The Grand Siberian

… When The Journey Of A Lifetime Is Just The Beginning.

A travel-themed board game and playable travel guide about the Trans-Siberian Railway, Russia and its Culture.

gallery-setup-the-grand-siberian
gallery-gameplay-board-the-grand-siberian
gallery-gameboard-the-grand-siberian
gallery-gameplay-travel-the-grand-siberian
gallery-destinations-the-grand-siberian
gallery-discoveries-the-grand-siberian
gallery-travel-skills-the-grand-siberian
gallery-transportation-the-grand-siberian
gallery-gameplay-cards-the-grand-siberian
gallery-travel-experiences-the-grand-siberian
gallery-meeples-the-grand-siberian
gallery-setup-the-grand-siberian
gallery-gameplay-board-the-grand-siberian
gallery-gameboard-the-grand-siberian
gallery-gameplay-travel-the-grand-siberian
gallery-destinations-the-grand-siberian
gallery-discoveries-the-grand-siberian
gallery-travel-skills-the-grand-siberian
gallery-transportation-the-grand-siberian
gallery-gameplay-cards-the-grand-siberian
gallery-travel-experiences-the-grand-siberian
gallery-meeples-the-grand-siberian
previous arrow
next arrow

The Grand Siberian

A travel-themed board game and playable travel guide about the Trans-Siberian Railway, Russia and its Culture.
Culture, Travel

2 -6 Player

Age

14+

55 – 140 Minutes

Slightly complex

Notify me, when available:

Languages:
Mechanics: Action Drafting, Deck- & Route, Building, Contracts, End-Game Bonuses, Movement Points

Intro

Pack your backpack and board the legendary Trans-Siberian Railway. Set up a unique itinerary and travel to the most common places or find adventures off the beaten track. Choose Trains, Hitchhiking or Marshrutkas as your standard mode of transportation – a Plane or Helicopter in extremis. No matter how, reach the remotest places and indulge in unique experiences, while discovering the unknown.  But be aware, not every journey goes as planned. Other travellers and unexpected events might mess with your initial plans…
Transportation Ticket Train The Grand Siberian
Transportation Ticket Airplane The Grand Siberian
Transportation Ticket Marshrutka The Grand Siberian
Transportation Ticket Helicopter The Grand Siberian
Transportation Ticket Hitchhiker The Grand Siberian
Transportation Ticket Zarengold The Grand Siberian

Elements

(For Board Gamers)

Fully travel-themed game play, rules and component design

Competitive or cooperative player interaction with each turn

Deckbuilding for Movement, Skills and Contracts

Strategic route planning combining luck of draw elements

Card switch mechanism that increases decision dilemma

Wooden components, linen finish and portable box size

Features

(For Travellers)

Based on two years of travelling Europe & Central Asia

A playable Travel Guide for inspiration & preparation

Structural, helpful and fun information about Russia

Insights on cultural and natural highlights of Russia

Real-life travel challenges in Russia and beyond

Actual Geographical Map and Infrastructure

Inside The Box

1

Game Board​

240

Footsteps

120

Backpacks

82

Destination Cards

78

Discovery Cards

78

Discovery Cards

21

Travel Skills

21

Travel Skills

66

Transportation Tickets

104

Travel Experiences

1

Tour Office Token

Enjoy Your Journey

Destinations

Score points immediately when visited first

Get exclusive insights about the places of your Journey.

Travel Skills

Multi-Use Cards for abilities or one-time actions

Aquire the necessary skills to get the most out of your trip.

Experiences

Events that impact (+/-) your score or turn-taking

Immerse into the different experiences of Travelling.

Discoveries

Contracts that score you points at game end

Be inspired by the cultural and natural diversity.

Game Play

Accummulate the highest Experience Score

and become the most seasoned traveller

Actions

 (1 out of 4 each turn)

1

Plan Your Journey

Open Card Drafting, Contracts, Route Planning
Enhance your scoring by drawing two additional Discovery Cards in any combination with destinations to visit along your route.

2

Prepare Your Travels

Deckbuilding, Multi-Use Cards
Draw one Travel Skills card, to protect you from negative events or use their one time ability to beat your competition.

