Chicago Express: A Review

Since I was a kid, I have loved trains, and I love board games. Therefore, it is logical to assume that I would highly enjoy train games. Unfortunately, up until now, my experience has been limited to TransAmerica and Ticket to Ride. Although light games, I love both of them and count TransAmerica as one of my favorites, but I have craved something more in depth.

Thus around my birthday, I set out to fix this dilemma with a purchase of a heavier train game. At the time I was debating among Age of Steam, Steam, and Chicago Express. During this time I was following the Age of Steam vs Steam drama and was unsure of which to get, so I settled on Chicago Express. Mostly because it was what my local game store had. I do not regret this decision; it is quickly becoming one of my favorite board games.

In Chicago Express, players assume the roles of investors and funnel capital into five seperate rail companies in the hopes of making the most money from dividends. The game features a beautiful map and money and stocks on what I would consider fancy paper. It is a visually appealing game.

One of the unique aspects of Chicago Express is that players aren't a single company. Instead, players all have control over a certain company. Well, as long as they have stock in it. This mechanic encourages a high level of player interaction which is why I love the game so much. You are constantly working with the other players to benefit yourself without benefiting them as much. Sometimes it is fun to use your one share of a stock to run a company into the ground, but for the most part, everyone seems to work together.

When the game begins, there is an initial stock auction for the four primary companies. The last company does not appear until later in the game. After a share has been distributed for each company, the game begins.

During the game, players get to choose from one of three actions: auction, develop, or expand. With the first auction, the player names one of the companies and offers a stock in it. Each company has a limited number of shares and a mininum bid. This bid is based off the income level of the company divided by the number of shares out including the one being auctioned. This formula is also how one calculates the dividends from these stocks.

The second action is developing hexes on the board. Developing allows a player to increase the income level of a company by developing cities or mountains. Forrests are a way to pump more cash into the company.

Finally, players can try to expand the network of the rail company. With this action, players use the capital in the railroad to grow and increas the income level by going to various cities. In another great mechanic, players have to use the money of the company to expand instead of their own. Players money is completely seperate from the companies.

All three of these actions can only be chosen a limited number of times. There are little guages on the board to show the progress of the actions. When the indicator is in the red, players are unable to choose that action unti they are reset. After two guages are in the red, the game pauses for a dividend phase.

During the dividend phase, players recieve revenue from the stocks they own. The amount paid out is calculated the same way the mininum share price is calculated. In both instances, the numbers are rounded up. It helps a little to be decent with math. At the end of the dividends, the guages are reset and play resumes. The game continues until one of several end conditions are met. Usually three or more companies being out of stock or trains to expand with.

In Chicago Express, resources are extremely limited. Each company has a set number of shares and trains. Therefore, players have to constantly struggle with how to expand. If they are too slow to expand, it may be more costly later. Then they will need more capital. To do so involves auctioning more shares which lowers the amount of revenue you might receive because more people become involved in the company of. The entire time playing I sit on the edge of my seat watching everything unfold and trying to plan what to do.

As of right now, I really only have two problems with this game: the box and the length. As for the former, the box is much too big for the game. It looks gigantic, but in reality, it really is not. I would say it is more similiar to Ticket to Ride, but it could have been in a smaller box.

With the length, I feel like the game ends too soon! It can be played in about 45-75 minutes which is actually a huge plus for the game as well. I am just always disappointed when the game ends because I feel like things are really starting to heat up and get super interesting. However, if the game went on much longer, it would probably drag some. Oh well. The positives of this game greatly out weigh the negatives.

Chicago Express is a wonderfully delightful game. It has great components, a decent play time, and with only three actions to choose from, a lovely simplicity. However, it has enough tough decision making to make it highly strategic, involving, and addictive. Without a doubt, Chicago Express is one of my new favorite games.

I Wish Lunch Could Last Forever

Last night, I was discussing with Liza my theory on meals. Over the years, I have realized that each meal we eat has a distinct social characteristic. These characteristics relate strongly to time of the day.

Breakfast is the most solitary of meals. For most normal people, it is the first meal of the day, and you are just waking up. If you are like me, you don't have the energy to carry on any sort of conversation. It is a time to get focused on the day and to get prepared. Not to be distracted by people.

On the other hand, lunch is the most social of all meals. It should be enjoyed in a noisy cafeteria surrounded by friends and acquaintances. It is like a mini-midday vacation! Lunch time conversations are always light hearted and never too serious. In college, many of my favorite memories are of eating with groups of people in the cafeteria. In fact, there were times that I had my lunch friends who I never really hung out with outside of the cafeteria. Lunch is the meal that is best enjoyed with other people.

As for dinner, it is the most intimate. It is meant to be spent with significant people in your life: family, lovers, and very dear friends. It is a time to truly get to know someone and reflect about each other. Why do you think dates are supposed to occur in the evening?

Of course, that leaves brunch. To be honest with you, I don't understand brunch. It wants to be breakfast and lunch, but it always turns in to one or the other. Not both. In my case, it usually winds up being lunch. After all, lunch is my favorite meal, and like the Jimmy Buffett song, "I wish lunch could last forever."