Trains

About this board game

Trains is a 2–4 player railway strategy game with an approximate play time of 45 minutes. Set in Japan, it casts players as capitalists managing private railway companies and competing to build the most powerful railroad.

Each player begins with a small set of cards. By purchasing new cards and building a more effective deck, you can improve your company’s capabilities throughout the game. The central challenge is choosing the cards you want and using them as effectively as possible.

Use your developing deck to place stations and lay rails across maps such as Osaka and Tokyo. As your railway expands, aim to gain enough points from your network to surpass the competition. Successful planning can help your company grow bigger and better while rival railways pursue their own ambitions.

• Players: 2–4
• Play time: approximately 45 minutes
• Core play: purchase cards, improve your deck, place stations, and lay rails
• Setting: Japan and its railway expansion

The 2012 OKAZU Brand edition takes place during the 19th and 20th centuries, following the Golden Age of railways in Japan. The 2013 AEG/Pegasus edition shifts the setting to modern times, featuring bullet trains, freight trains, and more.

As the first title in AEG’s Destination Fun series, Trains offers a focused contest of railway development and deck construction. It also integrates with Trains: Rising Sun, extending its place within the series.