Image: Ravensburger · source
Ravensburger Railway Station 60-Piece Children's Puzzle
Ravensburger · Budget
A 60-piece children's jigsaw puzzle from Ravensburger on a railway station theme, recommended by the publisher for age 4 and up.
Ticket to Ride Map Collection 6: France + Old West
Days of Wonder · Mid-range
A Ticket to Ride expansion with two maps in one box: France, where Track Beds must be built before routes can be claimed, and the Old West, where each player expands from a Home City.
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We have not tested it ourselves: strengths and weaknesses below come from the tests cited.
Why Railfans Carry It
The publisher's premise for the France map is that players could simply claim routes for years, whereas on this map the track has to be laid first. A player who draws train cards also places one of the 64 Track Pieces on a Track Bed route of the same length, and the piece sets the route's color. Where routes cross, building one can permanently cut off others, according to the booklet. Some grey routes are Ferries needing a Locomotive card for each Locomotive icon. The Old West map begins every player in a starting city, and the box art pairs a steam train with a cactus and desert rock formations. The Alvin the Alien variant has players capture Alvin in Roswell for 10 points.
In the Field
The publisher's page lists two to six players, ages eight and up and 60 to 90 minutes; the booklet headers read 30 to 60 minutes, with the France booklet designed for two to five players and the Old West booklet for two to six. Both booklets require 40 trains per player instead of 45, matching Scoring Markers and Train Car cards from Ticket to Ride or Ticket to Ride Europe, and Asmodee says the base game is required. The box lists maps of France and the Old West, 64 Track Pieces, a set of trains, Alvin the Alien Marker, and tickets and rules for each map. France: 58 Destination Tickets and 2 Bonus Cards; each player receives 8 Train Car cards and 5 tickets, keeping at least 3. Some tickets name a neighboring country or Corsica, and each route into such a zone is a dead end. France keeps the Longest Route (10 points) and Globetrotter (15 points) bonuses. Old West: 50 tickets, 2 Bonus Cards, 40 white Train Cars and 18 City Markers, three per player. A marker goes down by playing a pair of same-colored cards, and when a claimed route touches a city another player controls, that marker's owner scores the route instead.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths
- Two maps for different play styles in one box
- Track Pieces that set route color on France
- City Markers on Old West that redirect route points to their owner
- Alvin the Alien capture variant
- Tickets and rules supplied for each map
Weaknesses
- Trains, Scoring Markers and Train Car cards must come from Ticket to Ride or Ticket to Ride Europe
- The publisher's page lists two to six players and 60 to 90 minutes, while the France booklet is designed for two to five and its header reads 30 to 60 minutes
- The Old West booklet says it is not compatible with the Alvin & Dexter expansion
- On France, building one route can permanently cut off crossing routes
Key Specifications
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Age | 8+ |
| Type | Expansion; Ticket to Ride base game required |
| Players | Page: 2-6; France booklet 2-5; Old West booklet 2-6 |
| Designer | Alan R. Moon |
| Publisher | Days of Wonder (Asmodee) |
| Special pieces | 64 Track Pieces (France); 18 City Markers, 40 white Train Cars (Old West); Alvin the Alien Marker |
| Destination Tickets | France 58; Old West 50 |
| Trains per player (from base game) | 40 |
Who It’s For
An adult buying for a household that already owns Ticket to Ride or Ticket to Ride Europe and wants one box with a build-first France map and an Old West map where each player expands from a starting city.
Alternatives
Map Collection 4: Nederland, from the same line, uses Bridge Toll Tokens on its double-track bridge crossings and supports two to five players.
Image: Robotime (ROKR) · source
ROKR Prime Steam Express 3D Wooden Puzzle (MC501)
Robotime (ROKR) · Budget
A 308-piece wooden construction kit that builds into a 1:80 scale model of a steam locomotive with a detachable tender, finished at about 12 inches long.
Image: Days of Wonder · source
Ticket to Ride
Days of Wonder · Mid-range
A cross-country train adventure in which players collect and play matching train cards to claim railway routes connecting cities across North America.
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