The Great Game Of Britain Family Board Game Review

The Great Game Of Britain (by Ideal Games) is a nostalgic race around historic Britain using the railway networks as they were laid out during the golden age of steam.

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Players visit tourist destinations around Britain learning a little about the destination itself and where it’s located on a map of Britain’s. It’s a fun way to support children’s geographical understanding of towns and cities in Britain and where popular tourist destinations are located.

If you like this then you may also be interested in our review of the Kingdomino Board Game, Planet Board Game, Codenames Card Game and Clock It Board Game.

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Aim Of The Game

Aged 7+ and for 2-6 players, the object of the game is to be the first player to visit 6 secret destinations mentioned on their Souvenir Cards, and get back to London. Players have to locate their travel destinations and plan the quickest railway network route to get there. Along the players can strategically close stations to hinder other travellers as well as use Hazard Cards that can hinder or help players travel goals.

What’s In The Box

Inside The Great Game Of Britain box you’ll find

• Playing Board
• 36 Souvenir Cards
• 60 Hazard Cards
• 6 Steam Train Playing Pieces
• 12 Purple Counters
• 1 Die
• 1 Die Shaker
• Instruction Leaflet

The box has a moulded plastic insert that keeps everything neatly together when the game is not in use.

The playing cards feel flimsy and are quite thin, relative to other games we’ve played, so a little care is needed to make sure they don’t get bent/damaged. and

Extra’s

A pencil and piece of paper for each player might also be useful (especially for younger kids) when planning their route around the board.

As well as the rules of gameplay the instruction leaflet contains a brief history of the train network in Britain covering the steam engine, the uses of gauges, the network development, use of signals, carriages, development of the railway lines, electrification, speed, and preservation.

Game Play Set Up

To Start each player chooses one of 6 steam train playing pieces and places their piece on London.

Next, the Souvenir Cards are shuffled and each player is delay 6 face down. The souvenir cards give the destinations that the players must travel to in order to win the game. Each card has a short description of a real tourist attraction found at this destination along with an image.

Based on these cards players need to plan their travel around the board making sure that the switch networks at intersections are identified by a black square or two-tone place of interest circle

Each player is also given two purple counters that they use to close stations they do not need to pass through. Be aware though, that these counters can be moved (stations opened) after gameplay starts if a player rolls a 6, or picks up a Hazard Card that gives instructions to re-open a station.

How To Play The Great Game Of Britain

Players all start at London and plan the quickest most efficient route around the network to see all their destinations and be the first back to London.

Players move along the network based on the dice number they roll. But players don’t have to use the full number of moves. For example if a player rolls a 4 they can move 1,2,3 or 4 spaces along their network track.

If a player wants to change network lines they must go to an intersection where both the current network and new network go through. These are either black squares of two-tone circles. When players arrive at an intersection destination they must stop, announce their intent to change and pick up a hazard card. As long as the hazard card doesn’t send them elsewhere, on their next turn a player may travel along the new network.

To take a Ferry a similar approach is taken. Players stop at the ferry port, take a hazard card and as long as the hazard card doesn’t take them elsewhere on their next turn they can take the ferry.

Hazard Cards are a chaos side of the game as in when you pick a hazard card you have no idea if it is going to help or hinder you! They send you and/or other players to specific destinations. And you have to move as soon as you pick up the card!

If you eventually manage to get to all your destinations, despite the hazards, and get back to London first. You are the winner!

What Did We Think Of The Great Game Of Britain?

The Great Game Of Britain is a brilliant and fun way to learn about the different tourist destinations of Britain and where they are located on a map! And as a result, it’s a clever way to support your kid’s geographical understanding of British towns.

The rules are easy to understand and the tactics required are minimal as everything is controlled by the role of the dice and the hazard cards, which ultimately makes this a game of chance.

I love that it’s for up to 6 players. As a family of 5 we find so many games are only 4 players which means one of us can’t join in.

The biggest problem is that the game board is just a little on the small side. This results in the playing pieces covering up names if they start congregating around the same destination. If they could just make the board bigger it would solve this niggle!

Younger kids may find planning and organising their route a little tricky so I’d recommend playing with destination cards facing up to start with. And a pen and paper would be handy so they can make notes on the order they want to travel in.

Despite the board being on the small side, this is a great educational family game. And also a fun way to plan places you can visit together!