The Components of Maglev Metro

You’ll probably be hearing a lot about Maglev Metro soon, as it has been finally released on February 24th! There are all sorts of great things about the game, but the one thing that everyone is talking about is the components. The quality of the components is ridiculously high, so much that you might think you’ve gotten some sort of deluxe version of the game…but no, the regular game just has amazing bits!

You’ll notice it from the moment you pick up the box. It’s over 5 lbs, (the gameplay, however, is more of a mid-weight game). So heavy that you’d expect it to be filled to the brim with punchboards. But you’ll be surprised to learn that there are NO punchboards in Maglev Metro, which means there’s no prep time for getting the game ready to play. There is cardboard in the game, but it’s thicker than you’ll find in almost any other game. But it isn’t thick because we wanted the box to be heavy…all the heavy duty cardboard has been meticulously precut and measured to optimized gameplay.

Even the start player token is heavy: it’s an oversize custom-designed metal replica of a classic subway token, complete with a cut out “M” in the center of it. This token is placed in front of the start player for the game, who will also be the first player of the last round when the end game is triggered.

Start Player Token of Maglev Metro

Maglev Metro comes with a double-sided gameboard, maps of both Manhattan and Berlin are included. Each side is 4mm thick punchboard, and there are 1mm recessed hex spaces which hold the 14 giant 7mm thick station tiles and the oversized 7mm thick Hub station. 

Manhattan side of Maglev Metro

Berlin side of Maglev Metro

Those station tiles are so thick because they serve as anchors to keep the player track tiles in place. And those track tiles are another highlight of the components: there are 72 clear plastic hex-shaped tiles, each 1.5mm thick with a bright, clear track shown in a player’s color. A first for any kind of train game, these transparent tiles can be stacked on top of each other, displaying up to four different colored tracks simultaneously, allowing them to run both parallel and to cross each other.

Each player gets a futuristic translucent train car in their player color. These pieces have a nice hefty, solid feel to them (and also resists tipping thanks to their thick metal underside). But they don’t just look pretty, they are designed to hold up to four of the 104 wooden custom designed meeple passengers (which have been pulled from a luxuriously thick cloth bag). Because in this pickup and deliver game, players actually pick up passengers, place them into their trains, move those trains across their tracks, and then deliver them to a matching station.

When those passengers are delivered, players place them onto their oversized player boards, which are also recessed with dozens of passenger-shaped slots. Each passenger placed increases the players’ abilities, such as increasing the distance their train can move, upping the capacity of their trains, and even giving them additional actions on their turns. Some of the passengers are worth victory points, and figuring out how to balance increasing your engine vs. getting points is a delicious decision for players each and every turn.

Blue Player Board

At the end of the game, players score points for not just delivered passengers, but also how much track they’ve placed on the board, and for fulfilling one or more secret goal cards (they can unlock more cards via their player board). These are, of course, full size cards, with clear typography and examples on them. Players add up their scores on the supplied full-color scorepad, and a winner is declared.

Player Yellow's End of Game Board

But really, playing the game, win or lose, is so incredibly satisfying that after their first game, players immediately want to play again, maybe this time with the other map (which isn’t just a different location, but has a few rule twists as well). Maglev Metro transcends traditional train games by so much that it is simply redefining the genre.

3 Player end game on the Manhattan side

We’ve just published a series of videos on our YouTube channel showcasing how we developed a Maglev Metro prototype in house! Click here to watch the series: 

As always, our Wolfpack Members receive preferential pre-order shipping, 10% off their order and more. While Maglev Metro has been released on February 24th, Wolfpack Members who pre-ordered received their shipping confirmation on February 8th. TWO WEEKS prior to release date!! See all the perks of being part of our pack here: https://beziergames.com/pages/wolfpack-membership