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Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Ticket to Ride in Tabletop Games
Jan 9, 2020
I am one of the remaining few who reviewers who haven’t put in their two cents on Ticket to Ride. Why? Is it bad? No. Am I lazy? No. It’s really because I don’t think I have anything new to say about it that hasn’t already been said a hundred times. So this review on this game will be a little different from me. Instead of going over the rules and such (however truncated they typically are from me) I will question how well this game has aged for me.
Ticket to Ride is one of those games that has really hit it big in the mass market. You can find it all over in big box stores, in FLGS, online, secondary market, just everywhere. But why? And for this long? Ticket to Ride (TTR) came out in 2004. A mere 15 years ago. While that doesn’t really sound like a long time, in contrast to today’s game industry it is an eternity. With thousands upon thousands of games being released into the market through direct publish, Kickstarter/crowd funding, and big releases at conventions it’s hard to believe that you can still find this hanging with the exciting, fresh new games.
What I truly believe is magical about this game is its simplicity. “You have two main options: take some cards or play some cards.” When you can start a teach of a game by saying that, your players are invested right away because they know you aren’t going to bog them down with rules upon rules. “If you decide to take cards you can take these colored train cards or you can take new route ticket cards.” So now players have two choices from gaining cards. “If you decide to play cards you need to play cards of a color and number matching whichever route between two connecting cities on the map you like.” Done. The game is explained. Yeah, you can fight me about the endgame scoring stuff like longest route and whatnot, but for new gamers, you have explained this classic in three sentences. It’s so beautiful when a game allows you to teach it so quickly.
But that surely means that this is an easy game, right? With so few rules and such. Well, no. It’s not really “easy” at all. While your main rules are light, the strategy and tactics during play can cause feelings of joy and delight as well as frustration and concern as you see someone claim the route you need to connect to two cities on the map. Of course, you can’t explain that to your new players right away. You want them to experience these feelings organically and fully. It’s what makes TTR a really great game: having your well-laid plans just shot to smithereens by the guy who can’t tell the difference between the white train cars and the wild rainbow train cars.
DISCLAIMER: I play with the 1910 expansion, which is a MUST. The larger cards are way easier to play with. See photo below with comparisons from base game on bottom with the larger 1910 cards above. YMMV, but I will always play using this expansion. -T
Components. Let’s compare components to some current or newer games. The game board is laid out really well, and the artwork is sparse and not over-busy on the board. This is a HUGE plus for me. I like nothing more than for the board to offer thematic elements and feeling without pelting my eyes with too much distraction. The cards were a bad choice. Not because the art or the quality on them is bad – because that’s not what I am saying. The size of the cards was a poor choice. I did purchase the 1910 expansion and simply will not play my copy without it. I recently played TTR for GenCan’t 2019 at my FLGS with OG base cards and found myself dreaming of the 1910 cards. The score tracker discs are of industry-standard quality for scoring discs. The plastic train car pieces are still just as wonderful to handle and play with as are many other more modern components. Seriously just as good. TTR components (and really, most of the time Days of Wonder components in general) are really great.
So do I still enjoy playing it? You betcha, don’tcha know. I still love seeing the board in front of me, agonizing over the route tickets I am dealt, and trying to decide if I should go for the New York to Los Angeles, or keep it simple with multiple routes along the Mississippi River. I still love the panic that ensues when I see people hoarding train cards, just knowing that they will soon be on the attack and their train car collection will dwindle to almost endgame levels in too few rounds for me to complete my masterpiece. I guess I still really love it.
Is Ticket to Ride my favorite game? No. But I’ll tell you what. I hadn’t played it in a couple years, and after this weekend’s play, it has moved up on my list by several spaces. It still holds a special place in my heart, and also the hearts of my team. That’s why Purple Phoenix Games gives Ticket to Ride a retrospective 20 / 24. It’s still great!
Ticket to Ride is one of those games that has really hit it big in the mass market. You can find it all over in big box stores, in FLGS, online, secondary market, just everywhere. But why? And for this long? Ticket to Ride (TTR) came out in 2004. A mere 15 years ago. While that doesn’t really sound like a long time, in contrast to today’s game industry it is an eternity. With thousands upon thousands of games being released into the market through direct publish, Kickstarter/crowd funding, and big releases at conventions it’s hard to believe that you can still find this hanging with the exciting, fresh new games.
