Ticket to Ride: London

My family plays a LOT of ticket to ride. I was first introduced to the original by my wife and we play this game a lot! With our siblings or parents, ticket to ride is our default game of choice. But because of the simplicity of the original, we decided to try out a new version of our favorite game. At first glance, rails and sails looks complicated. The rule book isn't too overwhelming if you have played the original but when you actually sit down and go to play the game might be a little intimidating. As recommended in the rule book, I do not recommend first time ticket to ride players to start off with this version. The game gives you both train cards AND boat cards. When you first start the game, you have to decide your boat and train ratio (which reduces your points if you have to exchange later on) and throughout the game you are left to choose between picking up boat cards or train cards. The boat cards have a (high) chance to get a double boat card (you get to lay down 2 boats for 1 card) vs the trains that give you a chance for a wild card. So there is a constant debate which route to go through. My mother-in-law scored very high by only completing limited missions but with large boat routes (which are easier to put down!) whereas I scored well going train heavy and completing a lot of mission cards, making my route as complicated as possible. The harbors are an awesome twist! Basically you get huge bonuses for having missions start or end where you place a harbor. This is where the strategy of the game comes into place for me... Do I rush to secure my route? Do I rush to secure my harbor? Do I want to pick up train cards or boat cards? What is my biggest priority? Overall, this is my favorite game by far at the moment. The original ticket to ride would be in our top 5 games but this version with the increase strategy and well balanced game mechanics would blow the original game out of the water. Nice tidbits... There are SO many mission cards. I like to pick up as many mission cards as possible and try to make one massive expansion of my route. Even after finishing the game multiple times (we were playing this game 4 times a day over labor day weekend), we only got a 3rd the way through the mission cards. Which means, the game changes SO much every time! You get to pick up 4 mission cards and keep a minimum of 1 which means you can have a LOT of flexibility on your mission cards in this version. This game board is massive! It is much bigger than the original and the box is too! The box is very organize and things all have a nice home in this case. It has 2 games in 1 so if you got board with the world you can always play the great lakes or vice versa. Both games have a LOT of mission cards which makes it awesome! This game is extremely hard to block or anticipate what your friends are doing. Because of the sheer number of routes in this game and they took out the longest railroad, it is quite the risky move trying to block off your opponents. I have found myself using up my wild cards prematurely trying to "secure off" my route only to find out that they took a completely different path then I was expecting. Yes sometimes I got blocked but overall this game feels clean, balanced and opened. My one complaint, I dont think there are enough boat cards! I wish they added in more... The fact that you need LESS boat cards to go farther makes sense that the boat deck is smaller than the train cards... but... I wish they had doubled the boat cards to make it easier for shuffling... Things get a bit complicated when people are hoarding boat cards :(

