How would you compare Portobello market to Ticket to ride? I have been pondering getting one of those or Thurn & Taxis, but have only played Ttr, and can not seem to find a comparison anywhere.
Well,
Portobello Market is not like
TtR at all, although it was originally conceived as a railway game, before being re-themed for release. The game is a light strategic game, as is
TtR, and is also thoroughly enjoyable. It plays fast; about half an hour. It is an excellent warm-up game or when time is very limited. It supports up to 4 players. If you get this, download the translated rules from BGG, as the english edition rules have an error in them, which gives the opening player an advantage. The basic idea is that each player has 2, 3 or 4 action points that he may use on his turn. If a player chooses to use 4 actions, he cannot use 4 actions again on a turn until he has used his 2 and 3 actions. Players may use 1 action to place either a market stall or a customer. Points are generated when a lane is full of market traders (stalls) and when a lane has customers at each end. The colour of the customers (grey, pink or black) dictate how much the lane is worth (i.e. a lane with a grey customer at each end has a multiplier value of x1; a lane with a grey customer at one end and a pink customer at the other end has a multiplier value of x2; pink and pink, x3 etc.). Each stall is worth 3, 2 or 1 point, depending on where it has been placed on a lane. There is another opportunity to score some points, which is known as district scoring. To score the district takes a complete turn and no other actions may be performed on that turn. Finally, to even be able to build market stalls requires that the 'bobby' (policeman) be present in the district (the board makes the districts clear, but basically each district is bordered by 3 lanes). The bobby may cross into other districts freely (that is without any action points being used), but must pay in VP's to do so. If the bobby crosses a lane to reach a district in which another player holds a majority of market stalls, the player moving the bobby must pay them a VP from their score. Like I said, it is a great, fast paced game which I enjoy. It is a perfect gateway game; the rules are easy to explain, players 'get' the idea of the game really quickly and has a reasonable amount of strategy involved.
Thurn and Taxis, on the other hand, is quite like
TtR, but again is different. In
TaT, players build routes based on cities that lie neighboring to one another, like
TtR, but the way that players connect to them is a differing mechanic. Sure, it's drawing cards, and you can pick from a choice of 6 face up cards, or draw one blind, but you
must play a card to your chosen route each turn. This sometimes throws up a situation in which you cannot extend your route with any of the cards you hold in your hand. The effect of this is that you lose all the cards you are playing to your route at that time and must start a new route again. It is a good strategic game and I enjoy it. Although there are similarities to
TtR,
TaT is a little heavier to a newcomer. Whereas I consider
TtR an excellent gateway game,
TaT is a step-up from this. The rules are reasonably easy to understand, although it might take a couple or rounds to 'get', and the game plays really well. It takes about and hour and fifteen minutes to play.