What I truly believe is magical about this game is its simplicity. “You have two main options: take some cards or play some cards.” When you can start a teach of a game by saying that, your players are invested right away because they know you aren’t going to bog them down with rules upon rules. “If you decide to take cards you can take these colored train cards or you can take new route ticket cards.” So now players have two choices from gaining cards. “If you decide to play cards you need to play cards of a color and number matching whichever route between two connecting cities on the map you like.” Done. The game is explained. Yeah, you can fight me about the endgame scoring stuff like longest route and whatnot, but for new gamers, you have explained this classic in three sentences. It’s so beautiful when a game allows you to teach it so quickly.
But that surely means that this is an easy game, right? With so few rules and such. Well, no. It’s not really “easy” at all. While your main rules are light, the strategy and tactics during play can cause feelings of joy and delight as well as frustration and concern as you see someone claim the route you need to connect to two cities on the map. Of course, you can’t explain that to your new players right away. You want them to experience these feelings organically and fully. It’s what makes TTR a really great game: having your well-laid plans just shot to smithereens by the guy who can’t tell the difference between the white train cars and the wild rainbow train cars.
DISCLAIMER: I play with the 1910 expansion, which is a MUST. The larger cards are way easier to play with. See photo below with comparisons from base game on bottom with the larger 1910 cards above. YMMV, but I will always play using this expansion. -T
Components. Let’s compare components to some current or newer games. The game board is laid out really well, and the artwork is sparse and not over-busy on the board. This is a HUGE plus for me. I like nothing more than for the board to offer thematic elements and feeling without pelting my eyes with too much distraction. The cards were a bad choice. Not because the art or the quality on them is bad – because that’s not what I am saying. The size of the cards was a poor choice. I did purchase the 1910 expansion and simply will not play my copy without it. I recently played TTR for GenCan’t 2019 at my FLGS with OG base cards and found myself dreaming of the 1910 cards. The score tracker discs are of industry-standard quality for scoring discs. The plastic train car pieces are still just as wonderful to handle and play with as are many other more modern components. Seriously just as good. TTR components (and really, most of the time Days of Wonder components in general) are really great.
So do I still enjoy playing it? You betcha, don’tcha know. I still love seeing the board in front of me, agonizing over the route tickets I am dealt, and trying to decide if I should go for the New York to Los Angeles, or keep it simple with multiple routes along the Mississippi River. I still love the panic that ensues when I see people hoarding train cards, just knowing that they will soon be on the attack and their train car collection will dwindle to almost endgame levels in too few rounds for me to complete my masterpiece. I guess I still really love it.
Is Ticket to Ride my favorite game? No. But I’ll tell you what. I hadn’t played it in a couple years, and after this weekend’s play, it has moved up on my list by several spaces. It still holds a special place in my heart, and also the hearts of my team. That’s why Purple Phoenix Games gives Ticket to Ride a retrospective 20 / 24. It’s still great!
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Crimes & Capers: High School Hijinks in Tabletop Games
Jan 20, 2022
High School. While many have horrible memories of that time period of life, I personally did not have many negative experiences. However, I do remember the different cliques, and those that could and could not be trusted. So when I heard about the new Crimes & Capers series from Renegade Game Studios, and that one of the options was a high school, I knew we had to take a look at it. Come see why we enjoy it.
A popular student among many different social circles is in trouble and it is up to her friends (the players) to suss out the entire situation armed with merely small pieces of information. Each player takes on the role of one such student, and their information is vital to the overall story behind these High School Hijinks.
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a copy of this game for the purposes of this review. This is a retail copy of the game, so what you see in these photos is exactly what would be received in your box. I do not intend to cover everything, but will describe the overall game flow so that our readers may get a sense of how the game plays. For more in depth coverage, you may purchase a copy online or from your FLGS. -T
To setup, each player chooses a character, receives the corresponding booklet of information, and the padlocked locker is placed on the table. The locker contains more vital information, and it is up to the players to arrive at the correct combination to unlock it. Open the envelope entitled, “Opening Materials,” and the game is on!
Now, there is so much to this game that I wish I could relay to you, the reader, but without spoiling anything, my hands are almost literally tied. I wish I could explain what kind of information is found in each player’s materials, and what the locker contains, and even a little of the story, but in doing so I fear I would spoil at least SOMETHING. That’s not what I’m about, so unfortunately, this portion of the review will need to remain a mystery. Apologies, but it benefits you this way.
