Metro Domino
- Board's Eye View
- Jul 16
- 2 min read
We've only been playing the London edition but Tactic Games have also published Metro Domino in Paris, New York and Storstad (Sweden) editions. There may be small differences between the different editions but the principal differences are cosmetic (ie: the cityscape photos used in the game).
Metro Domino is essentially dominoes with a couple of small rule tweaks. It's played using an extended 'double 9' set of dominoes. Players score by completing a 'line' of the length indicated at its start (5 tiles long for each of the 'lines' that start off from the Central station); placing a new station out at the end of a line. The player that completes a line puts a marker down to score for the new station that's placed out and that station will start one or two new lines which may or may not be subject to restrictions such as not allowing the placement of any double tiles.
Ordinarily in Metro Domino doubles give you an extra move. Playing a double also earns a player a special token that can be discarded to remove a domino; very helpful if you wouldn't otherwise have a placement and would have to draw more dominoes. The 2-4 players all start with a hand of nine dominoes and, as in vanilla dominoes, the game ends when a player has shed all their dominoes; with points lost by other players for all the dominoes they still have left in their hand.
For anyone who enjoys playing dominoes, Metro Domino offers an interesting take on the familiar game. Often you just have to play a domino where you can but when your hand gives you options there are additional tactics in trying to avoid letting an opponent complete a line and so claim a station. And the tokens that lets you remove a domino from a line can make a huge difference to the game.
Tactic Games have perhaps missed a trick in not naming any of the stations after real railway or tube stations in London; and likewise in the other city editions. With more localised theming, the city editions of Metro Domino would make great holiday souvenirs - a market that Days of Wonder have been going after in their growing series of localised Ticket to Ride titles. Nevertheless, Tactic have otherwise done an excellent job with the production of Metro Domino. The set of 55 'double 9' dominoes are of high quality and they come neatly packed in a box that's fashioned like a tube train.
