Gateway Games: Ticket to Ride

Upon entering the board gaming hobby one could be overwhelmed very quickly. The website boardgamegeek.com is all about gaming. It lists over 66,000 board games! So the question is, where do you start if you think you might enjoy gaming?

Well, lets talk about game mechanics.  This simply means the way the different parts of the game operate and relate to each other.  For instance, bidding on, trading for, or collecting resources;  worker placement; and resource management are all examples of mechanics. Overwhelmed yet?  Hang in there with me.

Games range from "light" to "heavy" by what type and how many of mechanics are involved in a single game. Some games are often referred to as "gateway games." These are the "light" games.  They are fun, short in duration, and easy to learn.  They have only a few mechanics at work at the same time.  "Heavy" games tend to have many complicated mechanics working in layers all at once (*cough, cough, Civilization).   If you started playing games like this, you might be overwhelmed or confused by the directions.  Stating with light games allows you to learn new mechanics a few at a time and work you way up to enjoying the heavy stuff.  TIP: If the rule book has an index, it is probably a heavy game.

When I introduce someone new to the hobby, I start with my gateway games. If you played dozens of games, you may not be as interested in these. But I often enjoy the simplicity of them. More than that I enjoy when someone else gets excited about this hobby.

So without further ado, I will recommend and review one of my favorite "gateway" games.

Quick Reivew: Ticket to Ride
There are several variations of this game, but I would suggest buying the original game. My copy, which is several years old, says that over 1.1 million copies have sold. So this is a very popular gateway game.

This game appeals to me for many reasons. One, I love trains (Theme is important and will be the subject of a later post).  Interestingly, no matter where I go, I have always lived within two miles of working or old train tracks.  In this game, players attempt to visit as many cities in the continental US as possible.  You draw "ticket" cards and attempt to cover the route shown on the card with you color train cars.

The original game is for 2-5 players. It is for ages 8 and up and only takes about 30-60 minutes to play. You will find that it is very easy to lean, the set up is very simple, and that you will be playing it for years to come.


Here are a few other gateway games to get you started.  Happy Gaming!
 Carcassonne - to be reviewed next
 Mystery of the Abbey
 Dominion
 Bohnanza (the bean game)