Components. Inside this box is a bunch of folios and envelopes and one of the coolest components I’ve ever seen in a game box: a fully-formed and padlocked personal locker. Yes, one could easily tear the cardboard locker apart to get to the materials inside, but what kind of monster would do such a thing? I have no problems with any of the components, and the artwork throughout is excellent.
The game itself is also incredibly solid. We really had no idea what to expect going into this one, but were pleasantly surprised with the included puzzles and deductions. There were many times when we just HAD to exchange folios and information belonging to the individual player because we just needed a second set of eyes on it. There is a lot of stuff going on in this box, and it definitely was a great time playing.
However, this game is one of those that is a one-and-done play, because once you have played through it, it is impossible to replay with the same components. Renegade Games does provide a recharge pack, of sorts, so that the game may be enjoyed by another group, but I have not checked into that, so I will not comment on it. I believe our scores are indicative of the great time we had, but the fact that we are unable to play it again, and that is both a very very cool feature, but also very saddening. We would love to be able to salvage some components and have a different scenario be made from them, but alas, we are not designers, so we have not yet figured out how.
The official recommendation here is that everyone should definitely try this one. If you are a fan of mystery games and games that have interesting themes and mechanics working together, then this is a no-brainer. Purple Phoenix Games gives this one a nostalgic 12 / 18. If it were replayable in any fashion that would not rehash the same story, this would easily earn a higher rating from us. That said, we are very much looking forward to trying the other game(s) in the series as they release. So come on back to high school and join your friends for the High School Hijinks that are certain to be a good time.
A popular student among many different social circles is in trouble and it is up to her friends (the players) to suss out the entire situation armed with merely small pieces of information. Each player takes on the role of one such student, and their information is vital to the overall story behind these High School Hijinks.
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a copy of this game for the purposes of this review. This is a retail copy of the game, so what you see in these photos is exactly what would be received in your box. I do not intend to cover everything, but will describe the overall game flow so that our readers may get a sense of how the game plays. For more in depth coverage, you may purchase a copy online or from your FLGS. -T
To setup, each player chooses a character, receives the corresponding booklet of information, and the padlocked locker is placed on the table. The locker contains more vital information, and it is up to the players to arrive at the correct combination to unlock it. Open the envelope entitled, “Opening Materials,” and the game is on!
Now, there is so much to this game that I wish I could relay to you, the reader, but without spoiling anything, my hands are almost literally tied. I wish I could explain what kind of information is found in each player’s materials, and what the locker contains, and even a little of the story, but in doing so I fear I would spoil at least SOMETHING. That’s not what I’m about, so unfortunately, this portion of the review will need to remain a mystery. Apologies, but it benefits you this way.
Components. Inside this box is a bunch of folios and envelopes and one of the coolest components I’ve ever seen in a game box: a fully-formed and padlocked personal locker. Yes, one could easily tear the cardboard locker apart to get to the materials inside, but what kind of monster would do such a thing? I have no problems with any of the components, and the artwork throughout is excellent.
The game itself is also incredibly solid. We really had no idea what to expect going into this one, but were pleasantly surprised with the included puzzles and deductions. There were many times when we just HAD to exchange folios and information belonging to the individual player because we just needed a second set of eyes on it. There is a lot of stuff going on in this box, and it definitely was a great time playing.
However, this game is one of those that is a one-and-done play, because once you have played through it, it is impossible to replay with the same components. Renegade Games does provide a recharge pack, of sorts, so that the game may be enjoyed by another group, but I have not checked into that, so I will not comment on it. I believe our scores are indicative of the great time we had, but the fact that we are unable to play it again, and that is both a very very cool feature, but also very saddening. We would love to be able to salvage some components and have a different scenario be made from them, but alas, we are not designers, so we have not yet figured out how.
The official recommendation here is that everyone should definitely try this one. If you are a fan of mystery games and games that have interesting themes and mechanics working together, then this is a no-brainer. Purple Phoenix Games gives this one a nostalgic 12 / 18. If it were replayable in any fashion that would not rehash the same story, this would easily earn a higher rating from us. That said, we are very much looking forward to trying the other game(s) in the series as they release. So come on back to high school and join your friends for the High School Hijinks that are certain to be a good time.
