
It is considered a gentlemen’s game of concentrating on one’s own development rather than impeding the progress of others, and what is truly exciting about the game is watching the growth of your railroad empire as you progress from short affordable routes to longer, more profitable ones.
This is a medium weight strategy game, but despite the rather daunting instruction manual, it’s actually quite simple in concept: build railroads and ship goods. This was my first introduction into the railroad genre and remains one of my favorite examples of the transportation theme.
Board Game Designers: Darwin Bromley and Bill FawcettĮmpire Builder is a classic crayon-based railroad game of goods shipment. #9 best family board games is Empire Builder Empire Builder Board Game Summary The first player to complete his route wins. Once you’ve completed your route, the second half of the game begins as you race to move your trolley through your route. You want to create the shortest, most efficient route possible but as the rail line grows, your route will likely become more circuitous than planned as others work the route to their benefit or just try to thwart your efforts. On each turn, rail tiles are placed or upgraded depending upon the player’s needs. But because each player has a unique agenda, competition for the direction of rail lines becomes stiff. The rail lines created on the board are shared amongst the players. At the beginning of the game, you are assigned 2 or 3 stops (depending on the level of difficulty you choose) to connect with rail tiles between your two stations. Streetcar is a tile laying game in which you create a trolley route that connects specific stops on the board. My family is actually more familiar with the original German edition of the game called Linie 1, but Streetcar is the version sold in this country. This is the first of several railway type games on my list, and is definitely one of the most accessible by the widest variety of family members. I’m beginning my list with a light strategy game called Streetcar.
Players: 2 – 5 (Components for up to 6 players).#10 best family board games is Streetcar Streetcar Board Game Summary