Ticket to Ride

I plan to review lots of games in the coming months.  I'll start with a winner: Ticket to Ride.

Overview
In Ticket to Ride, your goal is to claim tracks on a map (like the USA map shown below).   You do this by collecting sufficient numbers of appropriately-colored train cards to complete a given segment of track (so, for example, you need 6 black train cards to complete the track from Los Angeles to El Paso).  You get points for each segment of track you complete, and if you complete track between cities on destination tickets you own (which you draw at the start of the game, and can add more later), you get further points.  The person with the most points at the end of the game wins.

The USA map for Ticket to Ride

Simplified Gameplay
At the start of the game, every player draws three destination cards (keeping at least two), and four train cards.  Play proceeds clockwise; on your turn, you can do one of three things:

1. pick up two train cards
Five train cards are shown face up on the table, with the remainder face-down in a pile.  You can pick up two from the table, draw two from the pile, or any combination thereof.  If you choose to pick up a rainbow train, though, that is the only card you get that turn.  If you pick up cards from the table, replace them with cards from the pile.

The colors of train cards.  The "Rainbow Train" can be a substitute for any color.

2. lay a segment of track
You start with 45 plastic train cars; you must put one car on each square in a given segment to claim that segment.  Once you have it, nobody else can claim it- so plan carefully.  You can lay only one segment at a time, and you must lay the entire segment at once.  Example: you want to claim the Denver to Kansas City segment.  You can do this on your turn by laying 4 plastic train cars between the two cities.  To do so, you need to pay either 4 black train cards or 4 orange train cards (see the map above).

3. draw three destination tickets (keeping at least one)
The key to the game is to re-use as much of your tracks as you can.  So, if you have built track from Los Angeles to New York, and then draw a San Francisco to New York destination ticket, you have most of the track built already, and need to complete only one segment- from LA to SF- to complete the second destination ticket.

Example destination tickets

The game ends when a player ends his/her turn with 0,1, or 2 plastic train cars remaining.  Then every player gets one final turn, and points are tallied.

Review
Ticket to Ride is a great game.  It has a luck component (the randomly-drawn destination cards can make or break you), but it also requires a fair amount of strategy.  It's infinitely replayable, and a good choice for any game night.  Many maps have been produced since the initial USA offering- a sure sign of the game's popularity.

You can read the complete rules here or watch a video tutorial here.

Rating: A