The main issue I have with the original US map is the route selection. You randomly get two long routes that work together, you probably won the game, unless someone block you, which mean you are dead last.
Thanks Tom!!! TTR Europe was one of the first games I got. I liked it but it didn't impress me that much. Years later I got all the map packs and this is one of my fav games of all time. It's so much fun and you can also get some new players to the table ... and they have a chance to win on their first game. It's a great franchise ... thanks Tom for pointing that out so many times.
Thank you so much for this!!!! My husband and I are new to the game and we play the Europe version. We changed it up a bit. For a two-player game, we each use two sets of trains, we start with 10 train cards, two long routes, and three short routes. It is so fun. We love it! Thank you so much for this very helpful video!
I'd love to see that, honestly. The Pandemic spin-offs interest me a lot, but I'm worried my family might not enjoy them as much, or get fatigue from "different theme, same mechanics" if they are too samey.
I know he's mentioned this. It wasn't a separate video, but in one of his reviews he mentioned fairly casually what his order of Pandemics are. I remember that the base expansions got progressively worse with the 3rd (hinterlands?) being the most 'eh, pass unless you love pandemic a lot'
Ranking Pandemics is always difficult because of On the Brink and the two Legacy Seasons. The former is barely an expansion - unlike In the Lab - but those extra characters make Original Recipe a perfect game. The latter are kind of in a different category due to their one-and-doneness. Other than that, we could probably predict Zee's list from previous videos. If we remove these from contention, the biggies would probably be: 1) Original Recipe + On the Brink 2) Iberia 3) Fall of Rome 4) In the Lab 5) Reign of Cthulhu 6) Rapid Response 7) Rising Tide 8) The Rest (and who cares?) I'm pretty certain about the top three, not sure if Cthulhu would outrank Lab, but I think it would as Cthulhu doesn't do enough to differentiate itself. Rapid Response and Rising Tide could also switch, but his review for Rapid Response was definitely better than Rising Tide's. Slotting in the Legacies is the biggest guesswork - Season 2 is definitely higher than Season 1 - but they would go either above Original Recipe or below Iberia. I didn't like them as much as Zee did, but even if I did, I still just see them as being in Cthulhu's neck of the woods, though Season 2 was quite a bit different than 1.
With Europe rated so low, I don't know if I can ever trust Tom again!!! Fine, Tom is still my go to guy and I'm glad he had UK/PA map pack so high. Thanks for doing this one Tom! It was really interesting to see your perspective on such a classic series.
I think TTR:Europe is marmite, primarily due to the stations. Those who dislike confrontation and blocking would prefer it while those who prefer confrontations would dislike it more. Personally I feel that TTR was designed to be a game with confrontations and Europe does take away that fun. Although the lasting impact of ferries and tunnels can't be underestimated so it has certainly earnt it's place however later maps simply did a better job.
@@amirnezamamini5142 That would depend on player count really. For 2-3 players, map pack 2 (India and Switzerland) would be my recommendation, both maps are great. For 4-5, rumour has it that map pack 3 (Africa) is absolutely brutal for confrontation although I have never played this one personally.
I just got London as my first Ticket To Ride. I think it's going to serve me well as a quick taste of the full game. I can play it with my m'm who tires easily from brain-work, and I hope to play it at a new gaming group for a quick turnaround where they only meet for 1.5 hours and anyone could drop in late.
I picked up rails and sails as a first ticket to Ride game about two years ago because I had played the app in the past and the game was on sale. We quickly realized a flaw. You can almost disregard your missions and just go for the long routes and you'll likely win. This is made easy with the double ship cards. A 7 space route might only use 4 cards. I imagine if everyone would compete for those spaces that may mitigate that issue, but usually players are focused on missions so it's kind of game breaking... Now I've picked up the new anniversary edition of Europe, and everyone seems to like it alot more. With 4-5 players it can still get highly competitive.
0:55 I must admit that, I've exactly come here to hear your opinion on Polish map :D As I'm going to buy it for my parents, as they love to play in TtR:EU and even sometimes they play with theirs neighbors. Nonetheless, thank you for this great video!
Started with ticket to ride London and love it. I've been looking to get another and had no idea there were so many choices, I'll definitely be having a look for some of these other cool maps. Thanks for the info 😊😊👍👍
Keep in map that the numbered "map packs" are expansions and require you to own a "base" copy of the game... i.e. the original Ticket to Ride, or Ticket to Ride Europe. :)
@@Mr83goat yeah got the European one and really like it. We don't have any friends to play it with so 2 player is a bit predictable. I think with more it'd add that element of having to use your stations and work around other blockages
I'm still a basic purist - USA (+1910) for me. I've played Europe, and maybe Asia once, but I don't really like making a simple game more complex with extra rules when it's not necessary. USA keeps things at its simplest. New York and London are thus also good :D
I’d love to watch such a video about all the Carcassonne stuff: base game, expansions and spin offs. Sam would have been ideal for such a list: I wonder if someone else in the Dice Tower would be able to do it now. They would have to have played it all several times to rank all the items.
Seems Tom got the ranking backwards. US original map is the worst one, because it is designed backwards: singles and many doubles are wild card colours, while long routes demand specific colours.
Totally agreed. But the sheer amount of different colours, and that you are often bound to just draw two cards from top of the deck and get garbage, is even more frustrating then some mean blocking by other players.
