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All Hail Knucklebeard!
Australia
Wodonga
Victoria
BorderCon 101 - Bring the fun, bring a smile, grab a game from the pile. Place the Meeple, play a card, swing your sword and kill the guard! So make the trip, don't be docile, look for details on my profile!
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This review continues my series of detailed reviews that attempt to be part review, part resource for anyone not totally familiar with the game.
For this reason I expect readers to skip to the sections that are of most interest.
Summary
Game Type - Board Game
Play Time: 10-25 minutes
Number of Players: 2-4
Mechanics - Hand Management, Route Connection
Difficulty - Pick-up & Play (Can be learned in under 15 minutes)
Components - Very Good
Image Courtesy of zefquaavius
Overview
10 Days in the USA is the first in a series of games that essentially offer the same game play. How they differ is in the geography of the region used in each game and then further small tweaks are present in the movement mechanics.
The end goal however is the same for the entire series - Each player is attempting to be the first to create a 10 Day Travel Itinerary to travel around the region (in this case the USA). The only restriction is the Itinerary must be correct according to a set of movement rules.
The Components
10 Days in the USA uses few components, giving it a streamlined feel which won't overwhelm players.
 Board - The board depicts the USA with all states present including Alaska and Hawaii. In all 5 colours are used to represent each State (pink, orange, blue, green and yellow). Each State has its name clearly printed on the board and a few of the Eastern States require an arrow to link the name to the State due to size difficulties.
It is important to note that the original version used a 4-fold board and the US Flag featured as a background that surrounded the land mass.
Based on pictures I've seen of the European reprint I would imagine that newer printings of the game would see the board move to a 6-fold design and it is possible that the US Flag may have been replaced by water.
The following image is of the board from the original printing.
Image Courtesy of AngusBull
 Tiles - The 2nd key component of the game are the tiles. In shape they are probably better described as cards but they really do feel more like tiles on account of their thickness. This design feature is excellent and will allow the game to stand up to hundreds of plays without really showing any wear.
Each tile represents a State or a transport type (Airplane or Car). Each State Tile matches the colour of the corresponding State on the board. The Airplane Tiles also come in the same 5 colours as the States but the Car Tiles are colour neutral.
Important to the educational aspect of the game, each State Tile also depicts the shape of the State, its landmass, its population and the Capital City of the State.
Image Courtesy of tommih
 Tile Racks - The final component used in the game are the Tile Racks that are used to hold each tile in a player's Travel Itinerary. These are made from wood and feature a central groove or slot used to place each tile in.
Each player receives 2 racks, each able to hold 5 tiles used to represent Days 1-5 and Days 6-10 in an itinerary. The combination of blue and silver was chosen, I think, to represent the Star Spangled Banner of the US. It's a nice touch.
Image Courtesy of dagny21
 Rules - The rules are not a flashy affair but they get the job done and don't look to complicate things. After a few plays the game is obvious and players don't need to return to the rulebook at all.
 Box - I don't usually comment on things like the box but I do appreciate the size of the box used in this series. Thanks to good 'tray insert' design and some careful planning in relation to the components, the game is able to come in a square box no bigger than 23cms by 23cms. That means it will fit on any sized gaming shelf.
Image Courtesy of kostas
The Game Play
As mentioned earlier the aim of 10 Days in the USA is to be the first player to complete a 10 Day Travel Itinerary that is correct according to the movement rules of the game.
Set-Up - Each player must take a 'Day 1-5' Tile Rack and a 'Day 6-10' Tile Rack. The tiles should be mixed thoroughly. The players then take it in turns to select a tile and place it in one of their available Day Slots. Tiles placed in this fashion cannot be moved during the set-up phase of the game.
This set-up sequence continues until all players have filled all 10 slots in their Tile Racks.
The remaining tiles are then formed into 1 Draw Stack and 3 tiles are turned over to form the start of 3 face-up Draw Piles (think Ticket to Ride).
The game is ready to begin.
Basic Play - On a player's turn they have the opportunity to get rid of a tile from their Tile Rack and replace it with a new tile. In this way players are hoping to create links between State and Transport Tiles in order to complete their Itinerary and win the game.
Once a new tile has been drawn and an old tile discarded, the player's turn is over and play proceeds in clockwise fashion.
