I have avoided this game for years. It just gave the vibe of “old fashioned” - as in, fun for the family if you lived in a shack in the 1960s.
But I was wrong.
Fast turns, definite strategy and interaction. Easy to learn. This game will get played more often! And with the deluxe trains, that you can now buy separately...
Now, we have house-rules slightly – the tunnels in T2R Europe are just too harsh. Turns are at a premium in this game, and tunnels mean that no-one wants to go through the middle at all – these short routes already earn you fewer points on a turn, and there is a significant chance of failing (and therefore losing a precious turn) even with a “spare” card. Losing a turn is a no-no nowadays, its just not fun! So we allow any card to pay for a fail. Still a cost, but not something to effectively lose you the win.

Anyway it made me think about our definition of “Classic”. “Classic” mass market games come in various tranches:
- Monopoly. Really does anyone enjoy monopoly? It brings memories of 3-4 hour drudgery where one player won 3-4 hours ago, and then just passing fake bank notes around.
- Plastic games from the 70s and 80s. Kids not families (despite the happy parents on the box cover). Fun cos we made them fun, not because the games themselves were fun. It was OK – home computers were arriving soon.
- Classic board games – no. Just no. Snakes and ladders? Even the grown up games. Backgammon – rubbish. So rubbish that the whole game is really about doubling your risks. “Well done mister Bond you jammy git”. Risk. Risk! Hours and then hatred for your friends when they backstabbed you.
- Trivial Pursuit – parents dinner parties not families. Kids do not know 70s politics!
- Playing card games. Happy times, but quite dry and sometimes really obtuse rules. I mean Belotte. Who decided all the weird twists those rules have? If it’s a trump suit the card order is different. If you’re playing on a Tuesdays then… and Poker is really not the same if you don’t actually have your money on the line!
- the “new classic” mainstream-adjacent games Carcassonne, Catan, and Ticket to Ride. They feel a little old fashioned now, but definitely have merit and are often the gateway for non-gamers. Their age is a badge of accessibility.
- newer games that have managed to cross into non-hobby stores. Lots of “party” games (e.g. Just One), down through Codenames and possibly Wingspan now?
This list is expanding and no doubt some countries with more of a gaming tradition would say that many more “Hobby” games would be mainstream. We’re not all Germany, but I think we’re getting there.
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