Do you have what it takes to create a board game map? Game publisher Days of Wonder is promising fame and fortune to one enterprising designer. The original creator of Ticket to Ride, Alan R. Moon, is currently working on the Ticket to Ride Map Collection, but there is room in the pack for one fan-created map. The contest will run until April 15th, with the winning map debuting at the Essen Spiel board game convention in October. As a reward for designing the best map, the contest's winner will also take home a whopping ten thousand dollars in cash!
*Ticket to Ride *was originally published in 2004, and immediately garnered several international "game of the year" awards. Players take the role of railway owners who must connect various American and Canadian cities in order to complete card-based challenges. Railway control is a very popular sub-genre in the board game industry, with Ticket to Ride commonly hailed as the best bridge between casual and serious players. Due to the game's popularity, it has already received several alternate versions that adapt the gameplay to Europe, Germany, Switzerland and the Nordic countries.
For more information, including the official rules and contest submission form, visit the Days of Wonder contest page. Aspiring designers may also want to check out *Ticket to Ride's *entry on BoardGameGeek, where discussions between fans of the game can lead to some added inspiration.
