Sunday, April 1, 2018

The Joy of Gaming: 27 Days Until International Tabletop Day - Ticket to Ride and Europe


Ticket to Ride is one of my absolute favorite games. I'm not going to say I'm a bad gamer, but I take pride that I am actually really good at this game. I like games that have similar mechanics, because it really gets my game engines revving. Sometimes I feel a little like Wil Wheaton, because I do have a tendency to lose games often, but there's something about this type of strategy game that makes me a little more confident at winning.

I love the drafting and the route-setting. I have all these secret things I do in place when I play, regardless of which edition it is. I love filling tickets and finding all the ways to really develop those links between the cities.

So when Ticket to Ride: Europe popped onto my RADAR, I had to have it and it offered a new challenging mechanic with it's tunnels rule. I saw these rules on the Nordic Countries as well. The Nordic Countries also has the ferries. But, again, it's just so thrilling for me to puzzle through all the route possibilities.

This game has made it to my club. Sadly, it hasn't enthralled them as much as I would have liked. They are middle school kids who prefer something a little more silly. Like when guys get together for cards once a week. They just want to relax. Not all the kids, but many of them consider it to be more social than challenging. But organize a lock-in and all of a sudden the gamers in them come out! Either way, it's fine.

But we did break this game out with my daughter when she was very, very young. She was totally into Thomas the Train and she loved playing with the trains. We played the game with her several times and she did well for being so young. Back in those days we bent rules a smidge to help her understand, but now she's a seasoned little vet.

Ticket to Ride is a game that is so much a part of who I have become as a gamer, especially with finding myself. I can't not honor it here.















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