Ticket to Ride is one of my favorite board games, and like most of my favorites, it features a combination of game mechanisms that seem to blend together perfectly under an interesting theme. In this case, set collection is combined with network building and everything is tied together with a train theme. It’s readily available, easy to learn, and fun for all ages.

Ticket to Ride was designed by American game designer, Alan Moon. I don’t mean to imply that he designs American games, but rather that he is an American citizen. At least I think he is. He may secretly be Canadian, hiding his love for hockey and improvisation comedy under a red, white, and blue slipcover. Ticket to Ride was published in 2004 by Days of Wonder. It won a bazillion awards, mostly game awards, but probably a few employee of the month awards just because of all of the excitement. It was the second Spiel des Jahres win for Alan Moon (the first was Elfenland), and a huge commercial success that spawned an entire franchise that covers numerous versions of the game in regular and digital formats.

You can play Ticket to Ride with from 2 to 5 players. I usually prefer to play with 3 or 4, but the game is good regardless. It’s a great family game, and is simple enough to play with children ages 8 and up. You can probably get away with kids younger than that, but they have to be able to hold cards and resist the urge to put small plastic trains up their nose.

The game is produced by Days of Wonder, so the quality of the components is excellent. The game comes with a large board that shows the continental United States, connected by a network of routes of various lengths and colors. Continue Reading…