Do you have a train card that you may not needed on your turn in the board game Ticket to Ride? Trading train cards helps the non-active players do something to ensure they will have the right cards.
Also, trading train makes the game shorter by ensuring fewer turns for drawing cards, placing train car cards, and drawing tickets.
Can you trade train cards in Ticket to Ride? Yes, you can trade train cards in Ticket to Ride. Train cards work as a turn action, where they can trade but not draw the card from the deck.
Simply, swap only one train card in a single turn. Ensure to declare the trading and provide specific color on your turn.
But if the player is not willing to trade, then the trade dismisses to the next player until an exchange happens.
In Ticket to Ride, each player can draw two train car cards to face-up or draw the top card straight from the deck.
When the player decides to go with a face-up card, the player should replace the card face-up from the deck. The players must draw the train car cards to claim routes that take the train across the map.
Trading in Tickets to Ride benefit the player in play and the opponent player.
When the active player makes a trade, it makes the active player do some king making whereby the player decides to choose an opponent player who is out running their current position.
A player can choose a player who is going to help them win the game. Non-active players trade a train card, but the players cannot trade more than one time with the same person in a single turn.
In this article, we have answered frequently asked questions that thoroughly explain the rules around trading train cards in Ticket to Ride. All aboard, let’s dive into the details.
How many train cards do you start with in Ticket to ride?
The game starts with four random train car cards per hand, accompanied by one locomotive card. At the start of each round, the train cards have to be shuffled and then distributed equally four cards to each player.
However, at the beginning of the Ticket to Ride game, a player has to take a set of 45 colored train card cards. The cards come along with a matching scoring marker that is placed to start the game.
After the cards are dealt, the remaining deck of train car cards set is placed next to the board with five top cards in that deck placed in a face-up position.
Throughout the game, the players have to advance the marker accordingly as the player scores points.
When that happens, the train cards must be shuffled and deal out four cards to the player. The player should then draw five cards and place them in the face-up position for the other players to continue the gameplay.
Is trading allowed in Ticket to Ride?
Yes, trading is allowed in Ticket to Ride. In fact, trading is generally allowed to speed up the game as the non-active players get the right cards to use by trading with their counterparts for the cards they need.
However, the following must be taken into consideration before trading cards in the Ticket to Ride board game:
- Players who initiate the trade must forego the drawing process in their turn because trading replaces drawing
- Trading only happens for the same number of cards. For instance, 3 for 3, 2 for 2 and so forth.
- The cards a player tends to trade must be the same color.
- Cards set by an active player must not identify colors the player wishes to trade before or after the trading.
If anyone wants to trade, then the player should not draw cards, but instead the player solicits a trade through the phrase “I want to trade a specific number of cards.”
Note, a player can only announce the specific number of cards they want to trade but not specifying the color before or after the trade.
In circumstances where more than one player needs to trade, the active player gets to choose which player they want to trade with, which will depend on the cards the active player needs to win the game.
If the player chosen does not have the number of cards the active player demands, the other players are allowed to make the counter offers either they are willing to trade or are in a position to trade with.
The active player then considers the counter offers, and the player with the most convenient offer concerning the player’s strategic plan wins the trade.
Once the active player accepts any offer from another player, the player ends their turn by trading, and they are not going to be able to draw any cards in that particular turn.
If they fail to accept because maybe the counter offers will not help the player in the winning strategy or are not willing to trade at that particular turn, they will have to draw a card just like a normal turn.
The politics in trading are minimized because no single player will know exactly what was being traded. Even though the players don’t specify the color of the cards they trade, the other players get the idea of what each other has, which affects the future in trading as the game continues.
How to trade train cards in Ticket to Ride?
Trading a train card in Ticket to Ride uses the option to open up the opportunity to winning all together.
The action is treated as a turn action, which means if a player opts to trade a train card, a player cannot draw another card from the deck. The general rule indicates that a player can swap only one train card in a single turn.
On every turn, an active player declares with a phrase, “I want to trade a train card of a certain color” to the next player in the order the turn is following. The next player checks whether they have the train card of the color the active player is asking for the exchange to take place.
If they have the train card of that color, they can offer the card if they are willing to trade. Once the next player of the play accepts the exchange, then the active player’s turn ends right away.
However, if the player is not willing or if the player doesn’t have that particular card to trade, then the opportunity to trade passes to the next player in that particular order until the swap finally happens.
Trading Train Cards in Ticket to Ride: Conclusion
In certain situations, your train cards may not work to connect both cities together. One of the ways to successfully gain points or join the destinations together is by trading train cards with other players.
The game start with four train cards per player, but this may not work well depending on your strategy.
Trading cards replaces the drawing card from deck action in each player’s turn. Therefore, if the player decides to trade, then once the exchange takes place, the active player’s turn ends.
In addition, a player cannot trade twice with the same player in a turn.
When trading with others, follow the rule to trade the same number of cards with same color. Additionally, identify the colors you wish to trade before trading happens with an opponent.
If the next player has the specific card that you are looking for, call out the phrase. Once the trading happened, your turn is over and there is no need to draw a card from the deck.
Utilizing trading is an easy way to swap for useful cards in Ticket to Ride, however it is not always that easy. If other players do not have the card that you are looking for, the turn passes and you need to wait for next round to check the availability once again.
Trading train cards in Ticket to Ride is an easy way to get routes connected. Ask around and see which players are willing to trade train cards with you!