Our (homeschool) family LOVES this game! We play it a few times a week. With 2 people playing, it takes around 35-45 minutes. With more people, add more time--when we play with 5 people, it takes about 90 minutes. (Our first time playing each side took about 2 - 2.5 hours--but now we know where each destination is and normally play takes around a hour for 4 people). Our children play this version (Rails and Sails) with no problems--they are only 7 and 9 years old...our 5 year old needs our assistance yet. (However they play alot of critical/strategic/logic type of games). Our children prefer ' The World' side of the board, as routes loop around to the east and west; and the 'route' cards seem to be of higher point value, so they can really score massive points on this side. The high score is 466 points, which our 9 year old scored! On 'The Great Lakes' side, the high score is only 172 points--scored by mom. With that being stated, I wish the scoring pawns were cube shaped, with a zero on one side (for 0-99 point value, then a 100, 200, 300, 400, and 500 on other sides for keeping higher scores much easier (I made one with a die, see pic). We regularly score over 200 points with "The World" version. As with the pawns that came with the game, I wrote "@ 100" (representing 100-199 points) on one side of the pawn and simply flip it over when needed. The nice challenging aspect to this version is the rails (trains) AND sails (ships). It gives you more options for playing routes. In these versions, you can only play one section of your route at a time (each turn), which I like because other players can't hoard all the cards and then suddenly go down and claim an ENTIRE route all in one go, taking your route more easily...However, in these versions, with 2-3 players playing, all double routes are consided single routes only (the double route is obsolete). Double routes can only be used as 'double routes' in 4-5 player games. That rule makes it quite challenging sometimes and you may end up needing to reroute (sometimes multiple times) to complete your route(s). A negative for me is that only up to 5 people can play; I wish 6 could, as we are a family of 6; or three couples could play together. I understand why though--it's to hard to get your route(s) with more people playing. The board is HUGE, it measures 21" x 38 1/8". The box measures 11 5/8" x 11 5/8" x 4" and weighs 4.6 #s. The game does have around some 730 pieces/(regular sized) cards, so take caution with little ones getting into it. (The train and ship pieces are of lighter weight than the 'USA' version, but we have not had an issue with it). When our game first arrived, I took some time to organize everything into labeled baggies...it makes clean up and set up a breeze (see pics); I got the idea from the 'USA' & 'Europe' versions we rented from our local library. Personally, I think that playing the 'USA' version first is unnessisary. The rules for these versions are written nicely and if needed, you could always watch a YouTube video on how to play the game to help understand it better and more quickly. (We also enjoy the 'Rails & Sails' version better than the 'U.S.A.' and 'Europe' versions--it seems to be a bit more challenging). All in all, this version (Rails & Sails) of 'Ticket To Ride' is one of our top 3 go-to family games we play, along with 'Carcassonne' and 'Settlers of Catan'. It's an expensive game, but it's of high quality and like 2 games in 1. (A deciding factor for me to purchase was that on ' The Great Lakes' side, we live very close to the 'Wausau' route--which we all thought was cool; and my children recognize all the other nearby routes, as they've been to them!). However, the price has gone up $15 from when I purchased it a month ago (February 2018) for $65. Update (May 2018): FYI: As we play ALOT, the game board edges were starting to peel from unfolding/folding the game board with each game of play. I taped all the edges with some scotch tape to help keep it nice; the tape has also helped with keeping the large game board more flat. Update (September 2018): New high scores: +537 points on "The World" side; +205 points on "The Great Lakes" side. (Both scores by former 9 year old who's now 10). So yes, a better scoring pawn would be nice.

Great game which I am familiar with the original and it is enjoyed by friends and family

This game is so fun! At first it was a difficult shift to having the boats too but it was easy to understand the next round.

Purchased National Parks game and didn't like it nearly as much as our Ticket to Ride versions so exchanged it for this version of Rails and Sails which has another board on the back side called the Great Lakes. Super fun game and we like it a lot.

If you enjoy the base game this version amped up the strategy! It’s a little different to get used to wagering token and building docks but it’s so much fun once everyone gets the hang of the rules. And it’s two games for one! The game itself is fun, easy to set up, and having two boards is great value.

This game is actually pretty fun to play. It takes some time (between 1-2 hrs) to play, but with some strategy and patience you can win! I like how this game uses a combination of sails and rails to complete routes from one city to another using the entire world map. At first, it was a little overwhelming to learn the game, but after the first game most of us who played felt pretty comfortable next time around. I wish the game came with some type of plastic boxes to keep the game pieces as players have more than 60 pieces each! Overall, fun game to play while having a cold one and good conversation.

"Ticket to Ride Rails & Sails" has been a fantastic addition to our game nights, proving to be a hit not just with family, but with friends as well. Here’s why it stands out: **Super Fun and Engaging** The game is incredibly fun and has a way of drawing everyone in. Whether you're a seasoned board gamer or new to the hobby, the engaging gameplay of "Ticket to Ride Rails & Sails" offers an enjoyable experience for all. Its blend of strategy and unpredictability keeps every round exciting. **Great for Friends and Family** This game strikes a perfect balance, making it suitable for both friends and family gatherings. The rules are straightforward enough for younger family members, while the strategic depth keeps friends engaged during a more competitive game night. It's versatile, appealing to a wide range of players. **Addictively Entertaining** The addictive nature of this game is undeniable. Whether you're playing with friends or family, the desire to play 'just one more round' is a common occurrence. Each game feels fresh and encourages trying new strategies, ensuring that it never gets old. **Competitive Fun** "Ticket to Ride Rails & Sails" fosters a healthy dose of competition, which can make game nights with friends particularly lively and entertaining. The competitive aspect is well-balanced, ensuring that the game remains enjoyable and doesn’t become overly intense. **Overall: A Stellar Choice for Any Gathering** In conclusion, "Ticket to Ride Rails & Sails" is a highly recommended game for anyone looking to enhance their game night, be it with friends or family. Its fun, addictive, and competitive gameplay makes it a crowd-pleaser and a staple for any social gathering.