Ticket to Ride: First Journey (Europe) condenses the celebrated series’ mechanics for younger players with high-density fun.

The essence of the game involves gathering train cards, seizing rail paths on the map, and linking cities specified on players’ tickets. The board depicts a vibrant map of Europe, interlaced with colored tracks connecting various cities. Each contender begins with four train cards and two destination tickets, each bearing a pair of cities they aim to connect through an unbroken line of their trains to fulfill the ticket’s criteria.

During a turn, players have the choice to either pick up two train cards or play a set of cards that match the color and length of a route to claim it. Completing a route between the cities on a ticket allows a player to disclose that ticket, keep it visible for scoring, and draw another. If a route is blocked and cities cannot be connected, players may use their turn to exchange their tickets for new ones. Additionally, linking a westernmost city (like Dublin or Madrid) to an easternmost one (such as Moscow or Ankara) grants a special cross-continent ticket.

Victory is achieved by the first to complete six tickets or by the player who lays all their trains on the board while having the most tickets fulfilled. This edition brings the beloved gameplay to European rails, offering fresh geographical challenges.