Games We Play - Ticket to Ride Nordic Countries

We recently picked up Ticket to Ride, Nordic Countries and the verdict?  Love it but it's going to take some getting used to :)

The first time I ever heard of Ticket to Ride was on an episode of Tabletop (seen here), then we borrowed it from the PAX library and played it there at PAX.  I really liked it then, but it seemed to be a game that a) took a while to play and b) needed more than two players to really have a good time playing.  Which will be great when the girls are old enough to play, but not so much right now. 

But then we were browsing games at the Comic Book store and I found Ticket to Ride, Nordic Countries.  This version of Ticket to Ride is specifically designed to be played by 2-3 people.  I opened the box expecting it to be pretty much the same as the original version but smaller and with Nordic Destinations, that expectation was kind of quashed the second we started setting up and reading the directions. 

First thing I noticed was the board doesn't read from left to right but from top to bottom.  Cool, but confusing when trying to find destinations lol.  Then they also add in the concept of Ferries and Tunnels which are a great addition to the game, but most of the first part of the game is spent building up your hand so you get all the locomotives you need to purchase a ferry route or building up the colors in your hand to lay down a tunnel route. 

All in all it's a pretty great game for a small game night or even a stay at home date night, It's slow to start while you are building up your hand but once everything gets going it goes fast, about 20-25 minutes in all. Last time we were really getting used to the board and special routes, but next time I think we will start getting a bit more competitive.