Into the Railroad World with 30 Rails and… Earthworms?
Climb aboard for a small train adventure in the print-and-play realm with the railroad puzzle of 30 Rails.
I recently promised more print-and-play games, and here I am! Another shoutout to the 2020 Summer Pythian Games for giving me plenty of reasons to expand my horizons. This time, I took 30 Rails out for a spin… Even though trains definitely don’t spin. Ha ha! This track-laying challenge seemed rather interesting, though my skills were minimal.
Game Overview
Game Name: 30 Rails
Publication Year: 2016
Designer: Julian Anstey
Artist: Julian Anstey
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
With the rules before me and some trusty dice ready to roll, I was all prepared! The goal here is to connect train stations and a mine on a small map filled with mountains. Every roll involves a unique track type that must be placed in a specific column or row. I figured I was all set to just dive in and make a mess of things to start with!
First Play
July 18, 2020
Complexity
2
Latest Play
July 18, 2020
Expansions
0
Setup Time
5 Minutes
Lifetime Plays
2
Play Time
35 Minutes
High Score
69
Game Area
20" x 12"
Low Score
25
Wet Erase Markers
I usually try to save a little paper and stick with sheet protectors. This was the perfect time to get out my favorite wet erase markers! Although I went too far…
During my first attempt, I used colors all over the place during setup. How beautiful! And then it happened.
The non-black markers smudged for some strange reason, and I ended up with a rather messy map. Definitely not appropriate for photos! Yikes.
I still love this brand of wet erase markers, though. The colorful options work in some situations… Just not here.
An Interesting Change in Opinion
I was thoroughly unimpressed with my initial play. Maybe the smudged marker lines got to me, but it was more than that. I didn’t feel like I was having a good time. Roll some dice, make a decision, draw a few lines, and repeat.
Then again, my score was so bad it didn’t even register in the scoring tiers! So I washed off my sheet protector, chose the black marker to avoid any smudges, and set out to see what all the fuss was about. Was I just wasting 40 minutes on a drawing exercise? Or might there be more going on than I gave the game credit for?
Luckily, it was the latter! I started to “see” the routes I needed to create early on. I spent a little more time making pretty tracks. Completely unnecessary and rather earthworm-like, but I found myself having fun! When the dice rolled in my favor, I was excited to connect the tracks and ensure the stations could all reach the mine.
Earthworm Rail Inc.
So maybe my artistic skills might look rather nice, but I will never unsee how my tracks resemble earthworms! At least I like those little (or not-so-little) critters. Ha ha!
I had a great plan working for me, but I miscalculated in an area so that I accidentally ruined some connections.
Part of me wanted to just renumber the stations to make it all work out for me. Oh, well! I was still very happy about how well I planned out the paths to the mine.
If it isn’t obvious, there was a plan to easily connect stations 3 and 4. Whoops! The tracks thought otherwise.
Session Overview
Play Number: 1 and 2
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Required Play Space: 20″ x 12″
Setup Time: 5 Minutes
Play Time: 35-40 Minutes per Play
Outcome: 25 and 69 (1 Win and 1 Loss)
There was a lot of excitement as I counted the first few scoring lines. Look at me: An expert! But it all fell apart when I saw a few mistakes with my tracks. All in all, though, my second play was a very positive experience and I can see myself playing this again at some point!
%
1 Play
Affordability
Price & Value
8
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
7
Originality
Design & Theme
4
Quality
Components & Rules
10
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
9
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
4
Victory Conditions
Score 60+ Points
- Overall Goal Progress 50%
Goals and Milestones
Score at least 60 points.
Score at least 70 points.
Continue the Conversation
What do you think of 30 Rails? I don’t know if I’ll play all the time, but it’s certainly a worthwhile experience. I’m glad I finally printed it out! Are there other print-and-play games that have pleasantly surprised you? The puzzle of crafting rail lines on this map is seemingly so simple, yet the high scores take effort. “Choo, choo!” says the earthworm! Ha ha!
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