Hop on board quick because trains no longer have a monopoly on route-building games. Players journey through the city, picking up passengers and ensuring they reach their destinations. Each type of passenger comes with a unique set of scoring rules, compelling you to make strategic decisions about who to transport for big victory points while considering who might be left stranded in New York City.
Players construct bus routes that traverse the bustling streets of New York City and London. Players must pick up passengers and efficiently transport them to their destinations, strategically earning different combinations of points through these successful transit operations.
Plays: 18
Player Counts: 2-5
Collection: Own (Review Copy)
(These are the stats at time of review, more plays may have accrued since then)
Disclaimer: Get on Board was received for free as a review copy. I was not given any other form of payment or criteria for writing the review.
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Players all take a score sheet that has some slight variability to the other players sheets. This sheet will tell players what type of route they have to build and also keeps track of the passengers on the bus.
The game is very quick to set up and put away. There are not a lot of pieces or cards to shuffle.
Each round players will flip the Route Card. The number on the card will indicate which route the players must build. For example two straight routes, or two routes with a turn. Each player’s Score Sheet has a predefined route for each number. These are different for each player however by the end of the game all players will have played all the same type of routes just in a different order. After 12 rounds the game will end.
If players end their routes on a Stop Light, they are given one free road to add to their route. This can help players extend the route further than usual, possibly reaching more bonuses.
Start of the game players receive a Unique Route Goal with three locations they must reach to get 10 points. There will also be two randomized Shared Goals relating to drop off locations and passengers. First to complete these goals gets 10 points, if they are completed in following rounds they will earn 6 points.
Passengers score in the following way:
Grandmas earn points by adding them together.
Students earn points by multiplying the number of school girls and colleges visited.
Businessmen earn points according to the number at the bottom of their sheet. They also earn bonus passengers according to the same bottom section. (Note: This is the only way to the 3 bottom school girls)
Tourists earn points by following the score chart at the bottom.
Star Locations will earn players extra points based on how many of that passenger type has been previously checked before reaching the location.
To earn points passengers must be dropped off at their associated location:
Grandma – none (scores automatically)
Student – colleges
Businessmen – office buildings
Tourist – light and dark blue tourist locations
Players risk losing points through two distinct avenues in the game. Firstly, by deviating from the designated route plan, often by making a turn when not specified or by continuing straight when the designated route had a turn. Additionally, points can be lost due to accumulated traffic jams, which occur when a player lays their route on the same road section as another player’s route. In New York, it’s also counted if a route is played in the darkened road area on the map. However, London does not incorporate this feature. To determine traffic jams, players assess one jam for each previously placed piece in the same location. For instance, if a player, denoted as green, places a route where pink and blue have already played, two Traffic Jams are spaces checked off on the score sheet.
There is player elimination in the game but it’s only if a player self sabotages themself by driving into their own route. I have never seen this happen except for a few close calls towards the end of the game. This is rare.
At the end of the game players add up all their points and deductions by using a calculator or finding a place to add everything on their score sheets.
I do have a complaint about the score sheet. It’s simply the way it’s laid out. The problem comes in only during end game scoring. It makes it difficult to discern which points were previously added. The passenger sections lack a clear grid layout, forcing players to navigate around the sheet while scoring. To improve this, a better layout or a master scoreboard could be beneficial, allowing clearer tracking of all players’ scores.
For a smoother experience, I highly recommend utilizing an application like BGstats. This phone app provides a clearer scoring layout, offering a more organized way to record points for each section, potentially resolving the layout issues encountered in the physical score sheet.
The initial play can be quite difficult for new players, primarily because the score sheet can feel overwhelming when understanding how the various passengers function. However, after the first play-through, players typically grasp the game mechanics quite well. Subsequent games players will have a better understanding and smoother game play. With the game usually lasting around 30 minutes, and potentially up to 45 minutes with more players or if it’s everyone’s first time playing, there’s often ample time for multiple rounds, allowing everyone to grow more familiar and comfortable with the game play.
The game plays like Ticket to Ride but with more engaging scoring. See Ticket to Ride and Get on Board comparison. Player turns are straightforward: the first player reveals a route, then everyone places their routes. Upon placing a route, players mark any relevant passenger information on their score sheet. Traffic Jams and Route deviation are great mechanics in the game that allow players to make strategic decisions by taking negative points to potentially score more points at the end of the game.
