1865: A Murder Mystery

First and foremost... Spoilers.

In the unlikely event that anyone other than my wife is reading this post: Don't!

Don't read this post unless:
1) You have already played through Ticket to Ride: Legends of the West Chapter 1. 
2) You never plan to play through Ticket to Ride: Legends of the West
3) You do plan to play through Ticket to Ride: Legends of the West but you want to be spoiled anyway.

The Setup

The year is 1865 and there has been a murder out west. One train baron has killed another. Fortunately, we are out east.

Brock represents The Pennsylvania Railroad Company (est. 1846)

Cathy represents The New Haven and Hartford Railroad (est. 1833)

The Journey

This game is definitely a switch-up from the classic Ticket to Ride games that my wife and I have played through many times before. My first shock was that claiming long routes did not result in any bonus points (or in this case, money). In fact, the only way to earn money during the game itself was finishing routes that matched your own player color (in my case, red routes). At the end of the game, more money was rewarded for completed tickets and having few trains unplayed.

Also new to this game were the event cards which through figurative spikes into play every time one was revealed. Cathy did pick up an extra 5 coins from one such event.

Coming into the Station

When the final card was played and the coins were tallied up, I was slightly ahead of Cathy (even though she completed more tickets). We were then instructed to open the Conductor's Toolbox. This mystery box contained (of all things) a hole-punch. This metal tool, foreign to all other board games, served as proof that this is not your father's Ticket to Ride map. According to the new rules (which came in the form of stickers) completed tickets in future rounds are to be punched and retired from play. Cathy was also instructed to permanently remove an event card of her choosing.

With our bank slips deposited into the vaults, Cathy and I had experienced our first ever Legacy Game. The experience felt weighted with importance. With the first round over, our game had changed in a permanent way. The path we were on (or track, if you will) was now different from all others who have taken this journey before or in future.

1865 Score:
Cathy- $50
Brock- $54

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