Designed by: Steven Aramini
Yardmaster (also published as Aramini Circus) is an easy-to-learn card game where players are competing to load their trains in a railyard. How they do this is by collecting cargo cards and using them to buy railcars.
Each player is dealt five cargo cards and an engine card. They also have a 2-for-1 disc that allows them to treat two cargo cards of one colour as one cargo card of another. Four railcar cards are dealt face-up in the centre of the table: your task is to add these to your engine, and they come in different colours and different numeric values, from 1 to 4.
On each turn you have two actions to spend, which can be any of the following: take a cargo card, buy a railcar card (using X amount of matching cargo cards to do so, depending on the railcars number value) or swap your 2-for-1 disc for one of a different colour.
The gameplay is pretty simple, then, but it’s complicated by two things: first, after adding your first railcar card to your engine your next railcar card must be either the same colour, or the same numeric value. And this something-must-match mechanic applies to every subsequent railcar you add to your engine. As the cards vary in number value from 1 to 4 and the numbers are essentially victory points, there are different strategies to take: do you try and nab as many low-numbered cards as you can and race for a win (it’s first to 18 or 16 points, depending on how many players), or go for those high-scoring 3s and 4s? Secondly, each player takes a turn being the Yardmaster, which means they get a bonus action. Maximising this additional move can be key to success.
The cargo cards also contain a few Bonus Action cards that can be played on your turn. As soon as one player hits the agreed target, the game is over. Yardmaster is a family-friendly game that would suit those who want to move up a step or three from Snap.
If other players can predict what you're planning to do, they may make moves to prevent it. But most of the time the Take That is incidental, and it's not a game with targeted moves at its core.
Low. After that first play where everyone is trying to figure things out, Yardmaster races along.
There's only two actions to do each turn, and only three options to choose from. That shouldn't take long.
Kids will love the way the railcars build together, and the game has enough about it to engage (some!) adult players too. And randomness is guaranteed by the cards.
2-5
Players
8+
Years
15-30
Mins
Sam says
I love the look of the cards, and the game blends a reasonable amount of luck with some room for tactics. The building of a train is visually appealing. But beyond that I'm afraid I found Yardmaster slightly dull. Many turns are spent picking up Cargo cards, and if you have more than three players that can feel repetitive quickly. As with the other games on GNG I don't enthuse about, I should add people I've played with have enjoyed it. But if you want more intrigue - and dastardly play! - in your cards, the more combative Queen's Necklace might worth investigating.