I had to buy this game. So many people say it works miracles for them and introduces non-gamers to German gaming. I have always loved German games, so I picked this one up and wow did it deliver.
My mom of all people wanted to play so we did while the kids did their homework and kind of watched the game at the same time. The first thing I noticed is: NO PUNCHING OUT PIECES! YAY! The only thing needed to be done was to shuffle the cards and remove the cards with advertisements on them. The only small concern I have is with the small cards. They are like the size of mini-decks of playing cards. Also the board is a bit...umm huge.
Components: 4 out of 5
The factor of strategy and difficulty works really well. The game is so easy to learn but yet there is so much strategy it is truly amazing. You start by getting colored train cars. When you get a set (say, 3 blue train car cards) you can play your trains on the board somewhere where you have the same color cards in your hand as you do on the board (so with my 3 blue cards I could claim a route between two cities that have 3 blue spaces between them). Silver routes can be claimed with any color, but it must be one solid color, not a mix of colors. You also have destination tickets which you must try to connect by forming a series of routes leading from point A to point B. At any point in the game you can add more DTs to your hand, with a catch. You draw 3 but you must keep at least one, which really stinks when all of your cards are lengthy (Example: Miami to San Francicso, ouch!).
Gameplay: 5 out of 5
Strategy: 5 out of 5
Instructions: Easy read
The replayability in this game is amazing! The amount of strategy in the game (and this coming from somone who has only played the 2 player version) is incredible. I can't wait to try this with 3, 4, even 5 people because it would just be chaos.
Replayability: 5 out of 5
Final Score: 5 out of 5
I really thought that all those stories were fake but this game really does introduce non-gamers to German gaming. I hope (big hope) to get my family to play Tigris & Euhprates someday.
