Maglev Maps: Volume 1

by Ted Alspach March 16, 2023

by: Nathan McKeehan

Maglev Metro requires different strategies on its 2 maps: Berlin and Manhattan. For each of the new maps in Maglev Maps: Volume 1, you are faced with new challenges however, you are equipped with exciting new tools.

Mechs

The Mechs map is divided in half connected only by the Hub, and each player has the opportunity to build two half-hub stations called a Mech station. Every player also gets a head start with a Mech that supercharges one of your actions. It’s a good idea to race to build your Mech Half-Hub as soon as possible to gain your second Mech and supercharge a second action.

Adjusting your Mechs to the actions you need most becomes very important through the mid-game. Finally, if you’ve planned accordingly, you can set up an amazing endgame. If you can build your track directly from the Hub to all 4 of the commuter stations (Pink, Lilac, Coral, and Purple), you can park on the Hub with a Mech in both Pick Up and Drop Off.

For your first action each turn, Refill as many passengers as your train can hold, triggering an automatic Pick Up thanks to your Mech. Then your Mech in Drop Off allows you to Drop those passengers to stations that are directly connected to the station you are on. Since you are on the Hub, you will only be able to Refill commuters. Being connected to all the commuter stations allows you to immediately Drop Off those commuters to their desired stations.

Monorails

The Monorails map is very limited in where you can take the Refill action. Passengers only come to the amusement park via the park entrance gates. The majority of your turns will be used moving back to the gates to Refill.

Fortunately, this map has a bonus to movement. You can follow along with any other train that moves through your station, stopping at any station they pass through on their move. This lets you get to where you’re going faster, as long as you don’t let yourself get stranded at a station where you don’t have tracks. Additionally, new to Monorails are the VIP passengers, and they can be dropped off at any station whether or not you’ve unlocked it. VIPs get returned to the bag when dropped off and traded for a passenger from the bag that matches the station you are on.

Mars

The Mars map has an extension that is added to every players’ board. This extension covers up the Reverse action as your train is not able to turn around on the Mars map and in its place is the Move Backwards action.

This means you could be able to Move forwards a different number of stations than you can Move Backwards. It may be important to keep these two actions balanced to navigate the map efficiently, though creating a loop with your tracks could allow you to focus on 1 of them as your primary form of movement. The canyons on Mars follow the same rules as rivers do on other maps, requiring 1 extra unit of Build to place track.

In order to get to the center station of the map, you will need to have at least 3 units of Build to get across the double canyons that surround that space. The center space is also the only location you can use the new Launch action to go to one of the moons of Mars. The moons are the only places to Drop Off the highly valued Purple and Coral passengers. Returning from one of the moons is also the only time you can change the orientation of your train on your tracks, so you can decide which way to Move and Move Backwards. The Mars map also encompasses the entire planet. You can connect track from the left and right sides of the map together, wrapping around the planet to connect track tiles that are on the same latitude.

Moonbases

The Moonbases map starts each player on their own personal Moonbase station in one of the corners of the map. Your own Moonbase is the only station you can Refill passengers, which you can do even if you aren’t at that station.

The Moonbases map also makes use of an extension, covering Reverse with Free Reverse and Free Brakes. What are these new powers and how do you use them? In Moonbases, each unit of Move now causes your train to travel to 4 stations or to the end of your line, whichever comes first. To combat this accelerated movement, Free Brakes allow you to stop whenever you’d like without taking up one of your actions. Free Reverse allows you to turn your train around at whatever station you’d like, without taking an action. A clever use of Free Reverse could allow you to Move exactly the number of spaces you need to get to a particular station. With Free Brakes, you will be able to stop short of that extra movement so you don’t Move past the station you are trying to reach. Once you have both Free Reverse and Free Brakes, you can get to almost any station along your line with only a couple units in Move.

It will also be advantageous to build your track to the double station in the center of the board. That station can be 2 different types of station, depending on what players build in the 2 spots. The double station is similar to a Hub that you and the other players customize for your game to Drop Off two different types of passengers. You can also Build track to another player’s Moonbase to try to steal the passengers they Refill there. They can do the same to you, so be careful about what passengers you leave on your Moonbase when you aren’t there to pick them up.

London

The London map is the third map to include an extension for your player board, and this one replaces the Unlock Stations section of your player board. From the start of the game you are able to build any color stations. However, the board is divided into districts that must be unlocked in order to be built in.

The Purple and Coral stations can only be built in the special districts in the 4 corners of the map. Any passenger, whether robot or commuter, can be used to unlock any of the districts. Once you’ve finished building in a district, you no longer have to keep it unlocked in order to Pick Up or Drop Off passengers at stations you are connected to in those districts. That means once you are done building out your track and stations, you can adjust the robots you use to unlock those districts to improve your other actions. Also, in the early game you before you have access to all the districts, you need to decide if you want to unlock the same districts as other players to keep them from having a monopoly on one section or strike off on your own to try to keep a section of the map for yourself.

Paris

The Paris map is similar to the Berlin map in regards to the basic stations and a river that divides the board. The Paris map uses a strike system, where different color stations go on strike each round. Thanks to the Strike Schedule, you will always know what color stations will be on strike during your turn, giving you the ability to plan ahead. When a station is on strike, you cannot Pick Up, Drop Off, Refill, or even stop at that station.

There are ways to use this to your advantage, as Moving through a striking station doesn’t count as one of your Move units, extending your Move for that turn. You also do not have to leave a striking station if your train was already there, so you could use that turn to work on Building track or stations, Adjusting your robots on your player board, or Reversing to prepare for your next Move while you wait for that station to no longer be on strike. However, if you really can’t get around needing to use a station that is on strike, you can take a Strike Breaker token, which will allow you to ignore the strike for 1 turn. Each Strike Breaker token you collect takes away an increasing number of VPs from your end of game score, use them cautiously.

A few of the striking stations have a bag icon on them. When those stations go on strike, a random passenger (not matching the station’s color) is taken from the bag and placed on one of the striking stations. This could be a free Refill action for you if you poise yourself to Pick Up that passenger as soon as the station is no longer on Strike.

Each map is a very different experience from the others, requiring different ways of thinking about and working toward your goals. With each new map, there is a new tool to face the challenges they present. How will you utilize these great new tools to beat the competition?

Maglev Maps: Volume 1 releases on April 15th and is available for pre-order now. Wolfpack orders begin to ship on April 3rd, more than 2 weeks before the release date, and they save 10% on their order!

Shop Maglev Maps: Volume 1 here!

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