Thank you for this vid! Personally by watching this video I once again saw that these games could be experienced completely different for everyone. Ive played quite a few versions and rails and sails is my absolute favorite, and Asia is probably in second place. So if you maybe dont like his number 1, you might love some other versions
Germany is our favorite of all the expansions. Picking up the Meeples adds a whole New level ticket to ride. And gets you more scoring opportunities than other TTR games
I prefer the stations. It is still punishing to use them so you are still encouraged to make sure you control the right areas, but you aren't just screwed if you just don't get the color of cards you need fast enough.
Gavin Scott I like Europe better due to the map layout and the tunnels still provide some challenge and competition for the shorter routes. As I said I tend ro leave out stations so it’s the best of both worlds.
@@MrClawdew I agree with you. I don't think the stations make the game easier, they just add a layer of complexity to the game. Do you take the penalty for using a station or do you take a penalty for not completing a route? My friends and I rarely use stations, unless it's absolutely necessary.
I think the thing is that Rails and Sails two or three player is very fun and easily the best version. But once you get 4+ players it can begin to feel long and tedious
I loved Rails and Sails. The one adjustment I woukd make is taking ticket cards. I would change the take 4 keep 1 to take 4 keep 2. It needs more of a penalty if you just keep taking tickets once your main routes are complete
"Rails and sails" can't challenge in this category : it really put Ticket to ride on an other level ! It's the most expensive box, but it's a full box with two more items inside and 2 wonderful map. Once a few games, it doesn't feel too long but too short. Concerning Europe, if you don't like the stations token, you can just agree not to play with it, it's ok. But I don't feel their using make the game too easy because you do pay the price : you loose points, cards and most of the time, the possibility to win the Longest road bonus.
My favorite Ticket to Ride is the 10th Anniversary edition. Who doesn't love placing a train car carrying a giraffe with his head sticking out? To me, the more detailed and nicer cars are well worth the extra money for the game.
I play with my 7 year old we mostly play US map but I like the Europe map better because US map tends to have a way to win and hard to loose if you play one strat while Europe is more balanced. However, my kid makes us play with train stations in the US map...
The only thing I can't agree with is the high placement of India/Switzerland. Both - especially Switzerland - have tickets that are super-duper valuable. The games become all about getting those tickets rather than strategic placement of trains.
I think my favourite is Rails and Sails. I like the extra length, and the split between boats and trains is really interesting. I just wish they were better quality components. I don't know if they were trying to save weight or money, but the trains in particular feel thin and cheap compared to all the other versions I have that came with trains.
David Landon Cole I love Rails and Sails, I thought it added an extra element of strategy and a nice element of depth. Hadn’t noticed the train quality though
I love Europe with 1912... but pronouncing the city names is always challenging for me. I like stations because they allow you to accomplish your routes easier but also reward those who do so without using the stations. Love trying to get through a long tunnel with only the exact amount of cards required... a bit of push your luck. Need to play more maps though.
You can’t just put TTR Europe in 14th place just because you don’t like the train stations because it makes the game less competitive. The train stations make the game more competitive (in my opinion) because every station costs 4 points and can make the game…
I’ve only recently gotten into board games (besides party type games) and I bought TTR original. My family (especially my brother) really loves it. Now I need to buy some more TTR stuff!
I agree with you about Ticket to Ride Europe. If you play 2 player, you might never even get near each other to block. Even a two player USA game, you will be blocking at some point.
I think the one gripe with the US map vs Europe, and why I prefer Europe as a base game is the Europe map there's an in built balancing mechanism with the tickets, so no-one just wins from their initial ticket draw, or perhaps more importantly loses. The one issue with US map is if you are playing with experienced players and get a bad initial ticket draw of say no tickets over 8 points or whatever, you can basically never win, you're just too handicapped against someone inevitably will have better tickets than you (should add this is obviously assuming you're playing 4-5 players rather than 2 players). It doesn't happen often so it doesn't hurt the game too much, but it can be frustrating to sit down to play a US game, look at your tickets, and know you basically can't win before the game has begun. A few other maps have this too, but the US perhaps more than most has a number of long tickets that work extremely well together which feels less on other maps. That could just be a case though that I have played the US map more than any other map, so you have the ticket deck virtually memorised, meaning you know a good route to take from the off to benefit your draws later. It's only really Europe that I also know most the tickets, but it doesn't have the same issue with getting a bunch of long tickets that work together by definition of the rules.
Thanks for the review and ranking of Ticket to Ride franchise. I am surprised; however, how low you rank Rails and Sails. It is one of my favorite with combination of ships and trains, and is meant to be longer play and a higher strategic level of play. Looking forward to keep adding to my collection and your reviews are always helpful.
Tom - The Europe version has stations that can make it easier, yes perhaps...kind of but, that is offset by: (a) You are penalised points for every station you use making them a last resort option and (b) The tunnelling mechanic which makes it harder to complete some routes unless you take an alternative longer route. I enjoy Europe for this variety it brings over the original US map version. And there are plenty of opportunities to shut people down. Just ask my daughter.
You don’t get penalised for using them. You just don’t get the bonus at the end for not using them. It’s different. People tend to see it as loosing points but they are extra points.
