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Description
In the 19th century, shortly after the industrial revolution, railways quickly spread over the world. Japan, importing Western culture and eager to become one of the Grand Nations, saw the birth of many private railway companies and entered the Golden Age of railways. Eventually, as a result of the actions of powerful people and capitalists, many of these smaller companies gradually merged into larger ones.
In Trains, the players are such capitalists, managing private railways companies and striving to become bigger and better than the competition. The game takes place during the 19th and 20th century in the 2012 OKAZU Brand edition, whereas the 2013 AEG/Pegasus edition is set in modern times, with bullet trains, freight trains and more. You will start with a small set of cards, but by building a more effective deck throughout the game, you will be able to place stations and lay rails over the maps of Osaka, Tokyo or other locations. The trick is to purchase the cards you want to use, then use them as effectively as possible. Gain enough points from your railways and you will ultimately manage the most powerful railroads in modern Japan!
Trains is the first title in AEG's Destination Fun series! Continue your travels in the acclaimed Planes and Automobiles board games.
Integrates with Trains: Rising Sun
Year Published
2012
Featured Videos
Transcript Analysis
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 4
This page: 4
Sentiment:
pos 3 ·
mix 0 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 1
Showing 1–4 of 4
Video vxTB_aV8m1I
Drive-Through game_review at 0:23 sentiment: positive
video_pk 42865 · mention_pk 130286
Click to watch at 0:23 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Two-player maps are a major improvement, significantly tightening the experience and making two-player sessions enjoyable.
- New cards are more interesting and add tension through attacks and varied effects.
- The combination of deck-building with board-race/route objectives adds depth beyond pure engine-building.
- Base game cards feel more balanced and the expansion strengthens the core mechanics when used together.
- The reviewer endorses owning both base game and expansion for the full experience and variety.
Cons
- Base game cards are described as somewhat vanilla compared to the expansion's offerings.
- Some promo maps (Gen Con promo) may lack a wrapper bonus card, which slightly reduces thematic cohesion for that map.
- If not playing two players, the expansion’s value is less pronounced, though it still adds maps and cards.
Thematic elements
- Railway expansion and optimization; deck-building intersecting with route placement and city connections
- Rail network development with map-based competition; players build routes and manage a deck to optimize routes and scoring
- Array
- Analytical review with on-table demonstrations of expansion contents, followed by an overall verdict
Comparison games
- Dominion
- Star Realms
- Mage Knight
- Eminent Domain
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- attacks and interaction — A subset of cards introduce direct interaction or disruption between players, increasing strategic tension.
- buying/upgrading cards — Acquiring new cards (and sometimes upgrades) changes deck efficiency and endgame scoring dynamics.
- Deck building — Construct your deck from base and expansion cards to optimize money, buys, and scoring opportunities.
- deck-building — Construct your deck from base and expansion cards to optimize money, buys, and scoring opportunities.
- Network/route building — Create connections across maps to earn points and trigger map-specific bonuses.
- randomizer / variability — Expansion introduces new cards and map configurations that alter the available strategies each game.
- route-building / map interaction — Create connections across maps to earn points and trigger map-specific bonuses.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- I really enjoy it and I would definitely recommend if you have not picked up the base game of trains to just go ahead and get this expansion only because the two-player maps are pretty much a mustave I think at this point.
- the two-player maps are just that much smaller and tighter now.
- the cards themselves are, I would say, objectively better.
- This is easily my favorite deck builder. There are some other games that have deck building in them, but this to me still feels like just a straight deck builder, but that board doesn't overweigh it enough so that it feels like some other game.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video UZbvDGWHItA
Just the Rogue top_10_list at 11:51 sentiment: positive
video_pk 31816 · mention_pk 93781
Click to watch at 11:51 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Clean and fast-playing deck-building with meaningful map tension
- Nice interaction as players compete for routes and network expansion
Cons
- Table space and setup can be a factor
- Some players prefer lighter or more thematic depth
Thematic elements
- railway network building and route optimization
- map of Japan with rail routes
- classic map-driven strategy with deck-building backbone
Comparison games
- Clank
- Ticket to Ride
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Deck building — start with a basic deck and buy better trains to optimize routes
- deck-building — start with a basic deck and buy better trains to optimize routes
- map-based routing — lay rails and build stations to connect cities and maximize points
- Network/route building — lay rails and build stations to connect cities and maximize points
- Resource and timing management — plan ahead to have the right trains and rails at the right time
- Resource management — plan ahead to have the right trains and rails at the right time
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- I'm Rob from just the road.com and these are my top 10 debt building games.
- Let's redo the countdown with a wider definition and some new discoveries from the last 5 years.
- Fingers crossed for a 15th anniversary big box in 2027.
- In Trains, you take the classic deck building formula and drop it onto a map of Japan.
- Undaunted Stalingrad is a two-player storydriven campaign game that blends tactical combat with smart debt building.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video oIgPy_DKa_8
Beyond Solitaire interview at 0:00 sentiment: positive
video_pk 11741 · mention_pk 34431
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
very positive
Pros
- Excellent deck builder mechanics
- Thematic integration of trains
- Good solo play
- Engaging multiplayer experience
- Map-based gameplay
- Trash mechanic adds depth
Cons
- Plays better with multiple players
- Difficult to obtain
Thematic elements
- Japanese bullet trains
- Railway stations
- Network building in Japan
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- most of what i look for in a train game is about emergent alliances
- the more people you get in there the more entangled it gets and that's what's really exciting for me about train games
- definitions are useful when they highlight affinities and they cease to be useful when they're used to exclude
- i will call it a train game because it will piss off how to train gamers
- this is the game that invented everything i rip off in my games
- it feels very much like a train game that would have been designed like in 2010
- the rules are really very simple they're just they just take a long time to play
- soft spot for games that are designed just for me as a solo player
- i really enjoy automated opponents and seeing what they're capable of
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 0XeafPqi5WQ
Chairman of the Board game_review at 3:20 sentiment: negative
video_pk 1649 · mention_pk 112651
Click to watch at 3:20 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
negative
Pros
- interaction with opponents adds some tension
Cons
- unpredictable endgame
- not particularly tactical
- forgettable and generic
Thematic elements
- colors and column tall-structures
- abstract card-drafting puzzle with color columns
- puzzle-like and abstract
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- card drafting — open-draft pool; draft cards to build columns
- column scoring — tallest columns score unless overshadowed by adjacent columns
- Compound Scoring — tallest columns score unless overshadowed by adjacent columns
- end game bonuses — game ends abruptly; limited planning leads to a forgettable experience
- endgame timing — game ends abruptly; limited planning leads to a forgettable experience
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- the best thing about this game is that it is pretty much a full worker placement game but in a tiny little box
- I found it quite forgettable
- there's just so many good Tile placement games and so many good area majority games that this one does not even stand close to most of them
- I generally do quite like the idea and concept of this but I did find it a bit too abstract for my personal taste
- the game was certainly lacking
- production is pretty damn awful
- color colorblind gamers
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–4 of 4