$28.25

Tramways Engineer’s Workbook with Plastic Locomotive mini!

This is Alban Viard’s latest Tramways creation!  A spiral-bound book of 88 heavy-duty plastic pages. It comes with two erasable pens, each in a different color, so that you can play the game with 2 players.  This package also includes the plastic laminate sheet in case you want to preserve the original book for time immemorial.  And finally, you get the plastic locomotive to add to that theme’y goodness!

A workbook that you can throw in your backpack for an enjoyable solo or 2-player experience?!?! YES! This set comes complete with the erasable pens (and laminate overlay so that you don’t have to mark up the actual workbook – you can play again and again!) as well as the plastic locomotive mini! It’s worth noting that the pages of the book are actually coated so that you can use the erasable pens directly in the workbook… but as with all erasable pens, they don’t “erase” as well as one might hope – anyone who has worked with dry erase boards knows what I mean 😉  So if you don’t mind a little “shadow” effect from old games, or you just plan to play each game once… no need to use the piece of clear plastic that’s included. Think of that piece as a “sleeve” for the workbook 😉

The Kickstarter campaign summary of the game

The Tramways Engineer’s Workbook is a standalone game (not a Tramways expansion) for one or two players or 1.

Within the 20-30 minutes it takes to plan your route (for each map-puzzle), you will draw rail lines and use tickets just like you would in Tramways.  The main difference is that here you will be writing directly on the pages of the book. Achieve the goal and shout “VICTORY!” …or erase it all and try again if you fail!

Solve the puzzles, or play against your opponent. And, you can even compare your best score with the designer himself!  (Let me know if you can’t locate Alban’s contact info 🙂

Such a great idea!

I really love the concept of this workbook.  Sometimes I can be a bit lazy when it comes to carting my games around…. Haha. So, this is a great way to play a scalable version of Tramways without having to cart the actual game with you!  Mind you, I really enjoy the original Tramways… so this isn’t a substitute game in my universe.

But, the ability to take this on a plane, or a train, or a camping trip, or a long road trip (if you’re not driving) is AWESOME!!! You get the idea 😉

How does the game play?

Setup could not be quicker: 1. Open the book. 2. Pick up a pen. You are now ready to play!

Gameplay is also quick! 1. Read the objectives on the left page. 2. Choose your actions on the right page and draw them directly on the map with the pen.

You have 6 rounds, and if you have met the objectives before they are over, you can turn the page and take on the next challenge!

The details

There are at least 4 unique elements in The Tramways Engineer’s Workbook.  Each one provides you yet another reason to enjoy inter-connecting a Small City:

  1. In solo mode, the Workbook is a coherent series of puzzles. In each episode, you are given a map with tickets and action icons, as well as one or more objectives to be achieved in a certain 2. In each puzzle there is an additional rule that you have to take into account and integrate with all the other rules. This means you must gradually manage more and more parameters.
  2.  If you succeed at all of the objectives, you can move on to the next episode.
  3. Varied and new objectives await you on each page. Alban has carefully calibrated them so that they are of increasing difficulty. But it’s entirely possible that you can outshine the designer himself! Beat the target scores and send Alban your best games!
  4. In 2-player mode (available on 34 maps), it becomes a competitive game. It is no longer a question of solving a puzzle, but rather of measuring up against your opponent in an interactive and competitive way, all with nothing more than the workbook and a pair of erasable pens!  A minimalist’s dream!

What happens if there is no room in my backpack for the plastic locomotive?

Do you HAVE to play with the plastic locomotive?  The short answer is, “no.” But, if you do incorporate the mini into game play it actually serves a bonus function; passengers can be moved faster when they catch the locomotive on the city map!

 

Ages: 12+
Players: 1 – 2
Play Time: 10 – 30 minutes
Designer: Alban Viard
Artists:
Paul Laane
Sampo Sikiö
Publisher: AVStudioGames
SKU: AV STUDIOS 002
MSRP:
$30 on Geek Store used (in very
good condition) but without
the plastic locomotive that sold
for $7 during the KS campaign
Our Price: $28.25
Link to BGG:

 

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Description

Tramways Engineer’s Workbook and the Plastic Locomotive add-on!

Another hit by Alban Viard!!

The Tramways Engineer’s Workbook is a unique concept – you are the Financial Director of the Small City Tramways Company, the biggest transportation company in Small City. You have decided to take the seat of Nabla Draiv, the current CEO, and you will stop at nothing to make this happen!

To do that, you need to impress the board of directors by passing the 42 Challenges, the test that all top executives in the SCTC must pass.

So take your erasable pen and work hard to unseat Mr. Draiv – he can’t run everything forever, can he?

If you play the game-book with 2 players, it becomes a competitive game. The winner is the player who best meets the victory conditions stated by the goal icons.

Basic gameplay run-through

Each turn, you choose the tickets that have the icons you need to perform the action you want to take.

Performing an action usually requires several icons, and thus several tickets. Use your pen to ✘the tickets you choose.

At the beginning of the book, there are only 2 actions available to you:

– Build a rail link

– Move a passenger

The more you build and the more you move, the more tickets you need. Unfortunately, you recover only 3 tickets at the end of your turn (simply erase the ✘ from those 3 tickets to start the next round).

The problem is that actions often require 2, 3, 4, or even 5 tickets, so you will have fewer and fewer tickets to work with (and likely fewer actions) as you work through the episode.

More actions… more power… bigger challenges!

From page to page, you will have more and more power, and additional actions at your disposal: build new buildings, upgrade your links, add passengers, gain money….

Eventually, delivering passengers will provide you with special benefits, such as earning you happiness points (the key to victory!), but you will also need to regulate your stress level!

Whether you play in solo mode or you compete with a friend, you will traverse thirty maps!  It is as if you had played thirty expansions for the same game in a single box, but all of this is contained in a portable book!

The Engineer’s Workbook (and plastic train)! Pick up yours today!

 

 

Additional information
Weight 2.4 lbs
Dimensions 11.75 × 8.75 × 0.6 in
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