Circus Train (Second Edition)

About this board game

Circus Train Second Edition is a strategy game for 1–5 players that takes about 90 minutes, casting you as the owner and operator of a small circus train in prohibition-era America.

Each turn represents one week as you guide your train around the American Northeast. Through clever card hand management, decide where to travel, when to perform, which stranded performers to hire, and how to build the most magnificent show each month.

Your circus’s success depends on more than recruiting impressive talent. Wages must be managed carefully, while supplying big cats and elephants creates high costs. You can also improve your show’s reputation by picking up alcohol for your talent and staff—legally, in Canada—but every business decision affects your ability to keep the show on the road.

• Move your circus train through the American Northeast using card hand management.
• Hire performers stranded in cities by defunct circuses.
• Balance performances, talent, wages, and expensive animal supplies.
• Red light disgruntled or overly costly talent by firing them from the train.
• Compete through a six-month season to become The Greatest Show on Earth.

Inspired by Sara Gruen’s novel Water for Elephants, Circus Train Second Edition blends thematic circus details with streamlined mechanics and strategic depth. The season ends after six months, with the player running the greatest show declared the winner.

This 2013 edition combines the first edition with its first expansion, adds three more players, features a graphic face-lift, and introduces new Event cards. These changes create a broader experience while preserving the fast-paced focus on touring, talent, performances, and payroll.