Drawing a Tile - Each player can draw a new tile in one of two ways. A player can draw a tile from one of the three face-up discard piles. Only the top tile from one of these piles may be taken however.
Alternately a player may not like any of the face-up tiles on offer and can therefore draw a random tile from the Draw Stack.
Once a tile has been drawn by a player they must discard a tile in order to make room for the new tile, which must be placed in the space made by the discarded tile). It is important to note that the drawing of a new tile takes place before a tile is required to be discarded.
Discarding a Tile - Tiles must be discarded to one of the 3 Discard Piles, which usually results in a tile being covered over. Normally there is no restriction as to which pile a tile can be discarded to. The exception is when a player draws the last tile from a Discard Pile. In this situation the tile discarded must be placed in the empty position, thereby ensuring that the game retains 3 Discard Piles at all times.
Exhausting the Draw Stack - It is unlikely that the Draw Stack will be exhausted in the course of a game. If it does occur then the tiles located in the Discard Piles are reshuffled to form a new Draw Stack. The only tiles not reshuffled in this way are the top tiles from the 3 Discard Piles. These remain on the table to maintain the 3 Discard Piles.
 Declaring the Win - When a player believes they have won the game they must announce it to the table and turn their tile racks around to show the other players their Itinerary. If the other players agree, then the game is won.
It is not uncommon for a player to have a small mistake in their Itinerary however and this results in the game continuing and the player who made the false claim has the disadvantage of their plans having been revealed.
The Heart of the Game
As the above game play section would suggest, 10 Days in the USA is a fairly straight forward game but what makes it work is the combination of the Map and the Movement Rules. The Movement Rules dictate how tiles must be placed in a player's rack if they are to form a correct Itinerary (thus winning the game).
The Map - Not surprisingly the majority of the States in the USA Map are adjacent to each other with the exception of Hawaii and Alaska. Compared to other games in the series this map is not all that engrossing in terms of game play or visual appeal.
It is really the methods of transport that make the game work!
Walking - Walking actually requires no tile at all. A player is simply allowed to walk from one State to another provided that they are located adjacent to one another.
Car Transport - Represented as a sports car, these tiles have no colour at all. A Car Tile is very useful however as it allows travel from one State to another State through a 3rd State (the Car Tile in theory represents the State that is being traveled through to reach the destination State).
For example (using the map image at the top of this review, a Car Tile can be placed between New Mexico and Oklahoma). In that example the Car Tile would represent travel from New Mexico to Oklahoma through either Texas or through Colorado (the reality does not really matter). All that matters is that the move is legal and therefore forms a correct part of a larger Itinerary.
Airplane Transport - There are 10 Planes in all, 2 of each colour. Planes allow a player to fly from one destination to another provided that both States are the same colour as the Airplane Tile. The Airplane Tile must be located in between the two States that are being flown to and from on a player's Tile Rack.
There is one exception to the colour rule for Airplane Tiles and that is for the States of Alaska and Hawaii. These States are purple in colour and they can only be reached by plane. A plane of any colour can be used to reach Hawaii and Alaska but the plane must still match the colour of the State being flown from.
The Pros & Cons
On the surface it may be hard to understand why anyone would play this game more than a few times. However the reality is that 10 Days in the USA and the whole series, is pretty addictive.
Pros -
Fun - It is really fun to try and connect up all 10 Days. Part of that fun is the challenge of formulating a plan and then executing it, one draw at a time. It really shouldn't be as fun as it is but there is no denying the appeal.
Good Game Design - Whilst it is possible to get yourself into a tight situation where only 1 tile will bring you victory, a little experience allows a player to develop an Itinerary that has several paths to victory. Even if a plan does appear doomed in the mid-game, the movement rules are flexible enough to allow a player to change their thinking and still have a chance at success. This is one of the key features of the Ticket to Ride series and it is evident here too.
No Downtime - It is possible to plan ahead during other player's turns so each turn really doesn't take much more than 10-20 seconds. it is also important to watch what other players are discarding and collecting as you don't want to be throwing them useful tiles every turn and you don't want to miss out on a discarded tile that is vital to your plans. This means that all players are involved in the game at all times, which is always a good thing.
