When it comes down to board games I (Erik) am a real trainspotter. I have a fondness for games with trains. Almost every expansion of Ticket to Ride is proudly on display on my shelf and I plan routes and stamp cards like no other. Small Railroad Empires therefore immediately attracted my attention in terms of theme. What I really liked at first sight are the mini tracks and wooden resources. Does the game run like a train?
The goal of Small Railroad Empires is to build a train empire like a real magnate and transport the right resources between factories and cities. Whoever has the most prestige points at the end of the game wins. These points can be earned in many different ways: by building tracks, accomplishing missions or being the first to fulfill one of the common goal cards. Don’t be too frugal with your dollars, after all, money has to roll in, and keep a close eye on the common goals.
I played the very first game of Small Railroad Empires together with my niece. Who won? We’ll keep that a secret for the time being… With two people there is quite some space on the board, so the game is more exciting with more players and ideal with four. You then really get in each other’s way, in a positive sense, because on each tile and city there is only room for two tracks. Blocking one another becomes extra interactive with more players and is somewhat lacking with two players. Nevertheless, I had a good time even with two players and once you know the rules, the game is easy and quick to explain to even less experienced board game fanatics.
Because of the modular board and different game variants there is also enough variation. In addition, the game already has several expansions that allow you to play different “scenarios” at different locations which, of course, increases replayability even more.
