Customer Reviews

Empire Builder

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This game is really alot of fun! Our little group when playing this game ranges from 33 to 15. We all have alot of fun with this game. We have played it so much, the puzzle board is starting to get worn down and the crayons are almost done. Everyone in the family will have fun with this game!

This is a great strategy game for 2 or more people (though with more than 4 people it might be prohibitively slow). We enjoy playing with our 12 year old kids. There is some luck involved, but strategy and careful planning are definitely key. The one downside is that the game can take a long time (unless you use one of the shorter game modifications), but as you get used to where everything is, it definitely picks up. Lots of fun, we highly recommend it.

I love Railroad games, but sure didn't like this. I am not elderly, but had a heck of a time trying to see the crayon marks on the board. My daughter was yellow and broke the crayon trying to get it so someone could see the marks. The strategy is great, but you also have to have time for a 3-4 hour game , which pretty much leaves it for weekends. We have teenagers who enjoy games, but to try to convince them to spend 4 hours with parents isn't always easy. I guess your real enjoyment of this game depends on your circumstances and who you are playing with. Probably not the best for busy families with teens.

Pros: This game is a great family game and it is fun and educational. It is good for learning North American geography. The game relies more on strategy than luck, for those of you that enjoy strategy games.
Cons: The game takes a while to complete, between 3 to 4 hours, though there are optional rules to speed up the game. The game board is a little difficult to write on at first, but after a while the wax wears down a little and it becomes easier to write on. Lastly, while I enjoyed this game, I like the European version, Mayfair Games EuroRails, a little better.

I've played both Empire Builder and Euro Rails and found Empire Builder to be much easier. It's nice to be able to speed up the game in so many different ways, but even with 2 players and quick rules, most games last around 2 hours. It's well worth the investment though.

Empire Builder is one of four Mayfair "Rails" games that we've purchased in the past few months (Eurorails, India Rails and Russia Rails). All of them are fun and addictive, but Empire Builder is in the top two with Eurorails. Although all are similar, this game has the best looking cards and chips, it's board is large enough to read and play on (India Rails is too small), and the entire game concept is genius. I've found that by playing these games, I not only learn geography but also where resources are found/produced and shipped to. Winning or losing isn't as important in this game, it's just so much fun to play that it doesn't matter.

We have a 9 year old who loves to play! This is a great game but it can be played for SEVERAL hours. I also recommend using Quartet ReWritables dry erase markers instead of the included crayons. Our family loves this game and it is great for learning geography.

I enjoy this game. My husband and I are very competitive, even with board games. This is one of the few games we can play when no one else is available. It's fun to strategize and think about your future plans in the game. Great!

The Empire Builder game is a fun and educational experience in prioritizing to reach an end goal (winning the game). I would recommend this game to everyone.