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Description
Before Ticket to Ride, before Santa Fe Rails, before Union Pacific – yet after Acquire – there was Airlines, one of the earliest published games from designer Alan R. Moon and publisher ABACUSSPIELE.
More than two decades after the publication of that game, Moon and ABACUSSPIELE present Airlines Europe, the design of which Moon began in 2007. According to the publisher, "He wanted to preserve the feel of the original game and its successor, Union Pacific, while confronting the player with even more exciting choices." The result of that redesign process is Airlines Europe, featuring a reduced playing time, a new point structure, a European setting, and 112 tiny detailed airplanes.
At its heart, Airlines Europe is a stock game, with players earning points for the stock they hold in particular airline companies when one of the randomly determined scorings takes place. On a player's turn, that player either expands an airline and claims a stock, plays stock onto the board and receives dividend, invests in a special airline called Air ABACUS or gets a certain amount of money from the bank. A player scores only for stock in play, but the value of an airline is determined by the value of the route licenses that airline owns – thus, you're torn in terms of what to play when.
Some changes compared to Airlines:
map of Europe
no flight cards
special Air ABACUS airline similar to the Union Pacific
share track system
separate victory point and money systems
airplane miniatures
no sabotage
up to 5 players
reduced playtime
Some changes compared to Union Pacific:
airplane theme
map of Europe
no track cards
Air ABACUS is acquired by trading in other shares
share track system
separate victory point and money systems
up to 5 players
reduced playtime
Re-implements:
Airlines
Union Pacific
Promo Expansions:
Airlines Europe: Flight Ban (adding the option to block routes)
Airlines Europe: New Bonus Connections (adding bonus connections for the black and the brown airline)
Airlines Europe: The Presidents (adds tie breaker for stock payouts)
Year Published
2011
Transcript Analysis
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 8
This page: 8
Sentiment:
pos 7 ·
mix 0 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 1
Showing 1–8 of 8
Video Pas-TtJBf9o
Board Games Hitting My Table general_discussion at 11:37 sentiment: negative
video_pk 13729 · mention_pk 40098
Click to watch at 11:37 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
negative to mixed
Pros
- High thematic ambition; accessible in play but tense in decisions
Cons
- Too long for its weight; money is too easy to come by; low tension
Thematic elements
- corporate expansion and dividends
- airline stock market and routes
- economic simulation; classic economic game
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- route/network expansion — expand routes to increase value and dividends
- stock market / dividends — buy stocks in airlines to receive dividends at intervals
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- this one is a lovely game by Stephan Dora, a great design in his own right.
- you are trying to collect exactly three of these animal tokens of each type to get the maximum amount of points
- a real brain burner but so simple and elegant to play as well
- Lost Cities a joy to get that one back to the table
- it's far too long I think it took us nearly two hours to play this which is obscene for the weight of the game
- Katarena one of the best abstract strategy games out there
- this is a bit of a whitewash of a game
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video UWqrcHJ9b80
Dice Tower top_list at 25:02 sentiment: positive
video_pk 13743 · mention_pk 40157
Click to watch at 25:02 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- excellent stock market mechanics
- cooperative building with individual scoring
- family friendly
- aviation theme works well
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- airlines
- aviation
- stock market
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- This is my most played game of the year
- It is the perfect engine builder
- absolutely adore this game
- one that instantly I fell really hard for it
- would absolutely watch Oathsworn the HBO series
- the story and the setting is that rich
- for me the epitome of what a thematic game can be
- every click of the clock matters
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video krvN3GmzMrw
Chairman of the Board top_14_list at 5:33 sentiment: positive
video_pk 10691 · mention_pk 31560
Click to watch at 5:33 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- streamlined experience
- solid weight for family gamers and quick sessions
Cons
- scoring phase can be tedious due to meticulous payout calculations
Thematic elements
- route development and stock-like ownership shares
- European airline industry