Anybody have the expansion if so can you tell me how this game mode works If I play the big city after I deal out for big city cards do I use the regular ticket
T2R First Journey is great, but has been replaced in our house with GHOST TRAIN. Works really well worth the grandparents in our family too because of the chunky pieces, supports some critical thinking and only lasts 30 min.
We play a game of TTR every day. France is our favorite board. I wish they sold extra train cards as they tend to not last very long. I did buy the 1910 expansion pack for the cards but that is quite expensive for what you get.
My biggest issue with the original game was that people could win, by getting short tickets then trying to build as many of the 6 train connections as possible. They would never take extra tickets and obviously block others from doing their tickets. It is a winning strategy, but seems to be a weak point that one of the best strategies is to get a couple of 6 point tickets and connect them up, then try and build a long train and get as many of the 6 train segments as possible. I find a 4-5 player Europe game has a good level of conflict in it. I do have Marklin and forgot how much I like it also! We must be due a map of Australia sometime soon?
Have you tried it with the 1910 expansion's "Globetrotter" award? That's an extra 15 points for the most tickets. That seems to balance out what you're saying, at least with two players (what I know best, because 95% of my game time is just with my husband, especially during the pandemic).
@@L4JP Yeah adding the 1910 expansion tickets into the game balances it out for sure. Its because its much riskier to try and do longest train with just 2 tickets, because the other players if they take tickets will almost certainly be earning more victory points than the player trying to go longest route on two tickets.
@@JustinWatson23 Is it only 2 tickets minimum in the original version? We bought the 1910 expansion when we bought the main game, and we probably only played it once or twice without the expansion (the cards are way too small!). In 1910 you take 5 cards and keep at least 3.
I play the Nederlands version without any of the new rules. No bonus points. No coins. Nothing. Toss it all. Just play the game straight up. It's the most intense (and maybe the most fun) Ticket to Ride that I play.
I like Nordic Countries the most. It's a maximum of three players, and I usually just play with my Dad, so it works well. Also, that's one of the parts of the world I want to visit some day. And I think the map is nicely set out.
My goodness me I think I could be happy owning all of this stuff except maybe the base games of Germany and Netherlands (the Marklin and Nordic Countries sets would suffice there I think), and the travel version London, as I own the similar New York already, and also those yellow submarines man - I'd just keep humming the first line of the song! (and of course I'd avoid and the 2 discontinued mini-expansions, incl Orient Express cards, that Tom says ignore). With children in mind, I can even see a use for the dice-variant and card/memory versions of the game, as well as the kids version itself. For parties, Alvin and Dexter could make the game a bit less competitive but still fun, and sometime you do need to do that. The other one I own is Europe, but I can see myself playing the original US base set too (with the 1910 expansion I suppose) just for the American map. I'd hate to think what they'd cost if you bought them all together! I think he mentioned 27 different products all told, including the 2 deluxe sets, 1910/12 expansions, discontinued stuff and Poland, and tbh I was a pretty cynical about the whole business model, which does seem like a runaway train to me.. but I also had no idea how different all the genuine variants are to each other, which covers most of the products it seems. It's interesting that the long-play variant, Rail and Sails, which could well combine the most game elements of all of them, isn't actually regarded as well the maps (with their own rules) for the base game(s).
Europe was the first one I ever played and still love it to this day. Uk and Pennsylvania map pack might be may favorite though as it is great for both beginners and for players who want something more.
Which would you recommend best for 2 players? There are only 2 of us in the house that like games, so this would be played mostly only by 2, but we like the lenght of the original (that we borrowed from the library to try it out and loved!). My local game store did a blog post and did not recommend the original for 2 players only as they thought it became too easy. Would you agree with this or think this would still be good? I find the Europe map appealing too, but since you say it's the easiest, I'm a bit worried that, again, it'd be too easy. The London and NY look awesome but the games seem to be so short! Which one to choose?! 🤔
I'd say Nordic definitely, Plus you get a full set of cards and trains also. For expansions, I hear UK and India are the best. Switzerland can work, however the map hasn't aged well and now is vulnerable to a single exploit that was discovered a while back. I don't know about the city maps since I've never played them.
You know you don't have to use the stations in TTR: Europe, right? Without the stations it's just a slightly more challenging and interesting version of the USA map.
Yeah, I thought that was weird - aren't the stations, and the tunnels optional rules, so the Europe base set can be played in exactly the same way as the normal base set? Doesn't that make it better by default as it can play in the same way, or in a more complex fashion depending upon the tastes of the people involved?
@@ishoottheyscore8970 The map is designed around these rules. Without the tunnels those routes will be too cheap for their strategical value. Without the stations. some routes will be much harder to complete.
The thing here is, there's something to be said for geographic familiarity. Especially when playing with kids. From an American perspective, it's just a little faster and easier for some players when they have an inherent understanding of the basic distances and spacial relations between the various cities while choosing and working on routes. Not that it's HARD by any means for an American to play on a map that they are less familiar with. But it will often take a little more checking the map and it's just slightly easier to mix up in your head if you aren't familiar with all the destinations. It's a SLIGHT bit of extra overhead in a game that most of us get out primarily as an introduction to games where we want as little overhead as possible. Personally, I think the stations in Europe make the game a little friendlier and so I chose that as my Ticket to Ride gateway but I get going the other way.
