The Transcontinental: A Very Short Board Game Review

A Canadian Kickstarter Success Story

Player count — 1 to 4; Time required — 90–120 mins.

The setting is the building of the first transcontinental rail line in the 1870s across Canada. The train drives down the track, and players put “telegrams,” (wooden workers) on different stops along the track to take actions printed on tiles representing locations along the route. Most of the actions move resources on or off the train, but players can also gain an extra worker, pick up a character helper card, or develop one of the location tiles for points and better actions.

First, players place telegrams. Then, the train starts in the east and goes west along the track. Players take actions based on the location tiles next to the track on both North and South sides. When the train reaches the western trailhead, the players spend their resources to convert wilderness to new track, opening up new player spots, and moving the trailhead further west. It’s a points smorgasborg!

Then the train heads back east, and players can use any unused telegrams to take additional actions on the way back. When the train arrives back in the east, players use up coal resources to move new cars onto the train, bringing any goods stored there with them, where they can be used for various things. When the…