Ticket to Ride: Nordic Countries
Collect train cards and compete for Nordic tunnels and ferries, connecting secret destination tickets to earn the highest total score.
Ticket to Ride: Nordic Countries supports 2–3 players; community best: 3 players; playing time: 30–60 minutes. A WANGO browser trial has not been confirmed.
Background & introduction
Ticket to Ride: Nordic Countries is a standalone railway game designed for 2–3 players. You build routes through Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden, using a limited stock of trains to connect the cities on secret tickets. Narrow corridors can make even a short link decisive for a much larger network.
Each turn does one job: replenish train cards, claim one route, or draw more destination tickets. Locomotives have none of the special drawing restrictions familiar from several other editions, but their use is narrower: they normally support tunnels and ferries rather than replace colored cards on ordinary routes. Tunnel surcharges and ferry locomotive symbols tie hand management closely to map planning.
The nine-space Murmansk–Lieksa route lets each group of four arbitrary cards replace one required color card, offering a scoring opportunity at a substantial cost in trains. Late tickets can make an existing network more valuable, but unfinished tickets subtract points. The Globetrotter award for completing the most tickets also gives shorter journeys a purpose.
Core rules & scoring
Each player starts with 40 trains and 4 train cards; reveal 5 train cards. Deal 5 destination tickets to each player, who must keep at least 2; remove rejected tickets from the game.
The most experienced traveler starts, then play proceeds clockwise. Each turn chooses exactly one action: draw train cards, claim one route, or draw destination tickets.
Draw 2 train cards, choosing each from the face-up display or the deck top; immediately replace a face-up card taken. Locomotives are drawn normally, including face-up ones, without ending the draw action. There is no hand limit.
An ordinary route costs a same-color set equal to its length; colored routes require that color, while gray routes accept any one color. Locomotives normally cannot be used. Fill its spaces with trains, discard payment, and score; it need not connect to your existing routes.
One player cannot claim both sides of a double route. In a 2-player game, claiming either side closes the other. Routes of 1/2/3/4/5/6/9 spaces score 1/2/4/7/10/15/27 points.
A ferry requires 1 locomotive for each locomotive symbol and matching color cards for the other spaces. Extra locomotives may replace colored cards, and any 3 cards may replace 1 locomotive.
For a tunnel, commit the required cards, then reveal the top 3 train cards. Each card matching the committed color and each locomotive requires 1 extra matching card or locomotive. If you cannot or choose not to pay, retrieve your committed cards and end your turn; discard the revealed cards.
On the nine-space Murmansk–Lieksa route, any 4 cards, including locomotives, may replace 1 required color card. For example, 7 green cards plus any 8 other cards suffice, but you still place 9 trains.
Drawing more tickets means drawing 3 and keeping at least 1; draw all remaining tickets if fewer than 3 remain. Remove rejected tickets from play. At final scoring, each ticket connected by your own continuous routes adds its value; each unfinished ticket subtracts it.
When a player ends a turn with 2 or fewer trains, everyone, including that player, takes one final turn. Most completed tickets earns the 10-point Globetrotter award, with all tied players receiving it. Highest score wins; ties break by completed tickets, then longest route.
Rules & gameplay questions
Can locomotives substitute on ordinary routes as in other editions?
They cannot directly act as wild cards on ordinary routes; they mainly serve tunnels and ferries. The four-for-one substitution on Murmansk–Lieksa is an exception: the four arbitrary cards may include locomotives.
What happens when I attempt a tunnel using only locomotives?
Only revealed locomotives trigger extra payment; revealed colored cards do not match. Each match must also be paid with a locomotive.
Do I lose my committed cards when a tunnel attempt fails?
No. Retrieve the cards you played and discard the three revealed check cards, but your turn is spent.
Is the minimum number of tickets kept the same at setup and later?
No. At setup, keep at least two of five. A later ticket action draws three and keeps at least one. All rejected tickets leave the game rather than return to the deck.
Does this edition award ten points for the longest route?
No. The ten-point award is for completing the most tickets, and all tied players receive it. Longest route is used only after total score and completed-ticket count are tied.
Rules & introduction sources
- Edition
- Original standalone Ticket to Ride: Nordic Countries for 2–3 players. Read Days of Wonder English PDF pages 1–3 (rules on pages 2–3; copyright 2004–2018; current URL under 2024/07). Excludes Northern Lights, other maps, and expansions.
- Rule references
- Introduction source
- BoardGameGeek
WANGO editorial
| Parameter | Recorded value |
|---|---|
| BGG overall rank (snapshot) | #243 |
| Complexity Weight | 1.97 / 5 |
| Best player count (community) | 3 |
| Player range | 2–3 |
| Playing time (minutes) | 30–60 |
| Core mechanisms | Hand Management · Network and Route Building · Open Drafting · Push Your Luck · Set Collection |
| Chinese publication | Unconfirmed |
| WANGO browser play | No confirmed WANGO trial |
| Year published | 2007 |
| Suggested age | 8+ |
BGG statistics are stored snapshots, not live rankings. Source checked：2026-09-27
Player questions
What is the best player count for Ticket to Ride: Nordic Countries, and can I play online?
Ticket to Ride: Nordic Countries supports 2–3 players; community best: 3 players; playing time: 30–60 minutes. A WANGO browser trial has not been confirmed.
How complex is Ticket to Ride: Nordic Countries, and which mechanisms does it use?
Weight: 1.97 / 5. Mechanisms: Hand Management · Network and Route Building · Open Drafting · Push Your Luck · Set Collection. Chinese publication: Unconfirmed.
Where can I learn Ticket to Ride: Nordic Countries?
No rule guide, strategy article or WANGO trial has been confirmed for this record.