cfarrell (#17824),

So if we are playing two player and I acquire one of each, what do you do? I think not taking any wouldn't be a good strategy.

I think it depends on the other players' mindsets whether commodities are worth an (admittedly) valuable action. I have won without any points from commodities, but have won more often with those points.

So the commodities have to be balanced against your expected gains by choosing other actions.

I do agree that chasing primarily commodities is a losing strategy.

In your opinion how much would commodities need to be worth to make them viable?

Happy Gaming,
Scott

As with many of the best Eurogames, it seems to me that the best strategy is to do whatever the other players are NOT doing. If the other players are ignoring the commodities, by all means pick them up! If, on the other hand, the other players are trying to sweep the board cleanof them, then it is best to explore other avenues of income generation.
My biggest problem with the game stems from my inability to get my stations onto the lines. It is just too easy for the lines to be steered clean of any station on the table... OR (as the sudden thought hits me) is the best station strategy to place two stations in front of a railroad so that one of them will be on the line no matter which way it turns? I never consdiered the squeeze play before, and it might work!