“I want to wake up in that city
That never sleeps
And find I’m king of the hill
Top of the list
Head of the heap
King of the hill”
Race via taxi to see as many sites as you can in the Big Apple in this shortened version of the popular Ticket to Ride series. Can you see everything there is to see the most efficiently?
Ticket to Ride: New York is a stand-alone game designed for 2 to 4 players and plays in 10 to 15 minutes. Its best played with 4 players.
Gameplay Overview:
The gameplay is very similar to other Ticket to Ride games. Players start by drawing destination tickets cards, which feature a route between two sites in Manhattan.
Routes are connected by drawing colored transportation cards which they’ll then use to lay taxis along the route by ‘paying’ the appropriately colored cards. Players have a choice of drawing colored transportation cards, laying taxis on a route, or taking more destination cards as actions on their turn. The end of the game is triggered when one player has three taxis or fewer remaining, and each player gets one final turn.
Unlike the other Ticket to Ride Games, Ticket to Ride: New York is scored entirely at the end of the game. Players received points for route segments and tourist attractions they’ve visited. Completed destination tickets also award points, but incomplete ones are subtracted from their tally. The player with the most points wins the game.
Game Experience:
Built on the framework of Days of Wonder’s top-selling train game, Ticket to Ride: New York is a fun, simplified revisiting of the original. With stations, longest routes, bonuses, and all the other additions removed, it’s straightforward and easy to teach. Route efficiency and point maximization is back front and center in this version.
Don’t mistake this for a child’s play, though. Because there are fewer points on the map, more overlapping routes, and fewer pieces, this version plays faster with heightened tension. Missing a single track can force you into long detours. You’ll have to build a strategy and figure out where you’re going quickly in New York.
That being said, this is the perfect version to teach new players and youngsters. With all the expansion fluff stripped back out, the game is incredibly straightforward and easy to learn. The game rules (folded to look like a travel brochure) take up a total of two pages.
A score sheet helps keep track of each scoring type. I actually think this was a fantastic addition, as almost every Ticket to Ride game I’ve played has involved multiple recounts when players forget to score route sections during play.
There’s less of a spread as well as the board is about 1/3 the size of the standard Ticket to Ride board. The box is smaller too. Fewer taxis means less time playing the ‘line up your components perfectly’ game (which may be a plus or minus depending on what type of player you are.)
For seasoned players, this isn’t going to be a revelation, except maybe as a way to introduce folks to a game they love, or as a way to play with their kids.
Final Thoughts:
Ticket to Ride: New York introduces nothing new but it’s a great way to introduce new players to Ticket to Ride. Simplified rules and a smaller footprint make for faster teaching, faster setup, and faster games. Tourism in the Big Apple theme is enhanced by the breakneck speed of play, as well as the focus on taxis and notable Manhattan attractions.
Final Score: 4 – Great little simplification of the Ticket to Ride series will make a great teaching tool, but doesn’t add anything for seasoned players.
Hits:
• Decreased play time
• Simplified, smaller rulebook
• Score pad eliminates end game recounting
Misses:
• Nothing new for seasoned TTR players
• Some strategy sacrificed to create a smaller, simpler game
