blocking routes needed by other players, this game offers more feasible routes for connecting cities and allows players to use each others' rails as long as they pay the relatively modest cost of building a station. Gameplay therefore differs significantly between this edition and the others.

Forced to choose, I'd say the Europe edition is the weakest of the three because random elements influence the outcome more than in the other two. Often a player can win right near the end of the game simply by claiming a route from nowhere to nowhere that's worth lots of points. But my family loves all three of them. You don't have to care a whit about trains. You don't have to worry about the backstory provided by the designers, which we found implausible and tossed out in favor of a conventional "robber baron" interpretation of the action. Even small children can enjoy these games, as long as they focus on the pleasure of successfully connecting things instead of focusing on beating the older players. (A suggestion: Keep a pad of paper in the box and track the child's points so that the competition is personal rather than with the adults.) The pace is especially fast, as each player takes turns drawing cards or claiming routes. (My family likes to play a board game while we eat but this one moves so quickly that we have a hard time doing both at the same time.) The boards are gorgeous, the pieces colorful and sturdy. We have just been thrilled with these purchases. Read more ›