Rolling Stock

We played the full game of the first All-Aboard edition, the one with the purple companies, and it had exactly the hefty, full-table presence I want from a big economic game night. After three games with this setup, though, I finally saw clearly what people who complain about the 2038 companies mean.

At its core, Rolling Stock remains an economic sandbox built around the companies brought by each setup. The game develops through the choices we make in response to that economic landscape, with the purple companies of this particular edition strongly defining the character of the experience.

The interaction between us did not seem to matter consistently throughout the whole game. We played for roughly four and a half hours, yet in the end the substance was concentrated in the final twenty minutes, as if what had come before had not mattered much to the final outcome. That is where the complaints about 2038 stopped sounding theoretical to me.

Even so, we had a very good time. To me, it remains the best economic sandbox out there, even when this particular setup chooses to save all its drama for the finale. We have already secured the new All-Stars edition as well. And, since the well-known European Keyforge runner-up did not honour us with a visit this time, we also played a purely retro-loving title in his honour.