Transamerica

by Rio Grande Games

Product Features

• Railroad theme
• Classic Eurogame
• For 2-6 players
• Takes about 30 minutes
• Includes one game board, 85 tracks, 35 city cards, 6 start markers, 6 locomotives, one starting player card and rules

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 8.9 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00008URUO
• Item model number: RGG 201
• Our recommended age: 8 years and up
• Manufacturer recommended age: 10 - 14 years
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,395 in Toys & Games (See Top 100 in Toys & Games)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

America in the 19th century: railroads are booming. Pioneer spirit and vision are everywhere. Everyone wants to be the first to build a railroad network across the country. Each player has five cities and tries to connect them with a shared network of tracks. As soon as a player has done this, the round ends. The other players lose points. At the end of the game, the player who has the most points left is the winner. A very simple railway game. The player who can make the best use of the other players' networks is generally victorious.

Product Description

Game Description: America in the 19th century: railroads are booming! Pioneer spirit and vision are everywhere. Everyone wants to be the first to build a railroad network across the country. Each player has five cities and tries to connect them with a shared network of tracks. As soon as a player has done this, the round ends. The other players lose points. At the end of the game, the player who has the most points left is the winner! A very simple railway game. The player who can make the best use of the other players' networks is generally victorious.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Better than settlers?, November 9, 2005

By 

Aaron L. Shaw "Casual Reviewer" (Provo, UT USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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

This review is from: Transamerica (Toy)

Is it better than settlers? Ehe. If I wrote this review 2 months ago, I would have sworn this was a great game. Light, fast paced, high player interaction, explained in 2 minutes, played in 20 minutes. However, after two months of play I have seen some glaring flaws. The luck element is just too high. I have played a game where the lucky winner went out in the first round - a five minute game with no strategy. I have then played a game that lasted an hour and a half and bored everyone to tears do only to bad luck in darwing the destinations.

Bottom Line: Is it fun? yes. Is it worth buying for a couple of months. Sure. Is it for kids? As long as they can read.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great little rail game, April 26, 2005

By 

William Garrett (Sunnyvale, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Durability:3.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:4.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Transamerica (Toy)

Transamerica distills the essence of a rail game. Players add tracks to a shared railroad network, competing to connect their 5 cities before anyone else does. The simple rules take less than 5 minutes to learn. The game plays quickly, too, finishing in around 30 minutes. Players with more time will be happy to play a few rematches.

The game plays well at different levels. Younger or inexperienced players can enjoy it as a fun game that teaches a bit about U.S. geography, while expert strategists will find a reasonable amount of depth and replayability relative to the simple mechanics.

A rare plus of this game is that it scales well from 2 to 6 players. It's balanced and lively with as few as 2, and it doesn't bog down with a full 6.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Medford-Helena-St. Louis-Houston-Jacksonville, September 4, 2003

By 

"diamondnt" (Miami, FL USA) - See all my reviews

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

This review is from: Transamerica (Toy)

Transamerica is surely a fabulous game. For as simple and easy to explain as it is, it provides a ton of entertainment. The idea is that you get 5 cities to connect in the USA-- one in each region: East, South, Midwest, Heartland, and West coast. The first person to connect all five of her cities wins the round, and other players lose points equal to the number of tracks needed to complete their network. You may employ others' rails once connected, so the trick is to anticipate where others are going to build and let them lay the tracks closer to your out of the way cities. Knowing when and where to connect is what separates good from great players here, along with a healthy dose of luck since some cities are painfully out of the way (Boston!). The game is great with 4+ but is acceptable with 3 and unique yet not as exciting as a 2-player feud. All in all, no hesitations in picking up this gem.