Summary
- Ticket to Ride: Poland Expansion is available on May 13 for Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One.
- We go behind the scenes of Ticket to Ride’s ten expansions.
- Exclusive to Xbox Wire readers, Marmalade Game Studio confirms a fan-favourite map is in the works.
Three years, ten expansions – and the Ticket to Ride train isn’t slowing down!
But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Before we start gazing upon the horizon, we have our next stop to consider: Ticket to Ride’s tenth expansion, Poland. This marks the fifth digital debut for the game, following the well-received Heart of Africa, Japan, San Francisco, and Passenger-including Germany expansions!
Available on Xbox from May 13, the Ticket to Ride: Poland Expansion brings a new gameplay mechanic for you to master. It also includes two more locomotives, two additional carriages, and two original characters to play as.
From cards to coins
In the physical version of Ticket to Ride: Poland, you earn additional points by connecting neighbouring countries and picking up Country Cards. For the digital version, we’ve streamlined this mechanic by using Country Coins instead!
The game will take care of everything, setting up the Country Coins at the start of the match. Each country node gets a small pile of coins with different values shown on the top. When you connect one country to another, you get a coin from each node you built between – assuming there are any left in the pile, of course!
Then, at the end of the game, your Country Coins are added to your score. The trick is whether to focus on building out your railway network and completing tickets, or whether you rush to gather up as many Country Coins as you can before they all get swiped up by the other players!
Dance across Poland’s railway tracks and pick up those valuable Country Coins while riding the Polonaise train, or set off in the iconic Copernicus. Add the comfy Kujawiak carriage, or trust your cargo to the Orbiting Greatness carriage. You can also play as talented makeup artist Regina Kamińska or energetic drummer and student Kacper Pawlak.
Designed by history
As with all our Ticket to Ride expansions, history heavily influenced the design of the Ticket to Ride: Poland Expansion.
Filipa Semedo, Concept and 2D Artist at Marmalade Game Studio, explained: “I spent a lot of time researching 1950s Poland. The Polish government, highly influenced by the Soviet Union at the time, advised people to act and dress modestly. But American influence directly contradicted that. Since many Polish people had family in the US who sent them clothes, designs such as the American ‘A’ silhouette dress grew in popularity in Poland.
“Alongside fashion, jazz music became really popular with Polish youth too. We added a lot of that new subculture to Kacper Pawlak’s design.”
Going around the world
It’s not just historic research that drives Ticket to Ride‘s additional content. It’s been a long road to turn the maps you love into digital masterpieces!
Mike Rosser, Creative Director at Marmalade Game Studio, explained how the team selected ten expansions from the physical game’s library of maps.
“We aimed to have a good mix of expansions in the Round the World Ticket so that there are maps in there that appeal to all players. Some are more competitive, such as the India Expansion. Some are much more relaxed, like the co-operative vibes of the Japan Expansion.
“We also wanted a balance of complex maps that can take a while to play, and simpler, faster maps. By doing this, players always have a great choice available, regardless of how much time they have to play.”
“It was also important that we offered a mix of classic fan favourites like the Switzerland and Nordic Expansions along with more niche maps like Poland. We’re proud to have released some digital debuts too, like a full rendition of the Germany Expansion complete with its iconic Passenger mechanic.”
When you pick up the Round the World Ticket for Ticket to Ride, you’ll receive all ten currently released expansions to play with right away. That’s a lot of content to keep you going, but we’ve had a lot of questions about whether there’ll be more expansions beyond the ten that make up the Round the World Ticket.
What’s on the horizon for Ticket to Ride?
Well, we’re happy to confirm that there will be further content for Ticket to Ride. Plus, as an exclusive reveal for Xbox Wire readers, we can confirm that the highly requested Ticket to Ride: Pennsylvania Expansion is in the works! It’s still early days on that front, but you’ll be able to play this amazing map on Xbox in the future.
Full steam ahead, everyone!
Ticket to Ride and its current expansions are available now on the Xbox Marketplace.
Ticket to Ride: Poland Expansion is available from the May 13.
Ticket to Ride®: Deluxe Edition
Marmalade Game Studio Ltd.
