Objective: The objective is to be the first player to complete six tickets or to have the most tickets when a player’s trains run out.

Components

• 1 Game Board (featuring a map of North America or Europe)

• 80 Plastic Trains (20 in each of the four colors)

• 72 Train Cards (colored cards used to claim routes)

• 32 Ticket Cards (destination cards showing two cities)

• 4 Coast-to-Coast Bonus Cards (optional rule for advanced play)

• 1 Golden Ticket (optional rule for advanced play)

• Rulebook
  

Setup

1. Set Up the Board:

   • Place the game board in the center of the play area.

2. Player Setup:

   • Each player chooses a color and takes the 20 corresponding plastic trains.

3. Train Cards:

   • Shuffle the Train Cards and deal 4 to each player. Place the remaining cards in a draw pile next to the board.

4. Ticket Cards:

   • Shuffle the Ticket Cards and deal 2 to each player. Place the remaining cards in a draw pile next to the board.

5. First Player:

   • Determine the starting player by any method, such as the youngest player or a random draw.
     

Gameplay

The game is played in turns, with each player taking one of the following actions on their turn:

1. Draw Train Cards:

   • Draw 2 Train Cards from the top of the draw pile. You may have more than 4 cards in your hand.

2. Claim a Route:

   • To claim a route between two adjacent cities, play the required number of Train Cards matching the color of the route and place your plastic trains on that route.

   • If the route is gray, you can use any color of Train Cards as long as they match.

3. Draw Ticket Cards:

   • Draw 2 Ticket Cards from the draw pile. You can keep one or both, but you must keep at least one.
     

Completing Tickets

• Connecting Cities: To complete a ticket, you must create a continuous route of your trains between the two cities shown on the ticket card.

• Show Completed Ticket: When you complete a ticket, show it to the other players and place it face up in front of you.

• Draw New Tickets: Immediately draw a new Ticket Card from the draw pile to replace the completed ticket.
  

Ending the Game

The game ends when a player completes their sixth ticket or if a player places their last train on the board. The player with the most completed tickets wins the game. If there's a tie, the player with the longest continuous route of trains wins.

Advanced Rules (Optional)

1. Coast-to-Coast Bonus:

   • The first player to connect a route from one coast to the other (e.g., from New York to Los Angeles) receives a Coast-to-Coast Bonus Card worth an extra point.

2. Golden Ticket:

   • The first player to complete six tickets receives the Golden Ticket and wins the game immediately.
     

Tips and Strategies

• Plan Ahead: Look at your tickets and plan your routes early. Try to build routes that can serve multiple tickets.

• Flexible Routes: Use gray routes strategically, as they allow flexibility with any color of Train Cards.

• Blocking: Occasionally, it might be worth claiming a route to block your opponents from completing their tickets.