I have had success and fun evenings playing Railroad Tycoon with non-gamers.
I'll second the comments about the size of the map. The could easily have cut off a few centimeters from the width to at least ensure that it wouldn't be wider than a dining room table.
The only complaint I have about the game is that in the 3-player game, and I suspect the 2-player game, there is enough room on the map for each player to have an undisturbed area to expand in (i.e. Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Middle Mississippi River). This eliminates the head-to-head competition that makes the 4- and 5-player game so much fun. Has anyone developed an alternate where the map is limited for the 2- or 3-player game?
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Re: [Board/Tactical Game]: Railroad Tycoon, reviewed by Matt Drake (5/5)
It's not 100% true that there is zero luck. A lucky draw of new freight cubes when doing Urbanization or City Growth can sometimes be critical, and having a Major Route card that complements your rail net turn up late in the game can also be a stroke of good fortune.
Re: [Board/Tactical Game]: Railroad Tycoon, reviewed by Matt Drake (5/5)
I've actually seen some serious complaints about luck, especially while compared to the original _Age of Steam_. It's fine in my book, but it's definitely there.
Re: [Board/Tactical Game]: Railroad Tycoon, reviewed by Matt Drake (5/5)
Yes, there is that luck of the draw with the cards. I failed to mention that because we didn't use them - we felt it added a random element to a game that was already just about perfect. They are described as optional, and since we chose the 'don't use the random cards' option, I just sort of forgot they were there.
And it is true that you can get unlucky with an urbanization cube draw. That's kind of a slight element, but it is definitely more luck than is in chess.
Good catch, guys. Sorry for this oversight, but I still love Railroad Tycoon more than any other game I own.
Re: [Board/Tactical Game]: Railroad Tycoon, reviewed by Matt Drake (5/5)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeb Boyt
The only complaint I have about the game is that in the 3-player game, and I suspect the 2-player game, there is enough room on the map for each player to have an undisturbed area to expand in (i.e. Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Middle Mississippi River). This eliminates the head-to-head competition that makes the 4- and 5-player game so much fun. Has anyone developed an alternate where the map is limited for the 2- or 3-player game?
No, but we haven't found it to be a problem. If one player is gulping down enormous parts of the map without any competition, the others tend to go out and interfere. In one game, one player controlled nearly the entire Midwest, and would have won without ever crossing paths with another player, except that another player went out and managed to steal some key routes and block him from the win.
I haven't played it with 2 players. I don't think I would enjoy it nearly as much. But then, I have my collection split into categories, divided by ideal number of players and complexity. This one is in the 'mid-to-high complexity, 3 or more players' category. When I want a two-person game, I play something else. The beauty of reviewing games is that I've got a bunch of them.
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