Anther thing about cutting people off: Instead of cutting someone off for a game breaking 40 point swing on a 20 point route you force them to sacrifice a turn to make a negative four point move. So instead of "you lose" it is "take that".
@@jonofpdx My family have taken a liking to TTR NY, they bought it for me as a present last Christmas and we played a few games. I have played with friends at home as well. This Christmas they got one for themselves. The main reason is probably familiarity because they have been to New York and recognize the land marks. I like it because it feel very much like the big game, only faster and a bit smaller.
My favorite (and only) TTR is Nordic Countries. Bought it mainly for the aesthetics. I might get Europe too because I don't like too much confrontation and we had several occasions on whoch we wanted to play TTR with friends and family but couldn't because of Nordic Countries lower player count.
I have completely ignored the dice expansion and my wife complains when we go to a store and it's the only "expansion" they have. I didnt know there was a card game of it. Lol
It's near the bottom, Tom didn't like the additional time it added to a TTR game. I think there are many other problems with Rails and Sails besides a time increase.
Hi Tom, I agree more or less with all of that, there is a few versons I haven't played yet but like you I love the UK and pennsylvania maps and the Japan map. Even though I lean more to heavier games than this I still p[lay and enjoy Ticket to Ride.
The dice works really well with people who have dementia. Allows the caregiver to assist in a less obvious way. Also, My First Ticket to Ride is a great game for elderly board gamers. My FIL didnt notice that we changed to this version
@@jgutkind - FIL enjoyed my first Ticket to Ride, Carcassonne played co-op style, Blockus, but Jenga provided a lot of excitement and laughter 😃 . He refused to play but watched and anticipated everything.
I prefer the EU map because of Boats.. the US map is so dry without it, no pun intended. Also, as a scandiavian, I'd love to get the nordic map pack.. but my city is so terribly displaced, that I am borderline insulted :D
Im a bit confused, isnt TTR Germany a streamlined Märklin with also a passenger system, which Tom didnt even mentioned and I cant remember any area connection there. I would expect, people liking Märklin automatically like TTR Germany. Or is there another Germany map I dont know about? Or maybe Tom really doesnt remember the Germany map, bc it shouldnt be that low (especially when Märklin is his #1).
Haha that's an interesting idea 😂. I want Rails and Sails as I live in Michigan but Tom's review made me question getting it. Maybe I should do this? Lol.
The main issue I have with the original US map is the route selection. You randomly get two long routes that work together, you probably won the game, unless someone block you, which mean you are dead last.
Thanks Tom!!! TTR Europe was one of the first games I got. I liked it but it didn't impress me that much. Years later I got all the map packs and this is one of my fav games of all time. It's so much fun and you can also get some new players to the table ... and they have a chance to win on their first game.
It's a great franchise ... thanks Tom for pointing that out so many times.
Thank you so much for this!!!! My husband and I are new to the game and we play the Europe version. We changed it up a bit. For a two-player game, we each use two sets of trains, we start with 10 train cards, two long routes, and three short routes. It is so fun. We love it!
Thank you so much for this very helpful video!
I think Zee should do the same for Pandemic.
I think I recall him doing that with the Pandemic roles.
This!
I'd love to see that, honestly. The Pandemic spin-offs interest me a lot, but I'm worried my family might not enjoy them as much, or get fatigue from "different theme, same mechanics" if they are too samey.
I know he's mentioned this. It wasn't a separate video, but in one of his reviews he mentioned fairly casually what his order of Pandemics are. I remember that the base expansions got progressively worse with the 3rd (hinterlands?) being the most 'eh, pass unless you love pandemic a lot'
Ranking Pandemics is always difficult because of On the Brink and the two Legacy Seasons. The former is barely an expansion - unlike In the Lab - but those extra characters make Original Recipe a perfect game. The latter are kind of in a different category due to their one-and-doneness. Other than that, we could probably predict Zee's list from previous videos. If we remove these from contention, the biggies would probably be:
1) Original Recipe + On the Brink
2) Iberia
3) Fall of Rome
4) In the Lab
5) Reign of Cthulhu
6) Rapid Response
7) Rising Tide
8) The Rest (and who cares?)
I'm pretty certain about the top three, not sure if Cthulhu would outrank Lab, but I think it would as Cthulhu doesn't do enough to differentiate itself. Rapid Response and Rising Tide could also switch, but his review for Rapid Response was definitely better than Rising Tide's. Slotting in the Legacies is the biggest guesswork - Season 2 is definitely higher than Season 1 - but they would go either above Original Recipe or below Iberia. I didn't like them as much as Zee did, but even if I did, I still just see them as being in Cthulhu's neck of the woods, though Season 2 was quite a bit different than 1.
With Europe rated so low, I don't know if I can ever trust Tom again!!! Fine, Tom is still my go to guy and I'm glad he had UK/PA map pack so high. Thanks for doing this one Tom! It was really interesting to see your perspective on such a classic series.
I think TTR:Europe is marmite, primarily due to the stations. Those who dislike confrontation and blocking would prefer it while those who prefer confrontations would dislike it more. Personally I feel that TTR was designed to be a game with confrontations and Europe does take away that fun. Although the lasting impact of ferries and tunnels can't be underestimated so it has certainly earnt it's place however later maps simply did a better job.
@@alphabet2238 hi which one do you suggest if you like confrontation?
