# Ticket to Ride: Alvin & Dexter

## General Info
- **Year Published**: 2011
- **BGG Rating**: 6.5
- **BGG Rank**: —
- **Players**: 2-5 (Best with: 4)
- **Duration**: 30-50 min
- **Weight**: 1.57 / 5
- **Designers**: Alan R. Moon
- **Artists**: Cyrille Daujean, Julien Delval
- **Publishers**: Days of Wonder
- **Categories**: Expansion for Base-game, Science Fiction, Trains
- **Mechanics**: Network and Route Building, Point to Point Movement, Set Collection

## Verdict
Alvin & Dexter is the expansion that turns a "railway solitaire" experience into a strategic battle full of sabotage. By introducing monsters that block cities and devalue destination tickets, the game gains an extra layer of tension and direct interaction. It is perfect for groups who don't mind a bit of "meanness" and want to refresh any version of Ticket to Ride they already have on their shelf.Adds direct interaction and sabotageCompatible with almost the entire lineSimple and intuitive mechanicsIncreases strategic value of wildcardsCan frustrate players who prefer peaceful gamesDepends on card draw luckRECOMMENDED

## Description
If you have already mastered the maps of Ticket to Ride and feel like your life as a railway tycoon is missing a bit of chaos, Alvin & Dexter are the perfect guests for your table. This expansion doesn't add a new map, but rather two giant monsters—an alien and a classic Kaiju-style beast—that will make life difficult for everyone. The mechanics are simple but cruel: where these creatures step, no one can build. If you were planning to close that vital route to complete your destination ticket, you better hope the monsters aren't hanging out there. Even worse: if they are in a city during the final tally, the value of your ticket is cut in half. It is one low blow after another! To move these creatures, you need to spend locomotive cards (the famous wildcards). It is a constant dilemma: do you spend your precious wildcards to move the monster away from your route, or do you risk leaving the beast there and hope no one messes with you? Whoever moves the monsters the most during the game also earns an endgame bonus, which encourages the "kindness" of pushing the monster into your opponent's backyard. It is an expansion that completely changes the blocking dynamics of the game. If you were previously only worried about other players' trains, now you have to deal with these beasts that turn any familiar map into a strategic battlefield. It is guaranteed fun for those who enjoy high interactivity (read: mischief) and want to spice up games that were becoming too predictable. Alvin & Dexter is compatible with almost the entire Ticket to Ride line, so dust off any version you have on your shelf and prepare for chaos. Just don't get into a fight with your friends when the monster stops right in the city you needed to finish your longest route!

## FAQ
### Do I need the base game to play Alvin & Dexter?
Yes! This is an expansion, and you need at least one game from the Ticket to Ride series to use the components.

### Does it work with any Ticket to Ride version?
Yes, the expansion is compatible with almost all games in the series, including the original map, Europe, various countries, etc.

### How do I move the monsters?
You need to discard locomotive cards (wildcards). One card moves the monster up to 3 cities, and two cards move it up to 6 cities.

### What happens if a monster stops in a city where I have a route?
The route you already built remains, but no one can build new routes into or out of that city while the monster is there.

### Does this expansion add much to the playtime?
The playtime doesn't change significantly, staying within the usual 30-50 minutes.

### Is it worth it for 2-player games?
Yes, the expansion makes the board feel tighter and more competitive, which is great to prevent 2-player games from feeling too "solitary."

## Price Comparison
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