Winning Moves Games Trans America
- Each player has 5 cities and tries to connect them with a shared network of tracks
- As soon as a player has done this the round ends and the next round begins
- At the end of the game, the player with the most points wins
- Imported from Winning Moves Germany and exclusively distributed in the USA by Winning Moves
- Complete edition includes Vexation expansion
Product Description
America in the 19th century: railroads are booming! Pioneer spirit and vision are everywhere.Everyone wants to be the first to build a railroad network across the country. Each player has five cities and tries to connect them with a shared network of tracks. As soon as a player had done this, the round ends. The other players lose points and the next round begins. At the end of the game, the player with the most points left wins!Who will be the first to connect his … More >>
For a while I was active on a real time board-gamer’s web site called Bretspielwelt (a great site, by the way), and my favorite game to play there was Transamerica. Transamerica is quick, it’s fun, and every round is loaded with anticipation.
The board is a map of the United states, separated into 5 geographically distinct zones and superimposed with a grid connecting major cities. Each round, each player draws a city card from each zone; a resulting hand might be Boston, Atlanta, Chicago, Phoenix, and Seattle. The round consists of players placing short “rail” sections along the grids on the board in order to be the first to connect all five cities, but any rail that is placed may be used by the other players, so a player is constantly confronted with the decision of building a line that they will need versus waiting for another player to do it for them. By the end of each round, it is common for every player to be but one or two lines away from completion – at which point the winner of the round should run and hide until it’s safe to come out!
At the end of the round, each losing player counts up the minimum number of rails it would take to accomplish their goal, and that is the amount their score is deducted. As soon as a player reaches zero or fewer points, the game is over and the highest score wins.
This is a simple game with some surprising complexity. There is a definite tendency to blame the cards when one draws cities that are very distant from one another (try Boston, Seattle, San Diego, Houston, and Duluth), but in the end the winner is the one who can simply use the most tracks laid by other players. There is an advanced rule that allows you to lay three pieces of your own color rail down, which prevents others from using that section of track and build around it.
I recommend this game for players 8 and up. It’s fine for two players, but the more the merrier!
Rating: 5 / 5
I order this game including the Vexation and extra game pieces. I did recieve the normal version of the game 7 days after ordering it. The game is alot of fun and I suggest it highly, but be aware you will not recieve the full version pictured and described on the web site.
Rating: 4 / 5
I picked this up after playing it at a friend’s house. It is a pretty simple train game, with rules that can be explained to your average person in just a few minutes. I haven’t had anyone not understand it within the first round or two.
Pros:
-Simple, easy to understand
-Fun
-The little pieces are all painted wood and look like they will hold up fine over time
-This version includes the expansion tracks, which you can use or omit depending on what kind of players you have.
-Can finish the game (several rounds) within 30-45 minutes.
Cons:
-Could be a little simple for veteran boardgamers or strategy buffs, but the included expansion adds a bit of complexity.
-No real educational value as the geography is pretty approximate, but it is better than nothing I guess.
Rating: 5 / 5
This game is a great game because it is easy to learn, fun for all ages, has an element of luck, but mostly I like it because it requires a great deal of strategy (network theory lover’s dream come true).
Rating: 4 / 5