Days of Wonder | Ticket to Ride Japan Board Game EXPANSION | Ages 8+ | For 2 to 5 players | Average Playtime 30-60 Minutes

Product Information

It’s important to note that players score region bonus points for each of their distinct networks (group of connected trains) so it can be beneficial for players to connect their routes into a single network to maximize the points they’ll score for this bonus. Red has two distinct networks (five different regions connected in each) that would score 1 point for each network. However, if they connected Pisa to Firenze then they would have one network with nine different regions and score 11 points instead. The cards you play when claiming a route must be the same type, and the number of cards should also equal the number of spaces in that route. As the name might suggest, players will be building railroads in mainland Japan. This sounds like the original, but in this case, your railroads are going to be built to withstand the breath-taking speed of the world famous Bullet Train. Every gray, uncoloured route on the Italy map is a ferry route and features at least one wave symbol to represent this. Note the wave symbol on the gray routes that feature between one and four symbols per route.

I’ve summarized the game briefly, but you can find out more in our Catan Settlers of America guide. Now, I know what you’re probably thinking: “isn’t that a little boring? We’re supposed to be competing against one another!” After all, railways are Japan’s primary method of passenger transport. There are bullet trains (these are seriously fast; I still can’t quite comprehend them) and complex subway systems keeping vibrant metropolitan areas connected.

What’s Included in Ticket to Ride: Japan & Italy

Ferry cards are double-sided so, unlike a Locomotive for example, there’s no hiding whether you have one. Also, a player can never have more than two Ferry cards in their hand; if you already have two, you can’t choose this action on your turn. Coats of Arms and End-Game Scoring No matter how eager you are to build an impressive network of routes, you can only claim one per turn. This can be frustrating when you’re in a strong position and could claim multiple routes, but ultimately I think players should be encouraged to pace themselves. On the reverse side of the board, you can play in Italy. There’s many coloured regions on this map. Players score ever-increasing bonus points if they build networks that connect multiple regions. There’s also plenty of ferry routes available (grey routes). All ferry routes have spaces that comprise of 1-4 ‘wave’ symbols. To complete a ferry route, you need to pay in Locomotive (wild) card for every wave symbol. Or, you can pay a ferry card, which you can draft separate to regular train cards.

This can be confusing, but you must remember that a route leading to Kokura or Tokyo on the main board is connected to all routes going to the same city on the zoomed-in part of the board. If there is a tie, affected players earn points for their position; the next player earns points from the position as if there were no tie. How to Play Let’s first look at how the “Claim a route” action changes and then the Ferry cards will make a little more sense.I’m sure you know the drill by now: to claim one of these routes, you need to play as many cards of the same color as the number of spaces in the route. Now it’s time to compare routes. The player with the longest continual path receives a bonus of ten points (in the event of a tie, both players win ten points).