@@amirnezamamini5142 That would depend on player count really. For 2-3 players, map pack 2 (India and Switzerland) would be my recommendation, both maps are great. For 4-5, rumour has it that map pack 3 (Africa) is absolutely brutal for confrontation although I have never played this one personally.
I just got London as my first Ticket To Ride. I think it's going to serve me well as a quick taste of the full game. I can play it with my m'm who tires easily from brain-work, and I hope to play it at a new gaming group for a quick turnaround where they only meet for 1.5 hours and anyone could drop in late.
Something similar for Dominion and other popular games with lots of content would be great!
Great video! Very nice to hear Tom's opinion on each game. My favourite is Rails and Sails, and we like to stretch it as much as possible!
I picked up rails and sails as a first ticket to Ride game about two years ago because I had played the app in the past and the game was on sale. We quickly realized a flaw. You can almost disregard your missions and just go for the long routes and you'll likely win. This is made easy with the double ship cards. A 7 space route might only use 4 cards. I imagine if everyone would compete for those spaces that may mitigate that issue, but usually players are focused on missions so it's kind of game breaking...
Now I've picked up the new anniversary edition of Europe, and everyone seems to like it alot more. With 4-5 players it can still get highly competitive.
0:55 I must admit that, I've exactly come here to hear your opinion on Polish map :D As I'm going to buy it for my parents, as they love to play in TtR:EU and even sometimes they play with theirs neighbors. Nonetheless, thank you for this great video!
Started with ticket to ride London and love it. I've been looking to get another and had no idea there were so many choices, I'll definitely be having a look for some of these other cool maps. Thanks for the info 😊😊👍👍
Keep in map that the numbered "map packs" are expansions and require you to own a "base" copy of the game... i.e. the original Ticket to Ride, or Ticket to Ride Europe. :)
Did you get another one? If so witch one, and how do you like it?
@@Mr83goat yeah got the European one and really like it. We don't have any friends to play it with so 2 player is a bit predictable. I think with more it'd add that element of having to use your stations and work around other blockages
I'm still a basic purist - USA (+1910) for me. I've played Europe, and maybe Asia once, but I don't really like making a simple game more complex with extra rules when it's not necessary. USA keeps things at its simplest. New York and London are thus also good :D
I’d love to watch such a video about all the Carcassonne stuff: base game, expansions and spin offs. Sam would have been ideal for such a list: I wonder if someone else in the Dice Tower would be able to do it now. They would have to have played it all several times to rank all the items.
When we gonna get Ticket to Ride World? Legacy game with a giant 12 panel world map board.
Seems Tom got the ranking backwards. US original map is the worst one, because it is designed backwards: singles and many doubles are wild card colours, while long routes demand specific colours.
Thanks Tom! I wish DoW would reprint Marklin and make it available in the U.S. It's very expensive in the secondary market.
Vasel's law, unless there is a problem with the IP...
I believe the reprint version of marklin is germany but without passenger
Hung Nguyen Germany is the reprint of Märklin but you have to get the expansion 1902 for the passengers.
My 3 year old plays Ticket to Ride: First Journey with me. Until you (Tom) pointed it out, I never realized how complicated the main game is to play.
At our house this game is called "Ticket To Rage".
Totally agreed. But the sheer amount of different colours, and that you are often bound to just draw two cards from top of the deck and get garbage, is even more frustrating then some mean blocking by other players.
😂
Flying trains...
That’s how the incredible Hulk was created.
Poland is good.
Pennsylvania is my favourite. I like that it forces people not to save up a ton of cards and then dump them all down.
This was one of the most informative videos that I've seen put out by you guys. Thank you!
Thank you for this vid! Personally by watching this video I once again saw that these games could be experienced completely different for everyone. Ive played quite a few versions and rails and sails is my absolute favorite, and Asia is probably in second place. So if you maybe dont like his number 1, you might love some other versions
Germany is our favorite of all the expansions. Picking up the Meeples adds a whole New level ticket to ride. And gets you more scoring opportunities than other TTR games
Seems like Tom refers to abridged Germany without that function (they have 2 editions - extended is with meeples)
TTR Europe deserves to be in top 5....Hit like👍 if u agree
I actually tend to leave stations out in Europe unless I'm playing with new players to board games in general.
I prefer the stations. It is still punishing to use them so you are still encouraged to make sure you control the right areas, but you aren't just screwed if you just don't get the color of cards you need fast enough.
I never use the stations and as a result I think its my favourite, waaaaay better than 🇺🇸 one, which I think is kinda bland
Gavin Scott I like Europe better due to the map layout and the tunnels still provide some challenge and competition for the shorter routes. As I said I tend ro leave out stations so it’s the best of both worlds.
@@MrClawdew I agree with you. I don't think the stations make the game easier, they just add a layer of complexity to the game. Do you take the penalty for using a station or do you take a penalty for not completing a route? My friends and I rarely use stations, unless it's absolutely necessary.
I was surprised Rails and Sails didn't rank higher, it is by far our favourite!
