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Trains box art
2012 Ranked #685

Trains

Railway deck-builder where Japanese capitalists buy cards to lay rails, place stations, and expand their companies. Building a powerful deck turns purchases into map presence, but every choice must serve an efficient transport network.

Strategy Games Card Game Territory Building Deck, Bag, and Pool Building Network and Route Building

Players

2-4

Play time

Not listed

Age

12+

Complexity

2.38/5

Rating

7.13

Harder to teach Highly interactive Deep strategy

Overview

At a glance

Is this game right for my group?

ABG editorial scores on a 1–5 scale.

Teachability 2.3/5

Harder to teach

Replay value 4.0/5

High replayability

Interaction 3.7/5

Highly interactive

Player scaling 4.0/5

Scales well

Strategic depth 4.5/5

Deep strategy

See all 5 specifications

How it plays

How does it play?

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.

Core mechanisms

Key systems that shape the decisions players make.

Read the full game 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

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Editions

Language and publisher variants currently recorded in the catalog.

Edition Year Language Publisher / Region
No editions imported yet.

Player resources

Rulebooks, player aids, FAQs, and solo resources.

No files imported yet.

Game and edition data

All specifications (5)

Play and group

Players
2–4
Best with
2–4
Play time
45 min
Age
12+
Complexity
2.4/5
Credits and catalog connections

Credits

Designers

1
Hisashi Hayashi

Artists

1
Ryo Nyamo

Publishers

1
OKAZU Brand

Linked items

No published linked games yet.