It’s a small touch, but for those who want to bring their rank with them, it’s a nice one. Ticket to Ride supports 2-5 players online using Game Center, and even allows players who’ve been enjoying Ticket to Ride Online for the last few years to bring their Days of Wonder account to the iPad. There are other expansions and editions out there for the print version of the game (Nordic Countries, Europa 1912, Marklin), so we’ll keep our fingers crossed that Days of Wonder decides to add those too. These are expansions that radically modify the base gameplay, and Days of Wonder managed to not only include them, but to get them working flawlessly. USA 1910 brings in a variety of Destination Tickets. Europe brings in the idea of train stations. Switzerland is a smaller map designed for only 2-3 players and adds new gameplay elements like tunnels and country-to-country tickets. We’re not just talking about new maps – we’re talking about whole new experiences. More important than money, though, is what this additional content brings to the table. You’re picking up this new content for literally pennies on the dollar. Switzerland is out of print and goes for an arm and a leg on eBay. On the Days of Wonder website Ticket to Ride Europe goes for $50. First off, it’s almost impossible to discuss these expansions (or the main game, for that matter) without mentioning the price. The inclusion of these is remarkable for a number of reasons. At launch, players can purchase the USA 1910 expansion, Ticket to Ride Europe, and Ticket to Ride Switzerland. Since 2004, a number of spin-offs and expansions have been released and Days of Wonder has included many of these here as in-app purchases. When you first boot up Ticket to Ride, you’ll have access to only a single game mode – the USA map featured in the original release. The music and sound effects are a perfect match for what’s on screen. Characters that had previously only appeared in instruction manuals or on the box are brought to life as avatars and menu characters. The beautiful maps have all been delicately reproduced here, alongside the card art and the general feel of the game. The iPad iteration not only retains all of the gameplay that made the board game so great, but it does so with a gorgeous presentation and intuitive controls. It’s simple, it’s engaging, it’s fun, and it’s been played by millions of people around the world since its debut in 2004. Anyone can pick it up in only minutes, and the playing field is generally level enough that after getting a few games under your belt you’ll be able to go toe to toe with the average Ticket to Ride veteran. It’s a game with simple rules, surprising depth, and a nice blend of luck and strategy. The challenge lies in knowing which routes to buy, cutting off routes for the competition, and knowing which Destination Tickets (the cards that tell you which cities to connect) to hang on to and which to discard. Connecting cities and buying routes earns the players points, and at the end of the game the player with the most points wins. A green route with four links in the chain will require four green cards to purchase – that sort of thing. To do this, they’ll collect different colored cards which they’ll essentially use as currency. Players attempt to connect two cities together by purchasing a variety of different routes on a map. Originally releasing back in 2004, Ticket to Ride is a board game about trains. Now the folks at Days of Wonder have brought Ticket to Ride to the iPad, and it’s nearly everything we hoped it could be. But of these must-play titles, only one seems to stand out head over shoulders whenever the folks I know sit down to play: Ticket to Ride. In the world of modern board games, few titles manage to stand out as absolutely essential to own. Ride the rails with one of the greatest board games of the last decade… now on the iPad!
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