I think the thing is that Rails and Sails two or three player is very fun and easily the best version. But once you get 4+ players it can begin to feel long and tedious
I loved Rails and Sails. The one adjustment I woukd make is taking ticket cards. I would change the take 4 keep 1 to take 4 keep 2. It needs more of a penalty if you just keep taking tickets once your main routes are complete
"Rails and sails" can't challenge in this category : it really put Ticket to ride on an other level ! It's the most expensive box, but it's a full box with two more items inside and 2 wonderful map. Once a few games, it doesn't feel too long but too short. Concerning Europe, if you don't like the stations token, you can just agree not to play with it, it's ok. But I don't feel their using make the game too easy because you do pay the price : you loose points, cards and most of the time, the possibility to win the Longest road bonus.
My favorite Ticket to Ride is the 10th Anniversary edition. Who doesn't love placing a train car carrying a giraffe with his head sticking out? To me, the more detailed and nicer cars are well worth the extra money for the game.
I play with my 7 year old we mostly play US map but I like the Europe map better because US map tends to have a way to win and hard to loose if you play one strat while Europe is more balanced.
However, my kid makes us play with train stations in the US map...
The only thing I can't agree with is the high placement of India/Switzerland. Both - especially Switzerland - have tickets that are super-duper valuable. The games become all about getting those tickets rather than strategic placement of trains.
thank you for posting a shorter list video! perfect length for me!
The Pennsylvania version is phenomenal. My favorite by a considerable margin. Nordic Countries #2.
I think my favourite is Rails and Sails. I like the extra length, and the split between boats and trains is really interesting. I just wish they were better quality components. I don't know if they were trying to save weight or money, but the trains in particular feel thin and cheap compared to all the other versions I have that came with trains.
David Landon Cole I love Rails and Sails, I thought it added an extra element of strategy and a nice element of depth. Hadn’t noticed the train quality though
I love Europe with 1912... but pronouncing the city names is always challenging for me. I like stations because they allow you to accomplish your routes easier but also reward those who do so without using the stations. Love trying to get through a long tunnel with only the exact amount of cards required... a bit of push your luck. Need to play more maps though.
You can’t just put TTR Europe in 14th place just because you don’t like the train stations because it makes the game less competitive. The train stations make the game more competitive (in my opinion) because every station costs 4 points and can make the game…
Great review! We just played Japan and loved it.
I’ve only recently gotten into board games (besides party type games) and I bought TTR original. My family (especially my brother) really loves it. Now I need to buy some more TTR stuff!
My favorite is UK and Pennsylvania.
I definitely agree, especially for the PA side.
The UK Map is my favorite- period
I agree! Especially Pennsylvania.
Yal crazy. UK was the least fun for me. Legendary Asia all the way
The Polish expansion is actually quite decent. Everyone liked it in my group so far. My personal favourite is the UK though.
Ticket to Ride Amsterdam appeared just recently. Where would you rank this map? :D
I agree with you about Ticket to Ride Europe. If you play 2 player, you might never even get near each other to block. Even a two player USA game, you will be blocking at some point.
I only have the original game, but looking at this I'm interested in checking out more. Especially because family members understand this game.
I think the one gripe with the US map vs Europe, and why I prefer Europe as a base game is the Europe map there's an in built balancing mechanism with the tickets, so no-one just wins from their initial ticket draw, or perhaps more importantly loses. The one issue with US map is if you are playing with experienced players and get a bad initial ticket draw of say no tickets over 8 points or whatever, you can basically never win, you're just too handicapped against someone inevitably will have better tickets than you (should add this is obviously assuming you're playing 4-5 players rather than 2 players). It doesn't happen often so it doesn't hurt the game too much, but it can be frustrating to sit down to play a US game, look at your tickets, and know you basically can't win before the game has begun.
A few other maps have this too, but the US perhaps more than most has a number of long tickets that work extremely well together which feels less on other maps. That could just be a case though that I have played the US map more than any other map, so you have the ticket deck virtually memorised, meaning you know a good route to take from the off to benefit your draws later. It's only really Europe that I also know most the tickets, but it doesn't have the same issue with getting a bunch of long tickets that work together by definition of the rules.
Which base game do you use to play the map packs? Do you know if using Marklin works with UK/Pennsylvania?
I think they mixed around the maps for the 2 Asia versions. The first one shown is the Asia map. The 2nd one is the team version.
Came here looking for this comment - thought I was misunderstanding!
Is there a non fan based map for Canada?
Thanks for the review and ranking of Ticket to Ride franchise. I am surprised; however, how low you rank Rails and Sails. It is one of my favorite with combination of ships and trains, and is meant to be longer play and a higher strategic level of play. Looking forward to keep adding to my collection and your reviews are always helpful.
Ticket to ride Europe is my favorite. I like the tunnels and the fairies. I also like playing against Alexa.
Tom - The Europe version has stations that can make it easier, yes perhaps...kind of but, that is offset by:
(a) You are penalised points for every station you use making them a last resort option and
(b) The tunnelling mechanic which makes it harder to complete some routes unless you take an alternative longer route.
I enjoy Europe for this variety it brings over the original US map version. And there are plenty of opportunities to shut people down. Just ask my daughter.
You don’t get penalised for using them. You just don’t get the bonus at the end for not using them. It’s different. People tend to see it as loosing points but they are extra points.
Anybody have the expansion if so can you tell me how this game mode works
If I play the big city after I deal out for big city cards do I use the regular ticket
T2R First Journey is great, but has been replaced in our house with GHOST TRAIN. Works really well worth the grandparents in our family too because of the chunky pieces, supports some critical thinking and only lasts 30 min.
