Versions & Editions: Junior Versions of Grown-Up Games

Ticket to Ride: Ghost Train

Ticket to Ride: Ghost Train takes the gameplay of the Ticket to Ride series and scales it down for a younger audience.

In general, players collect parade float cards, claim routes on the map, and try to connect locations such as the Mad Scientist's Lab, the Gingerbread House, and the Lonely Barn that are shown on their tickets. In more detail, the game board shows a map of a city with certain locations being connected by colored paths. Each player starts with four colored parade float cards in hand and two tickets; each ticket shows two locations, and you're trying to connect those two locations with a contiguous path of your trains in order to complete the ticket.

On a turn, you either draw two parade float cards from the deck or discard parade float cards to claim a route between two locations by placing your ghost trains on it; for this latter option, you must discard cards matching the color and number of spaces on that route (e.g., two yellow cards for a yellow route that's two spaces long). If you connect the two locations shown on a ticket with a path of your trains, reveal the ticket, place it face up in front of you, then draw a new ticket. (If you can't connect locations on either ticket because the paths are blocked, you can take your entire turn to discard those tickets and draw two new ones.)

If you create a route all the way from the Dark Forest region to the Seashore region, you collect the "trick or treat" bonus.

Apples to Apples Junior

As its name implies, this is a version of Apples to Apples designed for kids, although the basic game still works well with adults, too. The version has card optimized for middle-school aged children (9+). Also good for advanced grade-school aged children.

Compared to the original game, this edition features simplified words that even young children can understand and has no "suggestive" words that adults would be uncomfortable explaining to the kids.

Out of the Box changed the name of this game in 2007 from Apples to Apples Junior 9+ to Apples to Apples Junior. The Junior 9+ edition was originally sold in a small (288-card) box. It was changed to a bigger (576-card) box when the name was changed to Junior.

Note: Apples to Apples Kids was formerly called Apples to Apples Junior!, but was changed to Apples to Apples Kids when Apples to Apples Junior 9+ was changed to Apples to Apples Junior.

Part of the Apples to Apples Series.

Andor: The Family Fantasy Game

In Andor: The Family Fantasy Game, a.k.a. Andor Junior, each player chooses one of four heroes — magician, warrior, archer, or dwarf — before beginning their quest to rescue the wolf cubs lost in the dwarven mine. However, before beginning the search for the wolf cubs, the heroes must first complete the tasks given to them by Mart, the old bridge guard. Only after you have solved all of the bridge guard's tasks will he let you cross the bridge to the dwarven mines where you believe the wolf cubs are hiding. But watch out! While you are on your way, the sly dragon is getting closer to the castle Rietburg. Should it arrive at the castle before the heroes have completed their tasks and saved the wolf cubs, then all is lost, and you lose the game. If you find all the wolf cubs before the dragon reaches Reitburg, you win!

Gameplay is similar to Legends of Andor, with each game offering new challenges, which you must master together before the dragon reaches Rietburg.