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.
I have also provided url links to other games or industry links to help you quickly navigate to those pages if you would like to learn more.
Image Courtesy of Favar
Summary
Game Type – Euro/Family Game
Play Time: 30-60 Minutes
Number of Players: 2-4
Mechanics – Route/Network Connection, Hand Management, Set Collection
Difficulty – Pick-Up and Play (Can be learned in about 20 minutes)
Components – Excellent
Release - 2006
Designer(s) – <PERSON> + <PERSON> (Airships, Manhattan, Puerto Rico, San Juan)
Overview
Well it probably goes without saying that a game about the rise and rise of the Imperial Postal system under the guidance of the House Thurn & Taxis in Europe is something of an odd choice for the thematic backdrop to game. But that is exactly what we have here in this SdJ winning design from the Seyfarths of Puerto Rico fame.
I have seen the game attacked as being 'thematically void' in years gone by and I think this is totally unfounded. Certainly the theme could have been one of many as the reality of T&T is that it is a network/route connection game at its heart. But the game does an excellent job of merging the game play and thematic elements as players try to establish the most successful postal service across a portion of mainland Europe.
For the historical record, I really should have reviewed this game back in 06-07 when I racked up nearly 20 plays. However at that point the game was getting plenty of coverage anyway and my voice would well have been lost in the crowd. Having played the game recently for the first time in over 4 years and all players enjoying themselves (some for the first time), I decided it was time to re-focus the spotlight on a game that seems to have been largely forgotten on BGG, rarely hitting the front page any more.
So how does this aging SdJ winner stack up? Let me deliver the good mail...
The Components
I haven't reviewed a Euro for a few months so the box quickly jumped up and gave me a good slap in the face to remind me that quality components...thy name is Euro...
Board – The board to T&T is something to behold and when you look at the artistic credits and see <PERSON> it is no surprise. Back in 2006 this would have been the first time I came across <PERSON> as this design pre-dates Stone Age by two years (and I didn't play Pillars of the Earth till much later).
The board depicts 22 cities that can be visited in various regions. 470
Each city features its name and a given colour that helps link it to the region in which it belongs. The regions are also named and the borders are faintly coloured in the colour of the region to reinforce that point.
Regions are important in relation to scoring and Post Office placement but more on those aspects later.
The board is surrounded on two sides by areas for cards and token placement.
But what really gives the board its wow factor is the artwork. In the top left corner feature four colourful characters, which represent the four Postal Officials that grant powers in the game. Each city also has a gorgeous image of a famous building from each city. These are drawn in brown and almost appear sketch-like. They blend into the background of the board so they don't detract from the key features, which are the cities and the routes connecting them. But this gives them something of a historic feel, like they have been captured in time.
All in all the board is gorgeous and its size is only as big as it needs to be, quite similar to Stone Age actually.
Image Courtesy of Oldtree
City Cards – The game features a total of 66 City Cards, which allows for 3 of each City Card to form the deck.
Each card features the name of the city and mimics the colour and artwork of its location on the board to help make it easy to find.
The size of the cards used here are the same as those used by the original edition of Ticket to Ride or those used by newer Fantasy Flight games. Here the size is a perfect fit for the game and makes placing them easier than if they were large (which you will see shortly).
Image Courtesy of <PERSON>
Post Offices – Euros are renowned for their use of wood and T&T lives up to that legacy offering each player a total of 20 Post Offices in the four primary colours, which really help to liven up the board and stand out against the colours of the board as well. 872