In Rails & Sails, do you end the game when someone reaches 6 train pieces or 6 boat pieces OR in when they reach 6 pieces in TOTAL?
Which one do you think is best for only 2 players?
We play a game of TTR every day. France is our favorite board. I wish they sold extra train cards as they tend to not last very long. I did buy the 1910 expansion pack for the cards but that is quite expensive for what you get.
whats your favoritve small box game, san francisco, london, new york, or amsterdam?
I've been looking for content like this. Thank you.
My biggest issue with the original game was that people could win, by getting short tickets then trying to build as many of the 6 train connections as possible. They would never take extra tickets and obviously block others from doing their tickets. It is a winning strategy, but seems to be a weak point that one of the best strategies is to get a couple of 6 point tickets and connect them up, then try and build a long train and get as many of the 6 train segments as possible. I find a 4-5 player Europe game has a good level of conflict in it. I do have Marklin and forgot how much I like it also! We must be due a map of Australia sometime soon?
Have you tried it with the 1910 expansion's "Globetrotter" award? That's an extra 15 points for the most tickets. That seems to balance out what you're saying, at least with two players (what I know best, because 95% of my game time is just with my husband, especially during the pandemic).
@@L4JP Yeah adding the 1910 expansion tickets into the game balances it out for sure. Its because its much riskier to try and do longest train with just 2 tickets, because the other players if they take tickets will almost certainly be earning more victory points than the player trying to go longest route on two tickets.
@@JustinWatson23 Is it only 2 tickets minimum in the original version? We bought the 1910 expansion when we bought the main game, and we probably only played it once or twice without the expansion (the cards are way too small!). In 1910 you take 5 cards and keep at least 3.
It's funny, my favorite actually changes depending on how many players are in the game.
Thoughts on ticket to ride San Francisco?
I play the Nederlands version without any of the new rules. No bonus points. No coins. Nothing. Toss it all. Just play the game straight up. It's the most intense (and maybe the most fun) Ticket to Ride that I play.
The tickets have more points to keep it balanced with the bonus points based on your coins, surely doing it this way would mess up the balance.
Rails and Sails if my favorite! c:
Try Ticket to Ride Rails & Sails, but with dice!
Thanks Tom. I agree with most of your rankings. TtR is still one of my favourite games. I love playing it with my kids.
Take a drink every time he says ticket to ride
I like Nordic Countries the most. It's a maximum of three players, and I usually just play with my Dad, so it works well. Also, that's one of the parts of the world I want to visit some day. And I think the map is nicely set out.
It is Xmas friendly!!!!!
My goodness me I think I could be happy owning all of this stuff except maybe the base games of Germany and Netherlands (the Marklin and Nordic Countries sets would suffice there I think), and the travel version London, as I own the similar New York already, and also those yellow submarines man - I'd just keep humming the first line of the song! (and of course I'd avoid and the 2 discontinued mini-expansions, incl Orient Express cards, that Tom says ignore). With children in mind, I can even see a use for the dice-variant and card/memory versions of the game, as well as the kids version itself. For parties, Alvin and Dexter could make the game a bit less competitive but still fun, and sometime you do need to do that. The other one I own is Europe, but I can see myself playing the original US base set too (with the 1910 expansion I suppose) just for the American map. I'd hate to think what they'd cost if you bought them all together! I think he mentioned 27 different products all told, including the 2 deluxe sets, 1910/12 expansions, discontinued stuff and Poland, and tbh I was a pretty cynical about the whole business model, which does seem like a runaway train to me.. but I also had no idea how different all the genuine variants are to each other, which covers most of the products it seems. It's interesting that the long-play variant, Rail and Sails, which could well combine the most game elements of all of them, isn't actually regarded as well the maps (with their own rules) for the base game(s).
I suppose it would be placed between London and New York because it is basically the same thing, but what about TTR Amsterdam?
Europe was the first one I ever played and still love it to this day. Uk and Pennsylvania map pack might be may favorite though as it is great for both beginners and for players who want something more.
Europe or original what is more interactive?
@@djordjetodorovic5989 probably europe
UK, the Technology Cards are awesome!!!!
But the 40 points ruin the game ... from NY to Southampton..
Which would you recommend best for 2 players? There are only 2 of us in the house that like games, so this would be played mostly only by 2, but we like the lenght of the original (that we borrowed from the library to try it out and loved!). My local game store did a blog post and did not recommend the original for 2 players only as they thought it became too easy. Would you agree with this or think this would still be good? I find the Europe map appealing too, but since you say it's the easiest, I'm a bit worried that, again, it'd be too easy. The London and NY look awesome but the games seem to be so short! Which one to choose?! 🤔
I'd say Nordic definitely, Plus you get a full set of cards and trains also. For expansions, I hear UK and India are the best. Switzerland can work, however the map hasn't aged well and now is vulnerable to a single exploit that was discovered a while back. I don't know about the city maps since I've never played them.
You know you don't have to use the stations in TTR: Europe, right? Without the stations it's just a slightly more challenging and interesting version of the USA map.
Yeah, I thought that was weird - aren't the stations, and the tunnels optional rules, so the Europe base set can be played in exactly the same way as the normal base set? Doesn't that make it better by default as it can play in the same way, or in a more complex fashion depending upon the tastes of the people involved?
