TransAmerica (board game)

TransAmerica is a railroad-building board game created by German designer Franz-Benno Delonge and developed with Team Annaberg, published in the United States by Rio Grande Games. Two to six players each secretly hold five cities scattered across a map of the United States and lay short track segments in turn, aiming to complete their own shortest connecting network before rivals finish theirs, while unavoidably helping opponents whose routes cross the same rails. A full round typically takes about thirty minutes, making it a comparatively quick design next to heavier railway games. The title was nominated for the 2002 Spiel des Jahres award and was later named a Mensa Select honoree in 2003, recognition usually given to games praised for combining simple rules with genuine strategic depth.