Board Game The Transcontinental

The Transcontinental is a medium-weight strategy board game that transports you to Canada in 1871, when the country began constructing the transcontinental railway to connect the eastern provinces with the west. Players take on the roles of contractors working to complete the railway, using worker placement and resource transportation mechanics. They send telegraphs along a linear worker placement track, securing action spaces, and then in telegraph order, load and unload goods on a shared train traveling across the country. These resources are used to complete developments such as lumber mills, farms, towns, and national parks, or to expand the railway through bidding. Additionally, powerful ally cards, inspired by a rich and diverse group of Canadian historical figures, allow players to execute combined actions.

The game includes a board with a map of Canada, a train with carriages and an engine, sets of resource tokens, player markers, worker figures, event cards, railway tiles, and an English rulebook. Designed by Glen Dresser and published by Wheelhouse Games, The Transcontinental won the Canadian Game Design Award in 2019, recognizing its innovation and quality.