EuroRails

Terrific game for everyone 2005-09-25 Eurorails is a terrific game for the entire family. The concept is that you are creating rail lines to gather commodities from cities and ship them to other cities that need those commodities. It's rather simple, yet complex. We've had the game for 9 months, and we've found that the game is always refreshingly challenging and different. One strategy may work well one time, but may be disasterous in another game. There is a lot of strategy, a bit of luck, and a lot of fun. It is very addictive, easy to learn, and quite entertaining. We've found that kids above the age of 10, adults, and everyone in between enjoy the game thoroughly. We haven't played the game with anyone who didn't immediately go out and buy a copy.

This game works very well for two people, even better for three or four. However, it is time consuming. Games tend to take 2.5-4 hours (Mayfair games are notorious for under-estimating the amount of time needed to play a game!)

For those who have the game already, this helper may pare down the play time a little bit: We've always use a variation of the "fast game" - start with 70 mil. Euros, take three turns to begin, and each turn is 12 mileposts (upgrades take you to 16 mileposts). A game for two people, starting with this "accelerated start" we can get a game done within 1.5-2 hours.

My other recommendation is that if you buy this game, you may need to get another set of crayons. You don't need "wipe off" crayons - just get the very cheapest crayons you can find, which wipe off the board even better than the "wipe-off" type. The more inexpensive the crayons, the more wax content, which helps them to wipe off easily. Just be careful that with any crayons you use, you don't write too hard (particularly on the water parts of the board) - you can wear off the print.

If you enjoy games like the "Settlers of Catan", you'll probably love this game. It is less complicated, but very challenging.

- Amazon