Ticket To Ride Express
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🐸 Una rana saggia sa quando dividere l’ordine… e quando aspettare il salto giusto.
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The FroGames card
You have three cards in hand, everyone draws together, someone snatches the Berlin-Rome route you needed. You scream, redraw your plan, and still win. Fifteen minutes later, you're already reshuffling.
WHAT IT'S ABOUT
The Ticket to Ride formula reshuffled for quick games
Designed by Alan R. Moon and illustrated by Julien Delval, Ticket To Ride Express (originally Les Aventuriers du Rail Express) is the fast and simultaneous version of the series that defined the modern gateway game. Same author, same Europe map, same sense of urgency when someone snatches the route you needed. But this time, everyone plays together, every turn.
You draw train cards, build routes, complete secret destinations. The difference is in the pace: no more waiting, no more analysis paralysis. Everyone draws simultaneously from the same reserve of five face-up cards. Whoever sees the wild locomotive first takes it, the others adapt. Games last 15-30 minutes, but the tension is the same as a one-hour session of the classic.
What they say abroad
"Quick to set up, with dynamic parts, this edition of Ticket to Ride takes the map of Europe."
— Days of Wonder
Compared to the classic, Express trades depth for urgency. And it works.
— FroGames
Ticket To Ride Express (Les Aventuriers du Rail Express)
FrogScore · FroGames editorial rating · based on rules, international reviews and game sessionsWhat's in the box
The components that make the machine run
Europe board
The classic Ticket to Ride Europe map, with cities from Edinburgh to Istanbul. Short and long routes, tunnels, ferries. Everything you know, but played at double speed.
Train and wild cards
Eight colors of wagons plus wild locomotives. Five face-up cards on the table, everyone draws together. Whoever sees the locomotive first takes it, the others adapt.
Destination cards
Secret routes to complete for points. London-Istanbul is worth the highest bonus if you use the same color for the entire route: the race in the game.
Colored train cars
The classic wooden trains. You have a limited number: when they run out, the game ends. The duration self-regulates based on how many long routes you build.
🎲How to playThe rules in four steps▼
How to play
The flow of each round
Four possible actions, performed simultaneously by all players. No turns, no waiting.
Five face-up cards on the table, common to all. Everyone draws together, with no turn order. Whoever sees a wild locomotive first takes it. The others divide the remaining colors. When all five are taken, five more cards are revealed. You can draw up to three cards per turn.
Discard a set of train cards of the same color to place your trains on a route on the board. Longer routes are worth more points but block more resources. You are not forced to build every turn: you can accumulate cards for a bigger move later.
You draw two destination cards, keeping at least one. Each secret destination asks you to connect two specific cities. If you succeed, you score points; if you fail, you lose them. Destinations are only drawn if you want to take a risk: it's best not to overdo it.
As soon as a player places their last train car, the game stops immediately. No last round, no extra time. Scoring begins. Games can last 15 minutes or 30, depending on how quickly players build.
⏱️Your first gameThe chronicle, moment by moment▼
A game in five moments
What happens at the table
Not the rules. The experience.
The first draft is a taste
Everyone draws from the five face-up cards together. Someone immediately takes the wild locomotive, someone else waits to see which colors come out. The first turn is still calm, but you already understand who will be fast and who will have their cards snatched.
Building begins and gets blocked
The first routes go down quickly. Some close short routes to accumulate sure points, others save up for a high-scoring Paris-Vienna route. Then the secret destinations come out and everyone goes silent: now you know that that route is really what you need.
The race to London-Istanbul
Someone loudly declares that they are aiming for the highest bonus: connecting London to Istanbul with a single color. The others try to block them by building key routes of the same color. The draft becomes psychological warfare: you pretend to want to take blue to force opponents to waste moves.
Trains run out, damages are counted
Someone places their last train car on the board. The game ends immediately. No final round, no last hand: it goes straight to scoring. Those who planned poorly end up with incomplete destinations that are worth negative points. Those who played it safe smile.
Scoring is quick, the rematch is immediate
Points for built routes, bonuses for completed destinations, penalties for failed ones, extra for London-Istanbul. Someone wins by two points and everyone shouts that it was the penultimate turn's draft that decided it. Shuffle the cards, and start again. It's only fifteen minutes, after all.
🐸Good to know beforehandThree honest things, from friends▼
Good to know beforehand
Three things that differ from the classic
Simultaneous draft can be chaotic
Everyone draws cards together. If you play with competitive people who grab cards before you, you'll always end up with the wrong colors. It works better with slow players, but if there's one fast player and three slow ones at the table, the fast one dominates.
Strategic depth is limited
You can't plan long-term as in classic Ticket to Ride. The cards you want are stolen, the routes you plan are blocked. Everything is immediate tactics. If you're looking for a puzzle to optimize, this isn't your game.
The London-Istanbul bonus is unbalanced
Connecting London to Istanbul with a single color is worth huge points. Those who succeed often win. Others must block that strategy or aim for many small destinations. It's not broken, but it dominates the game: everyone knows someone will try it.
🏆Victory and defeatWhat the ending rewards▼
How it ends
How to win and how to lose
The game ends when a player places their last train car. Points are counted.
Victory
- Points for each route built (the longer, the more it's worth)
- Bonus for completed secret destinations
- Extra bonus for connecting London-Istanbul with a single color
How you lose points
- Each uncompleted secret destination is worth negative points
- Unplaced train cars give no points
- If you focus too much on a long route and someone blocks it, you waste time and cards without getting anything in return
If you want the Ticket to Ride you can play during lunch break, this is the version. If you prefer the slower planning of the classic, the standard big box is better.
💬Frequently Asked QuestionsQuick answers before checkout▼
Frequently Asked Questions
FAQ about Ticket To Ride Express (Les Aventuriers du Rail Express)
What is the difference between Express and classic Ticket to Ride?
Express uses simultaneous drafting: everyone draws cards together, with no turns. Games last 15-30 minutes instead of 45-60. The map is the same (Europe), but the strategy is more tactical and less planned. If you want speed, get Express; if you want depth, get the classic.
Does it work well with two players?
Yes, simultaneous drafting also works with two players. Competition for cards is less frantic than with 3-4 players, but routes still get blocked. With two, it's more tactical; with four, it's more chaotic.
What mechanics does Ticket To Ride Express use?
Set collection (collecting train cards of the same color), hand management (managing when to draw and when to build), network building (connecting cities on the board), and open drafting (everyone draws from the same pool of face-up cards).
Is it suitable as a first modern game for beginners?
Absolutely. The rules can be explained in five minutes, and the first game works immediately. It's less intimidating than classic Ticket to Ride because it lasts less time and choices are more immediate. Perfect as a gateway game.
Is the edition for sale in Italian?
Yes, this Asmodee edition is entirely in Italian: rulebook, destination cards, city names on the board. Everything translated.
The people behind the game
Who invented it, who designed it, who publishes it — and what else they've done.
Ticket To Ride Express (Les Aventuriers du Rail Express) is a competitive game for 2-4 players aged 8 and up, with games lasting 15-30 minutes. Designed by Alan R. Moon and published by Asmodee, it brings the classic Ticket to Ride formula in a fast version based on simultaneous drafting of train cards. Players build railway routes on the Europe map, complete secret destinations, and compete for the London-Istanbul bonus. Mechanics: set collection, hand management, network building. Available on FroGames.it.
Ticket To Ride Express
Frequently Asked Questions
The answers you're looking for, no beating around the bush.
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📦Does the content of the box match what is indicated?
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