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From the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 to the beginning of WWI in 1914, there was an amazing development of bigger, faster, and more modern steamships. Whereas in 1870 there are still many clippers around and the good old paddle steamer "Scotia" sails the North Atlantic, sea trade is dominated by the end of this era by huge vessels like "Mauretania"(Cunard), "Olympic"(White Star), or "Imperator"(Hapag).

In Transatlantic, 2 to 4 players lead their own shipping companies, which transport freight, mail, and passengers around the globe. They purchase new steamships from the market, each of them historical with their individual technical data (tons, knots etc.). Competition is tough, especially in the North Atlantic where winning the "Blue Riband" is not only a matter of prestige, but may also be a profitable investment. In order to let a shipping company flourish, purchasing the best steamships is not enough, if one fails to acquire enough coal bunkers and trade posts as well.

The game is driven by cards; on each turn, play one card and execute the related action. As new cards enter the game, build your individual deck of cards with new or improved possibilities. The task is to manage your merchant fleet most efficiently. It's a maritime strategy game with low luck, lots of interactive choices, and tough decisions.

Hand of cards
TransAtlantic is driven by cards. Each turn you play a card and do what it says. By playing the Director card, you return the stack of played cards to your hand. This is a mechanic easily explained and already known from Concordia. But there are important differences, which result in a completely different game and feel. First of all, the cards do not serve as multipliers for victory points. TransAtlantic is a game about shipping history, and therefore you gain victory points from your ships, and not from your cards. There is only one thing that you want from your cards: They should give you the best opportunities for your turns! TransAtlantic features 18 different cards with a huge variety of options. New cards are always different or at least considerably better than the cards you have started with. New cards are really new! And as the players acquire additional cards, their possible turns differentiate in a natural way, and eventually they follow different strategies. Of course there is the Ship Agent, which allows you to copy the last action of another player, but Ship Agents are rare and their use has to be well considered. You also have an extra Director token which allows you to copy the action of a new card inside the open bank’s display. Use it wisely, as you can use that token only once in the whole game. To spice things up, you use a new card immediately when you acquire it: Play your director, return all cards to your hand, choose a new card, and play it instantly; all that is done in the same turn!
So why not play your Director as often as possible to make use of the best cards around? First, there is a minimum of cards to take back, and second, you would miss the opportunity to get additional trade markers and coal bunkers, which otherwise would cost you extra actions and money. But why are they important?

Vester pisze:Ja liczę na to, że będzie to udoskonalona Concordia, z większą regrywalnością.

AkitaInu pisze:

Vester pisze:Ja liczę na to, że będzie to udoskonalona Concordia, z większą regrywalnością.

A concordia ma z nia problemy?

Vester pisze:Ja liczę na to, że będzie to udoskonalona Concordia, z większą regrywalnością.

Ink pisze:

Vester pisze:Ja liczę na to, że będzie to udoskonalona Concordia, z większą regrywalnością.

No, Concordią owszem, mógłbym to nazwać. Ale udoskonaloną? Hmm...

Tutaj moje pierwsze wrażenia (partia dwuosobowa) w ramach Games Fanatic Essen Express.