- tightly streamlined, business-sim flavored
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- route-building with stocks/shares mechanic — build routes and take a share in airlines; payout based on market strength
- scoring phases tied to market strength — points depend on which airlines/islands are strongest
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- There is a lot going on here, way more than I can summarize in a short clip like this
- this took us over five hours to play with a teach, and that's unforgivable
- an older Martin Wallace game, paint-by-numbers and ultra generic
- it's not my favorite of the racing genre
- five minutes to play and it's just a different Unique Style game
- the core system is brilliant and it keeps you engaged throughout
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video VDNun7sdqqc
Adam Porter Board Gaming Vlog top_10_list at 1:48 sentiment: positive
video_pk 8848 · mention_pk 26110
Click to watch at 1:48 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Simple stock-holding game mechanics
- Good step up from Ticket to Ride
- Elegant scoring system with random timing
- Familiar enough for Ticket to Ride players
- Good balance of complexity
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- Building and managing airline companies
- European airline networks
- Economic simulation
Comparison games
- Ticket to Ride
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- area majority — Controlling majority shares in airlines
- Auction mechanism — Bidding on resources and airline routes
- card selection — Selecting cards from central display or deck
- network building — Building airline routes across European map
- Stock holding — Collecting shares in different airline companies
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- hi i'm adam porter and this is my board gaming vlog and we're looking at my top 100 board games
- i found in a german board game shop i've never heard of it so i was very excited
- there's these nice little stories narratives that come through and they're not in your face nothing's written
- it does feel like you're running a little sort of tavern business in oldie worldy uh sort of germany
- this is just a mind-bending game
- really power grid is way out in front as the best freedom and freeze game
- as far as economic games go it's one of the best ones out there as well
- luna really stuck with me
- it's just really satisfying board game
- it's just fun to sit around the table and all know you're allowed to lie to each other
- really satisfying if you like puzzles
- it's one of the classic gateway games
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 5LQSv_0U04o
Unknown Channel playthrough at 0:31 sentiment: positive
video_pk 7795 · mention_pk 23053
Click to watch at 0:31 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- rich synthesis of route-building, stock mechanics, and set-collection scoring
- frequent player interaction via route placement and stock competition
- dynamic end-game timing via scoring-card deck provides a natural tension
Cons
- rules can be dense and require reference to a cheat sheet during play
- scoring can feel opaque or opaque until players groove the flow
- the number of moving parts may be intimidating for new players
Thematic elements
- airline route development, investment in airlines, and competitive stock-based scoring
- European aviation market, early licenses, and competitive expansion
- live-playthrough with procedural explanation and situational strategy
Comparison games
- Ticket to Ride
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- abacus shares (special scoring) — an abacus-style scoring mechanism provides a separate, fixed-point path based on a subset of cards drawn from a dedicated stack.
- dividends on play — playing share cards yields euros proportional to the number of cards played, facilitating cash flow to fund future routes.
- End-game trigger — the game ends when a specific scoring card is drawn or the last one is revealed, triggering final scoring across all airlines.
- hand versus front-of-table cards — cards held in hand are distinct from cards played in front of you; only front-of-table cards contribute to scoring each round.
- hub-centric density and route locking — routes originate from hubs (e.g., Vienna or other central points) and locking a route can block other players from using that space.
- route licenses and placement — players acquire route licenses and place routes from a central hub network, paying costs and extending a carrier's reach to gain eventual points.
- scoring deck / scoring cards — three scoring cards are revealed over the course of the game; when revealed, they drive end-game scoring and define tiebreakers.
- stock market / portfolio management — each airline has a set of shares; players invest euros to acquire shares and the distribution of shares across routes determines scoring per round.
