Matthew BaileySuper Trains is a really interesting engine-building, order-fulfilment game. Even now, having played it a couple of times, I still find it hard to pigeonhole exactly where it sits. What I can say is that I really like it, and both Jack and Toby really do too. On the face of it, it is not quite the young children’s game it initially looks like, but it turned out to be a real hit.
The concept of Super Trains is relatively simple. Each player takes control of a superhero train and tries to save the city by delivering cargo and passengers to specific locations, upgrading their train, and dealing with emergencies caused by battling the evil train Rollar.
The main mechanic revolves around your personal board. On it, you have a slot for a passenger, a slot for cargo, and several slots for gear generators. These generators come in four colours, plus a wildcard generator. On your turn you roll three dice. The first die determines what gear you generate, and here’s where the first clever mechanic kicks in. If it is your turn, you can place that colour gear on any matching generator, including your wildcard. If it is not your turn, you can still place that gear, provided you have an available generator of the correct colour. This means players gain gears at different rates depending on their set-up, and it creates a strong engine-building feel as you add more generators to gain gears faster. This lets you complete orders and missions more efficiently.
The other two dice trigger one of two effects. One moves Rollar, the big evil train represented by an impressive miniature. The other places an emergency on a location. Here comes the second big mechanic. When you reach a location with an emergency, you can turn it over and pay the required gears to resolve it, earning victory points. If you do not have all the gears needed, you can ask another player for help. If they assist, you score the points for completing the mission, but they gain a Kind Train card. These cards are extremely powerful, giving bonuses such as extra turns, extra movement, or free gears.
After resolving the dice, you can carry out tasks. You may move up to five spaces unless you have something that increases this, or you can discard a green gear to move an extra two spaces. You must follow the tracks, but since the board is covered in them, movement rarely feels restrictive. If anything, I would have liked the tracks to be a little less dense and the board less busy, so movement choices had more weight. As it stands, even if you are boxed into a corner, you are usually only losing two or three spaces, and you can reach most areas of the board within a couple of turns. It is a minor gripe, but it stood out.
Other actions such as dropping off passengers, delivering cargo, or resolving emergencies, can all be done as many times as you are able, provided you have the resources and positioning. Managing these efficiently is key to getting a strong score.
The theme will certainly appeal to children, as it feels like playing with a giant superhero train set. That said, there is more going on under the hood than it first appears. The box says ages 10+, and I think that is a fair recommendation. Confident six- or seven-year-olds could give it a go, but I would not suggest it for younger kids.
The components are excellent. The chunky superhero train figures are brilliant, and everything else fits together nicely. I have the Deluxe Edition, which comes with lovely deluxe gear tokens and upgraded parts, although you would still have just as much fun with the standard version. One minor gripe with the deluxe edition is the insert. While it looks nice, it simply does not fit everything back in the box comfortably. Even with baggies, you have to shove things in odd places. From looking at the Kickstarter, the trays were originally supposed to have two sections for gears and generators, but ended up with just one, which makes storage awkward. Not a dealbreaker, but slightly disappointing.
Super Trains really struck a chord with all of us. It feels like a great step up from lighter family games into something more medium-weight. We often talk about gateway games, and this is definitely one that sits in that space, providing a clear step up without overwhelming players.
Super Trains was a big surprise. It looked bright, colourful, and fun, but we kept putting off playing it while we covered other games. Looking back, I wish we had got to it sooner. It turned out to be a really interesting and exciting game that the boys absolutely adored, and one we will definitely be coming back to. Definitely one to use as a step up from simpler games and a real gem.
