Lately I’ve been wanting to get back into some sort of gaming that doesn’t involve a computer of some sort. Back in college, I used to play Warhammer 40k and Magic: The Gathering. I gave up Warhammer because it took too much time to paint my figures and get them ready, and I never had anywhere that was close by to play either.
After quitting Warhammer, I started playing Magic: The Gathering. This was right around the time the Invasion block was rotating in, so it was actually a good time to start up. I played pretty seriously for about a year or so. I went to tournaments, read online strategy guides, and bought singles on eBay. In all, I probably spent over $1000 on that game, and I had a bit of a “Come to Jesus” moment once I realized half the cards I owned weren’t valuable in the Type 2 environment any longer. That’s when I decided that this game wasn’t for me.
Don’t get me wrong, I still think the game is fun. I love the strategy involved and the different options one has when building a deck. It’s just that I don’t have the desire to dole out that much cash for a hobby. With that said, I’ve been looking into some of the more strategic, German type, board games that are out there. I played Axis & Allies some when I was in college and I always had a great time. So I started browsing around Board Game Geek just to see what’s hot.
As I was browsing over the different Geek Lists, I realized that Ticket to Ride was getting almost universal acclaim. Every review I read billed it as the perfect gateway game. The gameplay mechanics are simple, yet it still provides enough depth strategically to challenge each player. I’ve now played it 2 times offline with my wife, and 2 times online. I have to agree that this is an excellent game. It’s not bogged down by unwieldy rules interpretations, and the game flows smoothly from beginning to end. The only thing bad about this game is the fact that it’s a gateway game. It has introduced me to a whole new world of gaming. The only good thing is that this gaming hobby is nowhere near as expensive as Magic or Warhammer.
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