Nene Valley Railway to host board games event

The Nene Valley Railway in partnership with Tabletop Gaming magazine is to host an evening of board games aboard one of its heritage steam-hauled trains.

Working with Tabletop Gaming – a monthly print magazine all about board games –the Nene Valley Railway is hosting an evening of board games on May 20, 2023.

Gamers and train enthusiasts are invited for a two-hour trip on the rails, starting at Wansford station at 18.00 on Saturday May 20, 2023.

Tickets for the trip are selling fast, with a number of seat options available. These range from private compartments that can seat six (£199), to pre-booking tables of four (£99, saving on individual tickets), to individual tickets (£35 for adults, £14.50 for children) – for those who want to ride the train and maybe make some new friends along the way.

For those looking for an extra special evening, the St. Nicholas Lounge offers room for up to 16 guests for the journey, and a huge table to play games at. Booking this private room, with its own bar comes with a £600 price tag. For those who would like to buy a copy of Ticket To Ride for the event, there’s an option to pre-order and receive the game on the day of the event.

While the evening is pitched as a ‘Play Ticket to Ride on a Train’ event, ticketholders are invited to bring any game they wish (that can reasonably fit on the table). In the same vein, while there are snack boxes available for the journey, guests are welcome to bring their own food and drink to the event.

“There’s a great history of board games about trains, and what better way to enjoy that, than on a historical train?” says Christopher John Eggett, editor of Tabletop Gaming magazine.

“For gamers it’s a chance to play classics like Ticket To Ride on a train – possibly the greatest ambience for a game about classic rail travel. And for those looking for a family event that mixes their hobbies with a novel evening out – then it’s got wide appeal.”

“With board games like Ticket to Ride rising in popularity with families everywhere and the inherent romance of steam trains, this event crosses the generational divide,” says Claire Ingram, publisher of Tabletop Gaming magazine, “and this is one of the reasons we’ve left the food and drink options open. Every group, whether that’s a family going for an evening out or just a few friends getting together for an amusing setting to play games, can make it their own.”

Find booking details for the event here.