I love train games and was considering purchasing this as well. But since I already own RRT, I guess I will pass. The slightly smaller one piece board and Mexico had me leaning toward the purchase, but the separate income board and the fact that everything else is identical changed my mind. Thanks for saving me a few bucks Tom! Maybe I will use my savings to pick up a copy of 18GL, or 18AL.
Also, you can't (or shouldn't) really do one of these reviews without the comparison. In your opinion, how does ROTW compare to Steam? I enjoy AoS quite a bit but prefer RRT. I own steam but have not yet been able to set up a gaming session to try it out. After reading the rules, setup, and solo walkthrough I am leaning to RRT. We already know you prefer Steam to AoS, but how does RRT/ROTW fit into the mix?
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I'm curious why you considered the Mexico map to be a training map? What made it a less enjoyable experience than the US, Europe, or UK maps?
Also, you can't (or shouldn't) really do one of these reviews without the comparison. In your opinion, how does ROTW compare to Steam? I enjoy AoS quite a bit but prefer RRT. I own steam but have not yet been able to set up a gaming session to try it out. After reading the rules, setup, and solo walkthrough I am leaning to RRT. We already know you prefer Steam to AoS, but how does RRT/ROTW fit into the mix?
I'm curious why you considered the Mexico map to be a training map? What made it a less enjoyable experience than the US, Europe, or UK maps?
The rulebook states that it is. The rulebook also has a table with fewer empty city markers to end the game for the Mexico map.
However, the rulebook also says that you can play the Mexico map with the "full rules" if you want a more competitive experience. But it feels like the Mexico map was specifically created to be a good way to introduce new (more attention-deficit) players to the game.
Also, you can't (or shouldn't) really do one of these reviews without the comparison. In your opinion, how does ROTW compare to Steam? I enjoy AoS quite a bit but prefer RRT. I own steam but have not yet been able to set up a gaming session to try it out. After reading the rules, setup, and solo walkthrough I am leaning to RRT. We already know you prefer Steam to AoS, but how does RRT/ROTW fit into the mix?
We played the Mexico map yesterday. Despite what anyone may or may not indicate, it is assuredly not a training map.
First, while not playing with cards or the ability to industrialize certainly simplifies the game, it turns it into something else entirely. There's not much competition for bidding for turn order. It just doesn't quite feel like RRT.
Second, it is brutal. Painfully so. There are an awful lot of rivers and mountains, which, when compared to a normal game of RRT, require that the players take an inordinate number of bonds or the players play a very slow game. Neither case really gives an adequate feeling for how RRT develops. Worse, new players will feel overburdened by debt or that the game is a terrible drag.
Third, the only bonuses available are for the major lines. Three of the four major lines run north-south with one running along the southern part of the map. They cannot be ignored; those 6 or 7 points are huge as there are no other bonuses in the game (service bounties, etc.). Accordingly, new players might feel that the major routes are of inordinate importance in the normal RRT as well.
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