Designer: Glen Dresser

Artist: Glen Dresser

Publisher:  Wheelhouse Games

Genre/Mechanisms: auction/bidding, industry/manufacturing, pick-up and deliver, trains, transportation, worker placement

Funding Status: At the time of this posting, The Transcontintal is already fully-funded. Pledges currently total more than 5x the initial funding goal with less than 2 days to go on the campaign.

Player Count: 1-4

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: medium-heavy

Risk: HIGH

What It’s About: “A medium-weight, award-winning Euro-game with worker-placement and pick-up and deliver mechanisms about the development of the Canadian transcontinental railway.”

How It Works: “In The Transcontinental, players are contractors working to build the transcontinental Canadian railway. Throughout the game, a single train moves back and forth along the railway, completing a trip west to the Railhead and back east each round. Players place telegrams to set up their orders. As the train moves along the track, it activates those telegrams. Players also expand the length of the railway by bidding resources, expand the capacity of the railway, and complete developments along it.”

“The Transcontinental revolves around generating resources, using the train to move them, then unloading them for VPs and for better resource-generation options. The Transcontinental consists of a variable number of rounds (usually 5-8 depending on player count). Each round consists of 5 phases, except for the final round, which consists of the first 3 phases only. The phases are: 1) Westbound Telegram Phase: Place up to 3 Telegrams in Turn Order; 2) Westbound Action Phase: Take Actions in Order East to West; 3) Railhead Phase: Bid Resource to Advance Railhead; 4) Eastbound Telegram Phase: Place Remaining Telegrams in Turn Order; and 5) Eastbound Action Phase: Take Actions in Order West to East.”

“Each round has two Telegram Phases. In turn order, place telegrams or pass. Once passing, you cannot place additional telegrams this phase. Players do not take actions when placing telegrams. Telegrams can be placed on spaces that are not blocked by other telegrams or by wilderness tiles. The Engine and Port Markers do not block telegrams. The shorter Bonus Telegrams cannot be placed during this phase. They can be placed only using the Telegram action. Westbound telegram phase: a player will have all 3 regular telegrams (all telegrams are always returned to players at the end of the eastbound action phase). Eastbound telegram phase: a player will have any regular telegrams they did not place during the previous westbound phase. Each telegram phase is followed by the corresponding action phase.”

“Each Telegram Phase is followed by an Action Phase. During these phases, the Engine moves along the Track Board, moving East to West during the Eastbound Action Phase, and West to East during the Eastbound Action Phase. The engine stops at each telegram. That player may take an Action Turn, which includes 1 action on each adjacent tile or Port Supply, plus up to 1 Ally Card action. At the end of the turn, remove the telegram and place it at the East end of the board. These telegrams are not returned to players until the end of the round. A player may also pass, leaving the telegram on the board (there is no reason to pass on the Eastbound phase). Adjust each unused Port Supply as the Engine passes, both East- and West-bound: if no player uses a Port Supply, its resources available are increased by 1, to a maximum of 3. Westbound Action Phase: The Engine moves from the East (Maritime) end of the board to the Railhead. This phase is followed by the Railhead Phase. Eastbound Action Phase: The Engine moves from the Railhead – even if the Railhead advanced – in the West to the East (Maritime) end of the board. At the end of this phase when the Engine reaches the East end of the track, the Resupply Action occurs, then all telegrams are returned to players for the next round. This ends the round.”

“The Final Round is triggered during when the Last Spike tile is claimed AA. At the end of this Railhead Phase, remove all Wilderness Tiles from the board, except for the Railhead Tile and the Pacific Tiles. Place these tiles in ascending order in the final spaces on the Track board BB. The Priority Resource Tile is also removed. When this occurs, the next round will be the Final Round. In the Final Round, only the first 3 phases are played, with the Game End occurring after the Railhead Phase.”

“Following the final Railhead phase, final scoring occurs. 1) Players reveal investments, and all their allies, played and unplayed. 2) Players attempt to score these cards by removing 3 buildings (or 2 buildings and 1 Ally) with the matching symbol. Each building or ally can be used only once (even if it is on a development with more than 1 symbol). In addition to the Development Tiles, buildings can be removed from the Western Terminal and Eastern Rail Yards at this time. Each Investment Card can be scored only once. When you score an Investment Card, take the VPs shown on it. If you are not able to complete an investment, remove no buildings for it. 3) For each Ally Card not counted in Step 2, you may remove 1 building with a matching symbol for 2 VP. 4) Ties are broken by final Player Turn Order.”

Comparisons: Since The Transcontinental is a train game, but a very different one from the usual network and route building, I didn’t want to just list other dissimilar train games. So here is a very short list of train games that also feature worker placement: Coal Baron, Railroad Revolution, Russian Railroads, and Snowdonia.

What Should I Pledge?:
$52 Builder’s Pledge: a copy of The Transcontinental and all unlocked stretch goals.
$196 Conductor’s Pledge: a copy of The Transcontinental and all unlocked stretch goals, plus the Limited Edition Wooden Box and all unlocked Founder’s stretch goals.

Add-Ons:
None.

KS Exclusives
None.

All-In Total: Assuming you’re not interested in the Limited Edition Wooden Box or the Stitched Cloth Bags and Art Prints (the two Founder’s stretch goals) in the comparatively expensive Conductor’s Pledge, then in the continental U.S. you’re looking at $52 for the Builder’s Pledge and $11 in shipping for a total of $63.

The Transcontintal completes its Kickstarter on Thursday, December 10th and tentatively ships in July 2021.