@@ishoottheyscore8970 The map is designed around these rules. Without the tunnels those routes will be too cheap for their strategical value. Without the stations. some routes will be much harder to complete.
The thing here is, there's something to be said for geographic familiarity. Especially when playing with kids.
From an American perspective, it's just a little faster and easier for some players when they have an inherent understanding of the basic distances and spacial relations between the various cities while choosing and working on routes.
Not that it's HARD by any means for an American to play on a map that they are less familiar with. But it will often take a little more checking the map and it's just slightly easier to mix up in your head if you aren't familiar with all the destinations.
It's a SLIGHT bit of extra overhead in a game that most of us get out primarily as an introduction to games where we want as little overhead as possible. Personally, I think the stations in Europe make the game a little friendlier and so I chose that as my Ticket to Ride gateway but I get going the other way.
Anther thing about cutting people off:
Instead of cutting someone off for a game breaking 40 point swing on a 20 point route you force them to sacrifice a turn to make a negative four point move.
So instead of "you lose" it is "take that".
@@jonofpdx My family have taken a liking to TTR NY, they bought it for me as a present last Christmas and we played a few games. I have played with friends at home as well. This Christmas they got one for themselves.
The main reason is probably familiarity because they have been to New York and recognize the land marks.
I like it because it feel very much like the big game, only faster and a bit smaller.
My favorite (and only) TTR is Nordic Countries. Bought it mainly for the aesthetics. I might get Europe too because I don't like too much confrontation and we had several occasions on whoch we wanted to play TTR with friends and family but couldn't because of Nordic Countries lower player count.
I own Europe, Nordic Countries and a few map packs, and used to own USA, but sold it off. I haven`t played them in a while, though...
Love Marklin, UK, and Asia too. Searching for where to buy the Japan.
From Europe
I have completely ignored the dice expansion and my wife complains when we go to a store and it's the only "expansion" they have. I didnt know there was a card game of it. Lol
Which version is best with 2 players?
Marklin is also my favorite TTR game (that is, of the officially published ones) with Pennsylvania being a close second.
I have Europe. I enjoy it quite a bit. Yeah, I agree it's easier to get around someone blocking you, but it's still infuriating.
Yeah, never heard about Italy and Japan pack. Is there a review?
I actually really liked the dice expansion. It does speed up the game a lot. Plus no shuffling!
Is ticket to ride - rails and sails not part of this ranking or did I miss it?
It's near the bottom, Tom didn't like the additional time it added to a TTR game. I think there are many other problems with Rails and Sails besides a time increase.
Hi Tom, I agree more or less with all of that, there is a few versons I haven't played yet but like you I love the UK and pennsylvania maps and the Japan map. Even though I lean more to heavier games than this I still p[lay and enjoy Ticket to Ride.
My favourite TTR maps are Marklin, UK and Italy
What about TTR pack 6 and half? it's Poland map.
Markland & the OG TTR were my fav too!
America and Pennsylvania are probably my favorites.
My favorite Ttr thing is 10th aniversary edition!
Marklin is discontinued and impossible to get now, found some really expensive used ones on eBay...
Keep looking. I got mine a while back, but it was still in high demand. I didn’t over pay for it either. Good luck
Pennsylvania, UK, Europe, Wild West, UK, France, NY, Rails and Sails.
Ticket to ride Germany is my family’s favorite not mine but I really think it’s one of the best but not the best, Netherlands was my favorite
C'mon, man! Europe is one of the best and Rails and Sails is by far the best one, especially if you're family of five and you need the bigger ones.
The dice works really well with people who have dementia. Allows the caregiver to assist in a less obvious way. Also, My First Ticket to Ride is a great game for elderly board gamers. My FIL didnt notice that we changed to this version
Thank for sharing that information. I am looking for games for seniors who are recovering and in physical therapy.
@@jgutkind - FIL enjoyed my first Ticket to Ride, Carcassonne played co-op style, Blockus, but Jenga provided a lot of excitement and laughter 😃 . He refused to play but watched and anticipated everything.
I prefer the EU map because of Boats.. the US map is so dry without it, no pun intended.
Also, as a scandiavian, I'd love to get the nordic map pack.. but my city is so terribly displaced, that I am borderline insulted :D
Im a bit confused, isnt TTR Germany a streamlined Märklin with also a passenger system, which Tom didnt even mentioned and I cant remember any area connection there. I would expect, people liking Märklin automatically like TTR Germany. Or is there another Germany map I dont know about? Or maybe Tom really doesnt remember the Germany map, bc it shouldnt be that low (especially when Märklin is his #1).
Mark Buschhaus You are right. Germany + 1902 Expansion = Märklin map and gameplay
Thank you exactly the video I was looking for
If Rails & Sails was too long and the Dice Expansion made the game too fast, could you combine the two to have a game that is "just right?"
Haha that's an interesting idea 😂. I want Rails and Sails as I live in Michigan but Tom's review made me question getting it. Maybe I should do this? Lol.
Awesome Idea this video - and I like the trick with not telling us the games in the info section
I like Ticket to Ride and will play it if someone else wants. If however some other gamer is in contest with Ticket to Ridge I'll pick the other.
Rails and sails is a lot longer but it is amazing, so much more tense then base game but definitely longer
Still waiting on Ticket to Ride Legacy 😉