Notably, the game avoids any round maintenance or live scoring.. The game is overall smooth with very little AP prone moments. It’s a casual enough game that does allow players to have a conversation while playing. This game doesn’t require TPS (Turn Planning Silence) due to everyone mathing out and thoroughly reading card text.
There aren’t exactly moments that made you feel smart or any huge combos to be had in this game. Its more of a simple route efficiency engine.
Throughout the game, all information is available from the start, except for the sequence of the route order. As the game progresses, players gain the ability to deduce potential routes, especially towards the end when they become aware of which route numbers have not yet been revealed. For instance, if a player knows routes 6, 3, and 8 remain unrevealed, they may take calculated risks or plan their routes strategically to capitalize on the potential next routes to be revealed.While the game demands planning and strategic thinking, it doesn’t harshly penalize players for errors. Routes cannot be blocked; instead, any missteps result in a minor score decrease in the form of traffic jams.
I’ve experienced playing the game across all player counts, from 2 to 5 players. The game remains enjoyable at every count, due to its double-sided game board. For 2-3 players, the New York map is used, featuring darkened roads that automatically trigger traffic jams. However, with 4-5 players, the London map is used. A larger map without darkened roads, traffic jams only occur when playing on other players’ routes.
While the game functions well at all player counts, if I had to choose, 4 players might be the least favorite. The London map, being expansive and mostly square compared to the uniquely designed New York map, feels overly spacious, with only a few challenging areas to navigate. My preference lies with 3 players due to favoring the New York map, yet I’ve still found it to be a great game, particularly enjoying numerous plays with just 2 players, as I primarily game with my wife.
The components for Get on Board are all great, with nothing to complain about.
A notable detail that enhances the game experience is the route (ticket) cards, featuring holes that simulate punched tickets. This minor detail adds a delightful touch to the game, I love the thoughtful small elements that significantly enrich the overall experience of a board game.
Additionally, the game utilizes uniquely hued player pieces that stand out without being overly bright or attention-grabbing. The chosen color scheme is both visually pleasing and avoids employing excessively vivid components or artwork to captivate players’ attention.
Get on Board goes back in time to the 60’s. The art is reminiscent of classic television shows like Bewitched. It is cartoony and fun in a very nostalgic way. Overall the art is fairly unrelated to the game play.
8.07 x 2.36 x 8.07 inches
The game box is a great size for the components but lacks any sort of insert besides the classic Fantasy Flight empty pit (this game is not published or related to Fantasy Flight).
The game is relatively shorter for vertical storage, yet it compensates by incorporating vertical art on the side of the box, which is a positive feature more board game boxes need to have.
The cards are a smaller format and can be sleeved with plenty of room left in the box. Though this game doesn’t require a lot of shuffling. Also the ticket cards have the punch holes which is very nice thematically. I opted to not cover the punch holes with sleeves to not take away from the thematic choice on these components. So we skipped sleeving the cards this time.
The box is on the smaller size. Which means its fairly portable game. It doesn’t fit in a pocket but it can easily go into any bag one would have in their house. I have played this at two different locations outside of my home due to it being fairly convenient to take along and easy to teach.
Overall, Get on Board is a well-crafted game with appealing aesthetics. The attention to detail, particularly with the ticket cards, is awesome. The game offers smooth game play across various player counts and doesn’t consume too much time to play. With its straightforward point combo and route-building mechanics, it’s a simple yet engaging game. I highly recommend it, especially if you’re seeking a more modern and intriguing experience compared to Ticket to Ride.
Get on Board: Paris and Roma was published in 2023 while New York and London was publish the previous year in 2022.
The game takes you off the streets and into the subway. Traffic jams are removed from the game. But instead have connections for overlapping other player’s routes giving you positive points instead.
The businessmen are replaced by flirting passengers. Players must get male and female passengers to score points. I find that it doesn’t play as smoothly and or feel as fun to accomplish.
Students and tourists are basically the same mechanic. Except the star locations have been removed that earn bonus points.
The metro station works like the traffic lights but instead of having to use the extra route immediately you can save them for points.
They did add a solo mode but it is only playable on the smaller Paris map. I did not test the solo mode as I usually don’t enjoy playing games solo in general.
Overall, I personally didn’t enjoy the newer Paris and Roma version as much as New York and London. I found the overall scoring and lack of consequences to take away from the experience.
You can try out both versions of the game on BGA with a premium membership
For a Heavier experience: Brass Birmingham
For a lighter and longer experience: Ticket to Ride
For more of the same-ish: Get on Board: Paris and Roma
