Why host a game night? Game nights are a great way to introduce your friends to new games they haven’t played before. You can host an event yourself, or find one of the many events hosted by friendly local game stores (FLGS). There are also conventions to attend and websites devoted solely to getting people together.

What games should you choose? This is an important question and one that deserves some thought. Not all games make great gateway games, but most games are accessible to players with little or no gaming experience. So, then the question becomes what kind of games would you like to play and actively participate in?

‘Trains’ occupy a unique place in our modern world. They are engines of business and commerce, the blood pumping through the veins of the modern economy. They ferry passengers for cities, allowing businesses to meet their clients, face-to-face, or attend trade shows. And, finally, we utilize them for all sorts of excursions.

Even more than that, because of their place at the heart of the industrial revolution and the beginnings of our modern world, trains are equally important as an ideal — a romanticized aspect of our past and present. This has put trains front and center of board games almost since their inception. The combination of steel, geography, and business moguls combine to create a winning and engaging formula.

Games focusing on popular means of transportation attract a passionate, loyal group of fans. And since Mayfair Games is one of the leading publishers of transportation games in the world, let’s focus on some of our favorites, from classic hits to new sensations, to help you discover the perfect game to begin your foray into a whole new realm of board gaming.

~ A Classic Series, Now More Accessible Than Ever ~

The Empire Builder line of train games takes you back to the early days of rail before tracks crisscrossed industrial nations around the world, a time when iron men forged ribbons of steel and built empires run by ruthless moguls who would soon be some of the richest in the world. The original classic covers North America, while other games in the series bring Europe, Japan, India, China, and Britain to the tabletop, allowing players to explore the world, one track at a time. There are even futuristic games in the series that take place on the moon and Mars. One of the latest game in the series, Empire Express, is a perfect introduction to the series, offering streamlined gameplay on a map of the Northeastern United States.

And, the Empire Builder line is about to see the return of one of its most asked for games: Iron Dragon! Revised and updated, this classic Empire Builder game takes players to the world of Darwinina, a fantasy steampunk world occupied by elves, dwarves, trolls, orcs, and dragons. The dwarves have created a new type of machine: The Iron Dragon. These fantastic machines make their way across a landscape wracked by war, natural disasters, dragon attacks, and even the occasional elven workers’ strike. The random event deck will thwart your most carefully laid plans, forcing you to think on the fly, possibly even leading you to reroute entire train lines in the wake of a disaster. It’s a fantastic take on the classic Empire Builder formula that you won’t want to miss.

~ A World of Steam ~

Another of Mayfair’s long-running lines of transportation games, Steam, challenges players to manage rail networks, upgrade locomotives, manage the finances of a rail company, and deliver goods, all to score Victory Points and win the game. While this sounds complicated, the game’s elegant design will have you delivering your goods and racking up points in no time.

Goods are the heart of the game and delivering them is the primary way you score on your turn. Goods are abstract and represented by colored, wooden cubes, which are paired with colored cities. So red cubes want to go to red cities. When you deliver cubes, you can either score Victory Points or income. While income is certainly important, in the end Victory Points will decide the winner, so balance your needs accordingly!

Like Empire Builder, there is a wide range of Steam products for the enthusiast, with five expansions in print, bringing new maps, game variants, and more to the game. There’s even a line of upgraded train components!

~ The Ultimate Challenge ~

There are games, and then there are challenges waiting for the passionate to master them, like mountains waiting to be climbed. For those seeking games with greater depth and complexity, 1844/54 offers just what they’re looking for. As the latest entry in the 18XX series of games, this mammoth game takes players to Switzerland and Austria at the beginning of their Age of Steam. 1844/54 is a huge, complex game that will appeal to the hardcore strategy, railroading fan who wants a game that will take hours to play.

We hope you’ve enjoyed our look at Mayfair’s transportation titles. And if you’ve decided to take the plunge and host a game night, even better. Thanks for reading and we’ll see you in these very pages next month!