- tie-breaking and shared victory — ties are resolved by dividing the top scores among tied players and rounding up to determine shared victory points.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- airlines europe so it's sort of like a ticket to ride in here
- the game ends when the first scoring card comes out
- it's divided into different shades of grey on the stock board
- the most stock in each airline will get a certain amount of points
- three scoring cards appear and the game ends when the last one is revealed
- the trick is to balance route expansion with stock strengthening without overexposing yourself
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video gfJlpmF4RQI
Ile game_review at 0:24 sentiment: positive
video_pk 6599 · mention_pk 19587
Click to watch at 0:24 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Colorful, attractive components and a high-quality insert that neatly separates planes by color
- Accessible entry with a Ticket-to-Ride vibe but deeper strategic decisions
- Engaging tension from watching opponents' card plays affect shared airlines
- Compact, medium-weight euro with meaningful decisions and short setup for a Euro title
- Nice learning curve, quick to explain the rules; strong theme integration
Cons
- Setup can be fiddly due to shuffling/scoring deck integration and bank amount adjustments
- Score-keeping with hidden VP chips is cumbersome and fiddly in practice
- Some color differentiation (red vs orange) can be visually confusing on busy boards
- Scoring rounds require tracking multiple lines across up to 10 airlines; a paper method may be easier
Thematic elements
- Airline route expansion and stock-like ownership
- World map airline network building with cities connected by routes
- Strategic economic simulation with evolving values
Comparison games
- Ticket to Ride
- PIDM (an 18xx-style game)
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Card drafting / open display — Draft cards from an open display or the top of the deck to gain assets for portfolios.
- Hand management / portfolio building — Manage a hand of color-coded shares and a portfolio that tracks ownership across airlines.
- Market-driven scoring — Scoring rounds award points based on airline ownership; bonuses and airAbacus shares influence late-game scoring.
- Resource management — Money is the currency used to place planes and influence share value.
- Route/graph building — Place planes to connect cities on a world map, respecting track values and costs.
- Stock-like shares / majority scoring — Shares grant points via majority in airlines during scoring rounds; value can rise with play actions.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- this is absolutely packed full of tiny little components and they're going to fall everywhere
- Airlines Europe is a natural successor again we're placing little pieces on the board this time planes and building up networks
- it's a really nice very light sort of uh I don't know why 18xx is probably not an accurate comparison
- it's just got that same feel that same tactile feel the same aesthetic sort of quality
- I really like it
- setup time is a bit of a problem here
- the scoring system with hidden chits is fiddly
- I would rather play this game with a piece of paper and writing down the scores
- the board starts to look extremely pretty
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video AyxV2fK215g
Adam Porter top_100_list at 1:15 sentiment: positive
video_pk 6055 · mention_pk 17927
Click to watch at 1:15 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Strategic placement with periodic scoring rounds
- Clear competitive tension around airline dominance
Cons
none
Thematic elements
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- network building / route expansion — players place planes to build routes; scoring rounds reveal dominance in various route types
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- i absolutely love cockroach poker
- the big moments and the big swings are quite satisfying
- i find these games hilarious
- i really like the game huh or hein
- watching the value of things change
- the moment when that tower collapses it's exciting
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video Fzac4MEc7C0
Unknown Channel top_50_list at 14:18 sentiment: positive
video_pk 1019 · mention_pk 2871
Click to watch at 14:18 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Elegant, streamlined design
- Accessible, quick to learn and play
- High variability with different routes and maps
Cons
- May feel light for hardcore gamers
- Some players might want deeper economic mechanics
Thematic elements
- Stock investment, route planning, and route expansion
- Global airline industry; business strategy
- Business-sim feel with a light international flavor
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Economy management — money and resource exchange as you operate routes
- hand management with stock/route cards — managing cards to invest and run routes
- route-building / route placement — laying routes for airline paths
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- the cards can actually become the terrain, you're creating the battlefield as you play
- it's organic, not like rigid and sterile landscape
- Splendor starts with everyone just silent, then the game escalates into intense negotiation
- you can play cards to become the terrain so you're building the battlefield as you go
- you can kind of bluff and read each other with the command and colors system
- it's a pure and accessible civ-like experience that scales well with人数
- the negotiation and hotel-dynamics in Lords of Vegas create a very social table
- Age of Steam-level purity with Steam's maps adds a refreshing clarity
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–8 of 8