$39.99
$19.99
With the base game, you’ll be able to explore North America with six characters, seven trains and six carriages to choose from. When you’re ready to chase new horizons, the Round the World Ticket included in this bundle will open up a total of ten expansions – all currently released expansions will be playable immediately, then the remaining expansions as they release. Plus, enjoy two Ticket Packs – Europa 1912 and USA 1910, adding more tickets and game modes!
Europe Expansion:
Play as Erika Ford and Bertie Hawkes, and power your enterprise with the Rocket and Dolomyte Dynamite locomotives! Bonus content includes the Europa 1912 Ticket Pack, which adds three new game modes and new tickets to the Europe Expansion map.
Nordic Expansion:
Build routes between colourful Nordic cities, claim the sprawling Murmansk route and earn the Globetrotter Bonus in the world’s favourite train-adventure game!
India Expansion:
Set off on an adventure in India! New characters, locomotives and carriages await in this vibrant map. Rethink your strategies and ponder beyond single routes as you chase the elusive Mandala Bonus, awarded for completing tickets in multiple different ways!
Legendary Asia Expansion:
Journey along the Silk Road and take on the mighty Himalayas in Legendary Asia! Make new friends in Wang Ling and Lê Chinh, add new locomotives and carriages to your fleet and aim for the Asian Explorer Bonus!
San Francisco City Expansion:
Cruise through San Francisco in the Sixties as this fan-favourite map goes digital for the first time! Jump aboard a tram or get a lift from fashion designer Summer Ashbury or silver-screen icon Felix Woods as you take in the city sights and seek out Souvenirs.
Switzerland Expansion:
Take in the stunning sights of nature’s very own masterpiece as you strategise your way across Ticket to Ride’s most competitive map yet – the Switzerland Expansion! Connect Switzerland’s neighbouring countries as you travel along with two brand-new characters.
Japan Expansion:
For the first time ever, play Ticket to Ride: Japan Expansion in digital form! Work together with other players to build the Bullet Train network with travel blogger Nakanishi Kimiko and Gyōji Moriyama Isamu.
Heart of Africa Expansion:
Build your railway network across incredible new landscapes with festival organiser Blessing Kipruto and griot Nnamdi Okpara.
Germany Expansion:
Pick up Passengers when you join atelier owner Franziska Braun and scholar Reinhard Hofmann on a trip across Germany!
INCLUDES:
– Ticket to Ride Base Game
– Round the World Ticket
– Europe Expansion
– Nordic Expansion
– India Expansion
– Legendary Asia Expansion
– San Francisco City Expansion
– Switzerland Expansion
– Japan Expansion
– Heart of Africa Expansion
– Germany Expansion
– Europa 1912 Ticket Pack
– USA 1910 Ticket Pack
Ticket to Ride®
Marmalade Game Studio Ltd.
$24.99
$9.99
Discover a fresh adaptation of the iconic, multi-award-winning board game. Play against fellow fans around the world, or take on state-of-the-art AI opponents. Build a railway empire, claim routes and dominate your competitors on the leaderboards in this fan-favourite modern classic!
FEATURES
– A TRULY SOCIAL TAKE ON MULTIPLAYER – Play online with friends or enjoy a seamless matchmaking experience when you challenge players from around the world. Alternatively, take on your friend sitting right next to you in couch play – use the free Ticket to Ride Companion App to really boost your couch gaming session!
– PLAY AROUND YOUR BUSY DAY – Set up a game in async mode and play a game across multiple days.
– SINGLE-PLAYER MODE DRIVEN BY EXPERT AIs – Powered by an innovative adaptive AI system, single-player mode offers a challenge for new and experienced players alike.
– AN IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE – Every moment has been brought to life with beautiful graphics that will immerse you in the adventure.
– STRATEGIC GAMEPLAY – Every game presents fresh challenges, and it’s your mission to work out the most efficient solutions. Collect points by completing tickets, linking destinations and building the longest route.
Join the Marmalade Game Studio Discord server to connect with players, organise matches, see the latest news and updates, and take part in events!
Contains:
– Ticket to Ride base game – the fan-favourite train-adventure game that started it all!
– Europe Expansion – includes the Europe map, two additional characters, two additional locomotives and two additional carriages
The post Ticket to Ride’s 10th Expansion Arrives, Plus an Exclusive Look to New Horizons! appeared first on Xbox Wire.
