Yardmaster

Sort railcars and couple them into trains, but only same value or same goods type will link.

Designer: Steven Aramini
Published by: Crash Games
Editions by: IELLO, Portal Games, REXhry, Lex Games, 2 Pionki

The freight is rolling in and you are the Yardmaster. You build trains from railcars, but a car only hooks up if it matches the value or the goods type of what is already on your train. Grab one that does not fit and it waits in your sorting yard until it does. You start with five cargo cards in hand, four railcars lie in the Arrival Yard, and each turn gives you two actions, which you may repeat. Whoever holds the Yardmaster Token gets a third action on their own turn. A light 2014 card game for two to five, about 20 minutes, from age 8.

Cars couple only by value or goodsSorting yard stores unused carsYardmaster Token grants a third action

Who it's for

You like short card puzzles about matching and sets, with a bit of train theme.

Not for you if…

You want a big, deep game. This is a compact card game, over in about 20 minutes.

Vibe's take

Tidy and puzzly with a little bit of racing. You keep deciding whether to wait for the perfect car or take a mediocre one and tuck it into your yard for later.