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Union Pacific is a train-themed stock market game. On each turn, players must choose between expanding a company to increase its value and adding a share of stock to their hand, or playing stock onto the table from their hand to increase their ownership of one or two companies. There are four semi-random scoring events, in which the first and second place share holder in each company are paid dividends. Only stock that has been previously played onto the table is considered during the scoring rounds. Union Pacific is a special company whose shares are claimed according to special rules. Union Pacific is not represented on the board but instead pays dividends to all share holders according to a fixed progression chart. Money is only used to track victory conditions and cannot be spent during the game. The winner is the player with the most money at the end of the game.
Re-implements:
Airlines
Re-implemented as:
Airlines Europe
- Accessible, light stock/rail hybrid with approachable tension
- Looker of a game; visually appealing in its own edition
- Original theme adaptation is dated; not a Ticket to Ride clone
- Editional variations can change components and art
- Rail transportation and corporate expansion
- Railroad network development with stock-style company investment
- Light economic strategy with thematic flavoring around rail markets
- Airlines Europe
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Compound Scoring — End-of-game scoring hinges on promoted routes and company ownership
- Market-inspired scoring — End-of-game scoring hinges on promoted routes and company ownership
- Network/route building — Players build a network of train routes across the board
- route-building — Players build a network of train routes across the board
- Stock holding — Players acquire into different companies, affecting scoring dynamics
- Stock-like company participation — Players acquire into different companies, affecting scoring dynamics
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- I like this a lot.
- This game was so popular that when Ticket to Ride came out, people were like, 'Well, was it like Union Pacific?' No, they're nothing alike.
- It's a classic for a reason.
- Oasis only lasted for another year. Um, it was off the list in 2006.
References (from this video)
- Transportation
- Rail
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Train game
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- We love trick taking games
- This game is so much freaking fun
- I adore GMT games, they are becoming one of my favorite game publishers
- If you remember Vast Crystal Caverns is in my top five games of all time
- We bloody love it
- We can't stop playing
- It's a blimp game not a train game
- That's just work
- I don't think I want to play it
- I'll get it eventually