Tramways

My first encounter with Tramways left such a sour taste that I called it my worst gaming experience. Subsequent plays have made that verdict look premature: this is a game that expects to be understood before it reveals its virtues.

Each round turns on its altered auction for player order. This is not administrative preamble; it is where players fight for the priority that matters, and at five it becomes a proper scrap.

The card draft around that auction demands accuracy and foresight. Tramways sits between the tight Euro and the impersonal severity of FCM/AQ: fail to draft cards well and it has no interest in your tears. The interesting decision is when to pay for position now, and when to accept that the order will leave you working with what remains.

It does not offer favours, and it will not convert anyone who wants drafting without pressure. For players after a hard Euro in which priority is a genuine battleground and every poor draft has consequences, it is very well judged.

Updated session

Later plays have raised my opinion decisively rather than confirming the initial disappointment. With new players at the table there was still no room for the Dystopian expansions, but the base game was enough to show what I had missed: it has gone from my worst experience to one I want back on the table.