It is the time of the modern railway set in Japan in this 2013 AEG Edition of the Trains board game – bullet, express, mail, freight trains etc. keeping the economy of Japan on the go. In this board game, players are private railways companies looking to build bigger and better railways to eventually overtake their competition and become the main railway player in Japan.
Each player starts with a small set of cards a mixture of normal trains, lay rails and a station expansion. There are Supply cards to buy during the game – Express Train, Limited Express Train, Lay Rails, Station Expansion, Apartment, Tower, Skyscaper & Waste. Players take turns playing their own cards as well as buying new ones, laying rails and building stations on the board.
When playing cards you gain currency from their worth, which helps you buy new ones during the game. However that money gained is only of use for that turn, once your turn finishes you are back to zero money. Once its your turn again you then play some of your own cards first to gain new money to spend. So make sure you play and spend wisely!
There are 2 sides of the board game map to choose from, Tokyo or Osaka, helping to mix up the gameplay each time you play it with friends. Watch out as the game progresses, space becomes more crowded on the board and the cost of rails may well increase. You may want to take advantage towards the start of the game to try and stake out your own area of the board, depending on what the other players are doing of course!
The game is won by who has the most victory points. If there is a tie between some players then whoever has the most rail tokens on the board wins. If still a tie then victory is shared. Victory points are gained from rail tokens (when for example laying rails) and gold coloured cards (towers, apartments and skyscrapers).
It can be played with up to 4 players and average playing time is 45 mins. Do you have the strategy and winning plan to become the main railway player in Japan? Available to buy here
If this is your type of game, where you’ll be wanting to play it time and again, you may want to protect the cards from getting damaged over time with premium card sleeves. There is a special offer when wanting to buy both.
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