As the original user who asked to see these tickets to test balance issues I thought it would be a shame if I didn't post my test results for you. To save space I printed the map and tickets travel size. They now can fit in my wallet for easy test play wherever I go. To replace the trains since they no longer fit on the map, I used different colored push pins which we poked through each route with the pin head on the top side of the card. These worked pretty good though they were still a little cramped.
I tended to find the player who drew the East-West cap (P1) won more often than not. Occasionally, the player with West-East (P2) would claim the route first, but on several turns, through clever placement of their station, P1 would be able to claim the same route and score a much higher ticket.
Now let me point out that this does hinge on the placement of the station so still not sure on the balance vs strategic play debate. On the few games that P2 managed to win, P1 did not realize they could have placed a station and conceded too quickly. After three such losses in a row I actually flipped the index card we were playing on and vowed never to play again. After remembering my station I was so mad at myself that we gave it a few dozen more test runs.
Overall I would say that it is fairly balanced as there is a 50 percent chance for each player to get the nice ticket. I don't know how much more balanced you can get. I mean c'mon, 50 percent means EACH player has an EQUAL chance to win. Overall I give it an A-. Would be A+ if the bonuses were a little more original. Island Express was interesting but left us with too many WTF moments and felt more like a "Take that" moment on my brain rather than my opponent.
Hot: Panic Station, Kingdom Builder, A Few Acres of Snow
Thinking over my next move :)
kvenosdel wrote:
As the original ............. ...than my opponent.
Keep em' coming bud
WOW, that's a nice review . I can actually feel what game designer might feel while reading a review: shaking legs, extra blood pressure in the upper left part of the brain, bended back, enlargement and the extra tension of the eye muscles... And a 'ooohhh man' like relief after finishing reading. Thanks Kvenosdel for this experience. I give A+ for your contribution and review and I will proceed with the further designs. Respect!