3

Book Your Transport

Open Card Drafting, Set Collection
Acquire three suitable transportation tickets to travel to your next destinations efficiently by rail, road or air.

4

Take Your Steps

Events, (Player Cooperation,) Route Building
Deploy your transportation tickets to connect destinations and use your Travel Skills to cope with negative events.

Intrinsic Mechanics

Card Stack Replacement

Choose in time, as (besides other players) every third round replaces the stacks for Discovery Cards & Transportation Tickets

Black Market

Exchange up to three Transportation Tickets or discard unfulfillable Discovery Cards when achieving certain score levels

Cooperation

Gain points when helping other players coping with events or share the costs & benefits, when travelling part of your routes together

Game End

The last round is triggered, once a player cannot move any further from a current destination with the remaining footsteps.

Scoring

Visited Destinations
Gained Experiences
Fulfilled Discoveries
Collected Highlights
Endgame
Bonuses

Impressions

“It is a nice way to have this travelling experience when you are at home longing for the next holidays to come.”

Magdalena

Traveller

“A very adventurous game that brings you closer to geography and culture with numerous, sometimes bizarre experiences as well as well-researched background information.”

Christian

Board Gamer

“This game is really interesting. I especially love that you cannot only compete but also cooperate with other participants. It is not just a game, but almost a real travelling experience.”

Aleksandra

Traveller

“It is a great family game to learn something new in a fun way, but also a great ice-breaker game to share travel stories and experiences.”

Polina

Board Gamer

“A great game to play with your family and friends. It is an immersive adventure in which players compete by accessing new locations and gaining travelling skills, while discovering facts about cities. The Grand Siberian manages to create a healthy balance between theme, game mechanics and learning, sharing.”

Cristian

Board Gamer

“As a traveller, I immediately felt back on the road again. The skills and experiences convey a lot of useful knowledge for actual travels. Also I much enjoyed discovering this less known side of Russia.”

Rahul

Traveller

“You probably have heard about Moscow, maybe 1 or 2 other cities and the great cold during winter. But actually there is so much more to understand the country’s complexity and culture. This game allows to look beyond the political agenda and see what is the country about on the cultural heritage. Also you can have a little laugh powering through the experiences, which are the ones you really can encounter during any travel.”

Joanna

Traveller

“Immersing myself into the game was an absolute delight. It masterfully intertwines strategy, adventure, and sheer fun, providing players not just a game but avibrant expedition. A must-play for anyone who loves a perfect blend of travel, culture, and strategic decision-making in their board game adventures!”

Ori

Board Gamer

Prototype

The Story Behind

My name is Chris. It once has been the dream of my grandfather to travel through Russia along the Trans-Siberian Railway.

On the 12th of January 2018 (at the age of 30) I set out to bring his dream to life. I quit my job, donated most of my belongings and embarked on a journey into the unknown, equipped only with my backpack.

During the following two years I explored 23 countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Thanks to the FIFA World Cup Fan ID visa policy, I would spent over five months in Russia and more than 550 hours on Russian Railways along the Trans-Siberian Railway network – in Platzkart (like a hostel dorm on rails). The nature, people and cultural diversity I discovered, changed my life forever.

With this board game, I would like to give you the chance to embark on a journey of your own. For the last two years I turned all my collected knowledge, observations and experiences into this entertaining, challenging and yet educational board game. So that discovering the beauty of another country, as for my grandfather, does not need to stay a dream, but can be experienced from our homes.

Now like to invite you to discover breath-taking nature, unique culture and encounter the Russian people. Experience the cultural diversity of Russia and see, how little it takes to travel around a foreign country.

The Grand Siberian (in honour of my Grandfather’s dream to travel the Trans-Siberian) will be the first game in a series of travel-themed board games to explore the cultural diversity of this world.

The Story behind my game on Russia Beyond (English).

The Story behind my journey on Radio Liberty (Belarusian)Translation (English).

Project Overview

Traveling

2018 - 2019

Idea

Jun '21

1. Playtesting

Aug '21

1. Playtesting

Aug '21

Development

2021 - 2023

Development

2021 - 2023

Re-evaluation

Jan '24

Self-Publishing

2024
Gameplay 100%
Prototype 100%
Content 97%
Design 92%
Shopping Basket
Scroll to Top