Train Games

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Train games can be divided into a number of different categories. There can be quite a bit of overlap in these categories.

1. Pick up and deliver
2. Set collection using trains as a theme
3. Racing
4. Economic games using train companies as the theme
5. Route planning
6. Track building

2 and 4 are different. 5 and 6 are different.

Pick which element(s) above you like and look for a game stronger in those areas.

A couple of decent Train Games:

Express [Mayfair]

A rummy variant using trains. Fits in as a set collection game.

Crazy Race [Speile aus Timbuktu]

New limited release in German only, designed by Michael Schacht (Web of Power, Knights, Dschunke). Old version was wizards racing magical beasts, new version is different train engines. I haven't played it yet, but I'd call it a race game (obviously). There's an auction component in there as well.

Station Manager [Speile aus Timbuktu]

Another in the same series as Crazy Race. This is a neat rummy variant. You start with a 3 card hand and build your hand by taking 2 cards from the face down draw deck or 1 card from the face up discard pile. You meld different combinations and score from there. The only train-ness to the game is the picture on the box and the cards.

Mogul [Speile aus Timbuktu]

The third in the Schacht trilogy. Bidding game, has gotten excellent reviews. It's a set collection game with a train theme arbitrarily painted onto it.

Stephensons Rocket [Pegasus]

This is a somewhat of a brain burner, a luck-free economic game. The scoring is a bit hard to figure out until you have played a few times. It always seems like you don't know what to do until it's too late, then you realize what you should have done. I really like it, the theme is very strong and the game plays well with just 2 players.

Railway Rivals [Rostherne Games/Games Workshop] / Dampfross [Schmidt]

This is crayon rails (route planning) meets a race game. You draw your route onto the map, spending money to buy your track segments, different terrain costs different amounts. You then race trains along your routes to see who made the most efficient route. Nice game.

Metro [Queen]

Build a streetcar rail line, connecting your cars to stations, and connecting your opponent's trains to as short a route as you can. Lots of "screw your neighbor" type of play, but a very good game. You score for length of your lines, longer is better.

Streetcar [Mayfair] / Linie 1 [Goldsieber]

Opposite of Metro, you build a streetcar rail line but this time you are trying to make the most efficient route connecting 2 or 3 locations on the board which are secret to the other players. Good game. There are some differences between the race rules in the German (Linie 1) and American (Streetcar) editions. I haven't ever played Streetcar so I can't say which is better.

Empire Builder (Crayon Rails) family [Mayfair]

Very long games, you create routes by drawing on the board and then ship goods from cities that produce these things (cars from Detroit, for example) to cities that want them. Pretty much a mutual solitaire experience. I really like these games, but the down time is pretty excessive and the game lasts a long time. Expect to play about 3 hours or so for Empire Builder. I played Iron Dragon this past November, the game took 4 hours for 3 of us. That's unacceptably long for me at this point in my life.

Rail Baron

An old Avalon Hill game that has many fans, I have never played it. I've read somewhere that it's not very well balanced.

18xx

An entire system of rail themed economic games that take hours and are supposed to be very good.

Union Pacific

Stock market game that's really all about set collection. Train theme is carried out by the placement of train cars onto the board, making connections, blocking other color lines from certain spots on the board (which may limit their growth). Extremely good game, but not much "train" there.

FrachtExpress [Franjos] / HellRail [Mayfair]

This one has it all: track building, transporting loads, route planning, risking carrying "extra" baggage for a high payoff later, and hand management limiting your movement--maybe. The different stations have "special powers" which you can ignore and just play it as a train game. It's very good with 2 although it tends to bog down a bit at the end. It works well with 3 or 4 as well. As a side note, it's the same basic game as Hellrail, except it strips out the "Dante's Inferno" theme and makes it a pure train game. The special flying train and other chaotic elements of Hellrail vanish if you play the basic game rules.

TransAmerica [Rio Grande]

Interesting route planning/connection game that I enjoy but it's over before you know it. Just like this review.

Freight Train [Mayfair]

Another set collection game, this one is also very good but the train theme is again pasted on. You'll need a large table, you will be setting up collections of "tracks" with train cars (cards) connected to each other. I need to play this again, it's been a while and I like it.

Santa Fe Rails

I love this one, you build rail lines stretching to the west from Chicago and other Eastern cities. Your score is calculated by how many lines connect to city cards you draw and play. It's sort of a connection game meets set collection game, with an emphasis on connections. One of my favorites, but again the theme is a bit weak.

Age of Steam [Warfrog] / Volldampf [TM] / Lancashire Rails [Warfrog]

An excellent game, it's all about the movement of goods and getting paid for owning track segments that good move along. Only released in German. Has an economic system that is brutal. I don't own Volldampf. Earlier incarnation was called Lancashire rails, published by Winsome (which I own). Newest incarnation is Age of Steam. I'm looking forward to my first chance to play Age of Steam next week. I suspect I'll be buying a copy soon after I play it.

Zug Nach Westen [Mattel] / Rock Island [Hans im Glück]

This one is quite different. You lay out the "board" which consist of face down hex tiles. Each tile has a train track printed on it. You lay out a tile for Chicago, create a buffer zone heded west, then lay out a veritical run of river tiles (the Mississippi). You then lay out another buffer zone and on the far edge you put Kansas City. Players race to KC from Chicago, using a train token and a "prospector". The prospector travels by die roll in a straight line (one turn allowed I think) and turns over the hex tile he lands on. You then rotate that tile however you want to get it to connect to the network. There's more to it than that, like getting across the Mississippi, but that's basically it, it's a race game with some interesting track laying elements. Also released as Rock Island (by Hans im Gluck, their first published game). The game is OK. Not a great game, but not terrible.

© Labyrinth Data Ltd 2003