Welcome to Ticket to Ride: First Journey Game!

I’m so excited to tell you all about the rules for this amazing game. Strap in and get ready for a thrilling ride!

Goal of the Game

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to travel across the United States by building train routes between different cities. The player who completes the most routes and earns the most points is declared the winner!

Setting Up the Game

Before we begin our journey, let’s set up the game board. Place the game board in the center of the table and make sure all the path cards are shuffled. Each player receives a set of colored trains and a train depot card of the same color. Then, each player chooses one destination ticket and keeps it secret. Finally, draw four path cards and place them face-up near the game board. And we’re ready to go!

How to Play

Alright, let’s get this train rolling! On your turn, you have two options: you can either draw path cards or claim a route.

Draw Path Cards

If you choose to draw path cards, you have two options:

• Draw Two Path Cards: You can draw two path cards from the deck, but be careful! You can only keep one of them. The other card must be discarded face-up next to the deck.
• Draw a Face-Up Path Card: Instead of drawing blind from the deck, you can also choose to take one of the face-up path cards. However, if you take a locomotive card, it will count as two cards!

Claim a Route

If you have enough path cards of the same color and length to claim a route between two cities, you can choose to claim that route by placing your trains on the corresponding spaces. The number of trains required is shown on the path cards.

Earning Points

As we travel across the United States, we will be earning points. You earn points by:

• Completing a Route: Each time you successfully claim a route, you earn the points indicated on the route card.
• Completing Destination Tickets: At the end of the game, you will reveal your secret destination ticket. If you have connected the cities on your ticket, you earn the points indicated on the ticket. But if you have not, you lose the points indicated.

End of the Game

Once a player has placed all their trains on the board or they only have two or fewer trains left, the game ends. Now it’s time to count up the points and see who emerged as the ultimate champion of Ticket to Ride: First Journey!

So, are you ready to embark on this thrilling and colorful adventure? Grab your trains and get ready for the ride of a lifetime!

• Here’s what you’ll get in the box:
• A game board
• 80 plastic trains
• 72 train cards
• 32 ticket cards
• 4 coast-to-coast bonus ticket cards
• 1 golden ticket

What’s the objective?

The main goal of this game is to be the first player to complete 6 tickets.

How do we set up?

First, place the game board in the center of the table. Then, each player should receive 20 trains of the same color.

Next, shuffle the train cards and give 4 random cards to each player. The remaining cards should be placed facedown to create the train deck.

After that, shuffle the ticket cards and give each player 2 random ticket cards. The rest of the cards will form the ticket deck.

Remember to keep all of your cards hidden from the other players! Also, place the coast-to-coast bonus ticket cards next to the game board.

How to Play the Game

Let’s dive into the exciting world of the game! I’ll explain everything you need to know to get started.

Game Play

Okay, let’s get things rolling! The youngest player gets to take the first turn. After that, the game keeps going in a clockwise direction. Each player takes their turn one at a time until the game comes to an end. Simple, right?

When it’s your turn, you have two options. You can choose to:

• Draw Train Cards: This is where the fun begins! You get to draw two Train Cards from the top of the deck. Exciting, huh?
• Claim a Route: Time to strategize! If you have the right cards in your hand, you can play them to claim a route on the board. And the best part? You get to place your plastic trains on that route, marking it as your own.

Train Cards

Ah, the key to success in this game – the Train Cards! These cards are your ticket to building your routes and becoming the ultimate railroad tycoon. Keep an eye on them, they’ll help you reach your destination!

Hey there! Let’s talk about Train Cards and how they work in the game. Trust me, it’s gonna be exciting!

So, in this awesome game, there are Train Cards that come in six cool colors: Yellow, Green, White, Black, Blue, and Red. These cards are pretty special because they let you claim routes on the game board. How cool is that?

But wait, there’s more! There are also special cards called Locomotives. These bad boys are multi-colored and can be used as a wild card when you’re claiming a route. They’re like the ultimate secret weapon in your deck of cards!

Now, let’s get to the fun part: Claiming Routes!

When it’s your turn and you have the right cards, you can claim a route on the game board. Just play the Train Cards that match the color of the route you want to claim. Easy peasy, right?

Remember, Locomotives can be used as any color, so they’re super handy when you’re missing a specific Train Card. They’re like that one friend who always has your back!

But hey, be strategic in claiming routes! Some routes are longer and require more Train Cards to claim. Make sure you have enough cards in your hand before going for those big routes.

Alright, that’s the lowdown on Train Cards and claiming routes. Now you’re ready to dominate the game with your mad train-claiming skills. Go get ’em, champ!

When it comes to claiming a route, all you need to do is play Train Cards from your hand that match the color and number of spaces of the route. Then, simply place one of your plastic trains in each of the spaces on the route. The cards you use to claim the route will be discarded faceup next to the Train deck.

Let me give you an example. If you want to claim a yellow route that is two spaces long, just play two yellow Train Cards.

Here’s the best part: you can claim any route on the board as long as it hasn’t been claimed yet, even if it isn’t connected to your other claimed routes. But remember, you can only claim one route per turn.

And get this: the color of a route doesn’t have to match the color of your plastic trains. You can still claim a route even if the colors don’t match. That’s because Locomotives are wild and can act as any color Train Card you need.

Double Routes: Did you know that some cities have not just one, but two roads connecting them? This might seem convenient at first, but here’s the catch – you can’t claim both routes for yourself! It’s important to leave some space for others to use.

Finishing a Ticket

Congratulations! You’ve successfully connected the cities on your Ticket by creating a continuous line of trains.

Let everyone know and place the Ticket faceup in front of you. Then, take one Ticket Card from the deck.

Discarding Tickets: If you realize that you won’t be able to complete your Tickets (maybe because other players have blocked your path), you have the option to skip a turn. Instead of drawing Train Cards or claiming a route, you can choose to discard BOTH of your Tickets.

After discarding, draw two new Tickets from the top of the deck to replace the ones you discarded.

Coast-to-coast Bonus

When you’ve got a train line stretching all the way from a city on the West Coast like Seattle, San Francisco, or Los Angeles to a city on the East Coast like New York, Washington, or Miami, you’ve achieved something special — the Coast-to-Coast Bonus!

Just shout out “Coast to Coast!” and grab yourself a Bonus Ticket Card. Place it right in front of you.

That Bonus Ticket Card counts as a completed Ticket, so it’s like you’ve already achieved one.

The Game Ends

The game comes to a close as soon as a player completes their sixth Ticket. That player is the winner and claims the coveted Golden Ticket as their prize!

The game also ends if a player puts down their very last train on the board.

In that case, the player with the most completed Tickets takes the victory. And if there’s a tie, all the players who tied win together.