Best "train" game for a 10 year old... that's not Ticket to Ride or Transamerica? |

Joel Eddy

(eekamouse)

United States
Coeur d'Alene
ID

Railways of the World: The Card Game is at the top of my list currently. But, I was curious if there were any others. He like Settlers, Stone Age, and games like Claustrophobia and Castle Ravenloft.

Thanks!

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The neutral evil villain known as

(Phil of Mars)

United States
Indiana

Ow quit it.

eekamouse wrote:

Railways of the World: The Card Game is at the top of my list currently. But, I was curious if there were any others. He like Settlers, Stone Age, and games like Claustrophobia and Castle Ravenloft.

Thanks!

why not ttr? With alvin and dexter, it's at least got monsters.
p

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Joel Eddy

(eekamouse)

United States
Coeur d'Alene
ID

Phil of Mars wrote:

eekamouse wrote:

Railways of the World: The Card Game is at the top of my list currently. But, I was curious if there were any others. He like Settlers, Stone Age, and games like Claustrophobia and Castle Ravenloft.

Thanks!

why not ttr? With alvin and dexter, it's at least got monsters.
p

No reason really. I've played it to death. Just curious what else is out there in that "space".

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The Honorable Mayor McCheese

(Sorrellbo)

United States
Windermere
Florida

Any of the crayon rails would probably be a good introduction into pick up and deliver mechanisms. Railways of the World would probably work too.

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Bill Bross

(slugggy)

United States
Michigan

The base game for Railways of the World would probably not be too hard for him, especially if he is already playing games like Stone Age and Settlers.

It comes with 2 maps (a large Eastern US map and a small Mexico map) and the rules are not very difficult. It's definitely one of my favorites.

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Michael Vinarcik

(mvinarcik)

Chicago Express?

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Joel Eddy

(eekamouse)

United States
Coeur d'Alene
ID

slugggy wrote:

The base game for Railways of the World would probably not be too hard for him, especially if he is already playing games like Stone Age and Settlers.

It comes with 2 maps (a large Eastern US map and a small Mexico map) and the rules are not very difficult. It's definitely one of my favorites.

Ya, I just watched a couple of videos on that. I think I'll try it. Thanks!

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Wystan Benbow

(phunlvr)

United States
Stoneham
Massachusetts

Blazars are a special type of active galaxy that indirectly pay for my boardgame habit

Life is good!

While I generally prefer the more complicated train games from Winsome Games or a shorter 18xx, and Age of Steam (Railroad Tycoon/Railways of...) is generally my favorite, I would not recommend any of the above for a 10-year old (even if they are clever) as the systems are so unforgiving & the games are generally very long.

I think the following two would work really well:
Union Pacific or On the Underground

One could later branch into the aforementioned things (including possibly an entry from the also lengthy Crayon Rails series).

Last edited Tue Mar 8, 2011 5:29 am (Total Number of Edits: 3)
Posted Tue Mar 8, 2011 5:26 am
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Wystan Benbow

(phunlvr)

United States
Stoneham
Massachusetts

Blazars are a special type of active galaxy that indirectly pay for my boardgame habit

Life is good!

I just re-read your original post; Railways of the World: The Card Game is a good choice too. It is a nice, quick cross of Railroad Tycoon & Ticket to Ride.

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Eric Johnson

(ericbjohnson)

United States
Cottage Grove
Oregon

Spectral Rails will be coming out soon, and should fit right in with his tastes.

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Kenny VenOsdel

(kvenosdel)

United States
Saint Paul
Minnesota

You could try Clippers. It's one of Alan Moon's route connection games but no luck involved this time. I bought a copy for 10 bucks on Amazon and am excited to give it a whirl.

Otherwise Homesteaders is a great game if he likes Euros. Not a train game but you do get to build a few rail lines.

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Billy McBoatface

(wmshub)

United States
Lexington
Massachusetts

KGS is the #1 web site for playing go over the internet. Visit now!

Yes, I really am that awesome.

If he can play settlers then he can play Railways of the World (the full game, not the card game). It's not a super complex game, just a little bit long, so as long as his attention span is good he can play.

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Andrew Hying

(h27790)

United States
Pardeeville
WI

I have Express and it is really straight forward. It's kind of like if Ticket to Ride were a card game.

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James Sitz

(Jexik)

United States
Illinois

Catan Histories: Settlers of America – Trails to Rails

You said he likes Settlers, and you want to add trains...

It's a bit longer than normal Settlers, but it's an enjoyable take on the system.

Last edited Tue Mar 8, 2011 5:56 pm (Total Number of Edits: 1)
Posted Tue Mar 8, 2011 5:56 pm
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Jeffrey L.

(Leisurely Pursuits)

United States
Western Burbs of Beantown
Massachusetts

Jexik wrote:

Catan Histories: Settlers of America – Trails to Rails

You said he likes Settlers, and you want to add trains...

It's a bit longer than normal Settlers, but it's an enjoyable take on the system.

We have this and my 2 boys 11 and 9 liked it alot.

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(ScottB)

United States
Collegeville
Pennsylvania

slugggy wrote:

The base game for Railways of the World would probably not be too hard for him, especially if he is already playing games like Stone Age and Settlers.

It comes with 2 maps (a large Eastern US map and a small Mexico map) and the rules are not very difficult. It's definitely one of my favorites.

Seconded - my son has been playing Railroad Tycoon/RotW w/ me since he was 9.

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Angel Garcia Perez

(angel3233)

Spain
Malaga

Frachtexpress

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Kevin B. Smith

(peakhope)

United States
Mercer Island
Washington

Would Empire Builder be too difficult for a bright kid that age? BGG users recommend it for ages 10+. I have no idea, as I have never played it. In fact, I just heard about it for the first time this week. The rules *sound* pretty straightforward, although its weight is quite high. Build track (just like TransAmerica). Then pick up stuff and deliver it for profit.

Just curious.

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Mark McEvoy

(thatmarkguy)

Canada
Mountain
Ontario

peakhope wrote:

Would Empire Builder be too difficult for a bright kid that age? BGG users recommend it for ages 10+. I have no idea, as I have never played it. In fact, I just heard about it for the first time this week. The rules *sound* pretty straightforward, although its weight is quite high. Build track (just like TransAmerica). Then pick up stuff and deliver it for profit.

Just curious.

That's what Sorrellbo was talking about in the below quote. Empire Builder is the cornerstone Crayon Rails game.

Sorrellbo wrote:

Any of the crayon rails would probably be a good introduction into pick up and deliver mechanisms. Railways of the World would probably work too.

My answer is: yes, if the kid has a long enough attention span. There's nothing too difficult or complex for a bright ten year old, but the crayon rail games do take a long time.

The other question is whether you WANT the gaming to be an educational experience, or if the aroma of 'learning experience' in a game is likely to make the kid wonder if he's playing a game or getting a geography lesson. As rail games go, the fantasy-fiction setting in Iron Dragon would likely be more engaging for a young boy, if less enriching.

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Clem Fandango

(SamNzed)

New Zealand
WELLINGTON

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eekamouse wrote:

Railways of the World: The Card Game is at the top of my list currently. But, I was curious if there were any others. He like Settlers, Stone Age, and games like Claustrophobia and Castle Ravenloft.

Thanks!

TransAmerica