Ticket to Ride: The Dice Expansion

The online images that recently caused me to speculate about a Ticket to Ride Dice Game are actually connected to Ticket to Ride: The Dice Expansion, scheduled to be available in October 2008.

The expansion is "a fast and fun new way to enjoy the world's best-selling train game that can be played with all Ticket to Ride board maps," according to game publisher Days of Wonder. It requires trains, destination tickets, and a board from any of the Ticket to Ride board games. When playing Ticket to Ride: The Dice Expansion, players still attempt to complete their destination tickets, claim routes and block each other on the map. However, in place of drawing and collecting train cards, players roll five custom train dice each turn. Depending on the outcome, they can reroll some or all of the dice and then claim routes on the board, take route tokens for future use, or draw more destination tickets. Three tunnel dice are included for use with maps that feature tunnel routes, such as Ticket to Ride Europe.

"During a game night a friend jokingly suggested I design a Ticket to Ride dice game," game designer Alan R. Moon said in a press release. "Of course, I laughed along with everyone else, but secretly thought, 'Why not?' I immediately starting thinking about a dice game that retained the overall flavor of Ticket to Ride while creating a different playing experience. The result is a game that will probably surprise many people, as the Dice Expansion is shorter but just as tense, and maybe even more fun than the original!"

Ticket to Ride: The Dice Expansion includes five train dice, three tunnel dice, a dice cup, route tokens, and a rules book. It is packaged in a small, cube-shaped box. The suggested retail price is $20 and €18.

^{Images courtesy of Days of Wonder}