| Transamerica |
| General Information: Manufacturer: Rio Grande Games Author: Franz-Benno Delonge Graphics: Marcel-Andre Casasola-Merkle Number of Players: 2-6 Age: 8 years plus Time: about 30 mins. Year: 2002 Awards: GCA 2003: Multiplayer Nominees SdJ 2002: Nominee DSP 2002: 2nd place SdS 2002: Games for Families ENGLISH MAIN PAGE  Deutsche Spielerezension |
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| Game Components: 1 Gameboard - 6 Start Markers - 6 Locomotives - 85 Track Pieces - 35 City Cards - 1 Rule Booklet |
Before the game
starts the game board is laid out. One rail-piece is put on the
double red line
of the point track. If a player’s piece crosses that barrier the game
ends
immediatley. Each player chooses a colour. He/She puts the start marker
in
his/her colour in front of him/her and puts his locomotive on the
locomotive
shed on the point track. Than the first round of the game can be
started: The
city cards are shuffled and each player draws one card from each of the
5
colours. Now the 5 different cities have to be connected as fast as
possible.
When one player succeeds in doing so the current round ends.
One player begins
and the other players follow: Before the start of the actual
building phase
each player puts her/his start marker on any intersection or city.
There can
always be just one marker on an intersection or a city. After all
players have
done so the building starts:
In his/her turn
each player must build at least
one track and can build up to two tracks. The building has to
begin from his/her
start marker and must always connect to his/her already existing
network. Each
unoccupied single line costs 1 track. So a player can build tracks on
up to two
single lines in each round. An unoccupied double line (river or
mountain) costs
two tracks. Players may branch off from his/her own network at any
place of
his/her choice. If a player connects his/her network and any other
player’s
network he/she can use that network as his/her own. A player never has
to build
two tracks.
If a player
succeeds in connecting 5 cities the current round ends
immediately. The player uncovers his/her city cards to proof his
success. The
other players now get minus points for cities they have not connected
yet: For
each track still missing to connect a city over a single line they get
1 minus
point, for each track still missing to connect a city over a double
line they
get 2 minus points. The locomotives are moved back according to the
number of
missing tracks. Now all tracks are being removed, the city cards
re-shuffled
and another round begins. If the player with the fewest points still
has 4 or
more points after the 2nd round the barrier is shifted to
the right
so that there are exactly two spaces between the last player’s
locomotive and
the barrier. This is done after the 2nd round only.
The game ends as
soon as the locomotive of one player crosses the barrier. The
player with the
most points remaining wins the game:
| Further Information: - Homepage of Rio Grande Games - Play Transamerica online in the "Brettspielwelt" |
| millibeth
says 8 of 10 points:. If played more often „Transamerica“ is an entertaining and tactical game. Especially interesting are 2-player-games because strategy is more important - but eventually the game is getting boring if players start to think too long about what they are going to do: The game is not as strategic if more than two players participate but I think it is more exciting. Again and again it is astonishing to discover how quick the other players were and where they are building to. „Transamerica“ is much faster and more interesting if more than 2 players participate. If played once most people want another round just after. The game rules are easy to understand and easy to explain. The game is interesting for all groups of age and game interest. |