Scales Well - 10 Days in the USA scales really well. It feels pretty similar with 3-4 players but with 2 players it takes on a new dimension. With only 2 players it is super important to take note of where a player is focusing their attention. If your opponent has taken a tile from a Discard Pile, it is generally a bad idea to through other tiles away from the same area. This then forces players to be smarter and look to build different parts of their Itinerary at different times in order to keep their opponent guessing.
Addictive - Whilst simple the game tends to throw up close finishes where multiple players are only 1 tile away from the perfect plan. Losing in this fashion is frustrating and addictive all at the same time and multiple plays in a single session are usually the norm thanks to the quick play time.
Educational - The educational nature of the game should not be overlooked either. Multiple plays will have children and adults alike recalling the location of States in the USA. Being able to learn about the population centres of the US and their relative size is also a bonus.
Cons -
The combination of the map (basically one main landmass) and only 2 forms of transport besides Walking, makes the game play feel a little static when compared to Europe and Asia.
Whilst the game is educational it is a shame that the landmass information features the use of Square Miles instead of Kilometers, for countries outside the USA.
Stats at a Glance
This section is useful for comparing games in the series -
10 Days in the USA
Number of Destinations - 50
Transport Options (3) - Walking, Car, Plane
Unique Feature 1 - Alaska and Hawaii only reachable by Plane Tile and any coloured Plane can be used to reach these destinations.
Unique Feature 2 - There is only 1 Tile for each destination.
10 Days in Africa
Number of Destinations - 40
Transport Options (3) - Walking, 4-Wheel Drive, Plane
Number of 2 Tile Countries - 5
Unique Features - There are actually no unique features in Africa compared to other games in the series but it was the first to include 2 Tiles for some destinations and a 'land bridge' to link an island to the mainland (Madagascar - 2 separate land bridges).
10 Days in Europe
Number of Destinations - 41
Transport Options (3) - Walking, Ship, Plane
Number of Oceans/Seas - 3
Number of 2 Tile Countries - 5
Unique Features - There are actually no unique features in Europe compared to other games in the series but it was the first to include Oceans and Seas, which allowed travel by Ship. The inclusion of Water Zones also meant Europe was the first to include Ferries and Bridges, which make 2 countries adjacent for game play purposes.
10 Days in Asia
Number of Destinations - 50
Transport Options (3) - Walking, Ship, Train, Plane
Number of Oceans/Seas - 2
Number of 2 Tile Countries - 7
Unique Features - Trains are included as a transport method for the first time in Asia and they help make it the most engaging game in the series so far with no less than 4 Transport Options.
The Final Word
10 Days in the USA is a classic example of a game that delivers more than meets the eye. It is certainly a lot of fun and it has that addictive quality that sees people want to play 3-5 games in a row.
Combine the asking price with the re-playability of the game and any game in the series is going to provide good value for money.
10 Days in the USA is on par with 10 Days in Africa but it certainly falls short of Europe and Asia due to its lack of water and transport options.
Unless you have an educational need or simply love the USA, I would look to other games in the series if you only intend on buying 1 of the '10 Days in...' series.
Links
10 Days in Africa
10 Days in Europe
10 Days in Asia
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Rob Rob
United States
La Mesa
California
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Excellent review!
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Jim Kiifner - so happy to be here...
United States
Reynoldsburg
Ohio
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I just picked this up at my local B&N for the after holiday 75% off sale; and I have to say that at 6 bucks it's currently my best non-thrift store bargain find ever.
Great review. You always do a wonderful job with your reviews. I find each of them very helpful in deciding whether to buy or play a game.
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All Hail Knucklebeard!
Australia
Wodonga
Victoria
BorderCon 101 - Bring the fun, bring a smile, grab a game from the pile. Place the Meeple, play a card, swing your sword and kill the guard! So make the trip, don't be docile, look for details on my profile!
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keef22 wrote: I just picked this up at my local B&N for the after holiday 75% off sale; and I have to say that at 6 bucks it's currently my best non-thrift store bargain find ever. Great review. You always do a wonderful job with your reviews. I find each of them very helpful in deciding whether to buy or play a game.
Well my reviews outnumber the size of your collection at about 3-1 as of now (early '09) so you have plenty more to buy! 
Thanks for taking the time to read and post - enjoy the game. $6 is a bargain alright.
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BorderCon 101 - Bring the fun, bring a smile, grab a game from the pile. Place the Meeple, play a card, swing your sword and kill the guard! So make the trip, don't be docile, look for details on my profile!
