The Components

Mystery Train comes with 12 cards total. These include: 2 rules cards; 9 destination ticket cards; and 1 blank destination ticket. All of the cards are half-size, printed on the same high-quality linen-textured cardstock as the original destination tickets. These tickets, however, have a distinct purple back, so that it's easy to tell them apart from the originals.

4 of the cards are regular routes, while the other 5 are "character cards", which have various powers in- and out-of-game. Each character card is simply described, and has attractive new artwork.

The blank card is lined so that you can actually fill it in.

This supplement is a free give-away, but unlike other giveaways I've reviewed it's been distributed via a method that makes it very easy for players to get a copy; if you like Ticket to Ride, you will be able to get this supplement if you want it. You can: get it in Game Trade Magazine, or get it from some local stores (Endgame Oakland had it on Saturday when I was there), or get it free with an online purchase from Days of Wonder, or get it just by paying S&H if you've already registered your copy of Ticket to Ride. There's more info here if you want your own copy.

Given the usual high quality of the components, the fact that the game is free, and also that it's easy to get, I've let this supplement eke in a "5" out of "5" for Style.

The Gameplay

Mystery Train introduces a number of easier destination tickets, including special characters, to the Ticket to Ride game.

Setup: A game of Ticket to Ride is setup as usual, but after initial tickets have been taken the 9 (or 10) Mystery Train tickets are shuffled into the destination ticket deck.

The Cards: There are two types of cards: 4 new destinations & 5 characters.

The Destinations. The destinations are all short 2-hop tickets: Vancouver-Portland (2); Boston-Washington (4); Winnipeg-Omaha (6); and Montreal-Chicago (7).

The Engineers. Two of the character cards are Engineers. In lieu of a turn you may play an Engineer to choose a destination ticket from the draw pile.

End-Game Characters. Three of the character cards may give bonus scores at the end of the game. They are: Tycoon (gives you 10 points if you have a coast-to-coast route); Station Agent (gives you 10 points if you have visited the most cities by game's end); and Inspector (doubles the value of a ticket worth 10 points or less).

The Blank Card. You can fill in whatever you want on your blank card. My top suggestions thus far are: Switch Operator (usable only in a 2- or 3-player game. Allows you to build on the second line of a double-track after an opponent has taken the first. This one was suggested by a player at Endgame on Saturday); and European Tourist (collect 10 points if you have visited the most East Coast cities by game's end. This one was my own suggestion, intended to help the East, which is generally too weak).

Relationships to Other Games

Mystery Train is, of course, an expansion for the original Ticket to Ride game.

The Game Design

For supplements, I think the central game design question is usually, "How does change the game?" Here's some thoughts on Mystery Train.

Makes Ticket Taking More Likely: This supplement makes players much more likely to draw tickets, even late in the game, particularly if they can see that the top card is a Mystery Train ticket. This is because you're never penalized by the characters, and the routes are so short that you can often either make them or else take just a few points' loss. The end result is a more dynamic game, where players are willing to struggle with new routes until the bitter end.

Slightly Decreases Randomness: The above slightly decreases randomness as well, because you're not taking as big a chance when you draw destinations. The engineers in the deck also decrease randomness, since they allow you to select a destination.

Slightly Benefits Shorter Routes: I've always felt like the original game of Ticket to Ride was a little too off-balanced toward the longer routes: they tend to score a lot of points, and also allow you to take the longer single-hop routes. In this new expansion this is one card that benefits the longer routes (Tycoon, which is +10 for coast-to-coast) and two which benefit the shorter routes (Station Agent, which gives you +10 for most cities, and Inspector, which doubles a low-value ticket). In addition, the new, short destinations might cause players to take tracks desired by those going for longer routes, which can make them slightly more dangerous. None of this is a big deal, but it all pushes things in a good direction.

Overall, I'm pleased with this expansion. It's elegant, and when it causes changes in gameplay, they're good changes. I give it a "4" out of "5" in Substance, and think I'm likely to use these cards whenever I play the US map of Ticket to Ride.

Conclusion

Mystery Train is a nice little expansion to Ticket to Ride; it's not earth-shattering (or essential), but it's worth going to the trouble to pick up, as it'll cause some slight changes in your Ticket to Ride games.