It seems like games these days are trying to become more and more complex, with bigger components and boxes, more rules, and longer playtimes. But The Last Spike is proof those things aren’t necessary. With a bare bones box, simple (but well crafted) components, and a playtime of just under an hour, this is a game you can introduce to your friends with confidence.
I’ve owned The Last Spike for almost a decade and it’s never disappointed me. Let me tell you why I think this is a game you should own.
The Last Spike Overview
In The Last Spike players attempt to have the most money by the end of the game, which is triggered when “the last spike” is laid on train tracks which connect St. Louis and San Francisco. The “spikes” here are thick wooden tiles with specific locations on them: X1, Y3, D2, A4, etc. Each of these tiles can only be placed in one spot on the board; in between two cities on a map of the United States.
Setting up is simple, shuffle the tiles, then place one of them back in the box unseen. Each players gets some money (represented here by thick wooden discs in blue, red, and white (10,000, 5,000, and 1,000 respectively). Take all the land grants and stack them in ascending order, with the $0 land grant on top. Finally, each player draws 4 tiles and keeps them hidden from the other players.
On your turn you must pick one of your tiles and place it somewhere on the map, paying the cost shown on the tile. The only placement rule is that you must first try to place a tile either directly adjacent to a city, or to another tile. If you can’t do that, then you can place a tile anywhere you like (at double the cost)—supply chains are a thing after all. You can then purchase any one land grant. If you happen to have laid next to a city, you must first take the $0 land grant for that city if it’s still available.
If, when placing your tile, you complete a route between two cities, then every person who owns land in either connected cities earns cash based on how many land grants they own in either city.
You play until there is a single unbroken track on the board connecting St. Louis to San Francisco and then the game ends. Whoever has the most money wins the game. There’s some additional rules for when a player can’t afford to place a tile, but the entire rulebook fits on just 4 small pages.
That’s it.
Why The Last Spike is so great
First of all, the teach for this game is simple; we’re talking less than 5 minutes. You can even set up the game as you explain it. Second, while the components are basic (black wooden tiles with stickers for the tracks and unadorned wooden discs for money), all of them are high quality with a nice thickness making them easy to handle. Third, the game is fun to play, with just the slightest amount of stabbery and strategy.
It’s in your best interest to spread your net wide because you never know when a city is going to be completed. Some locations like Denver (at the intersection of 4 routes) could potentially pay out 4 times over a game, while other cities like Laramie or El Paso are a bigger risk because they each only have two incoming routes. But if you’re fortunate enough to draw sequential tiles then you can force the issue a bit and pick up multiple land grants that other players might not be looking at, with the knowledge that you can complete that route at any time for a quick payout.
The more land grants you own for a city, the more you earn in return, and as I mentioned previously each grant can potentially pay out multiple times. So paying close attention to what other players are doing means you can be in a better position. And don’t forget that St. Louis and San Francisco will always pay out at least once, which means that if you can pick those up early, you can possibly close out the game with a big payday and take the lead.
Understand that I’m not saying The Last Spike is my favorite game, or even the best game I own. But it’s solid and dependable, and because it’s so easy to teach it’s great to break out in situations where you’re playing with more casual gamers.
The Last Spike? I choo choo choose you!c
The Last Spike details
- Designer: Tom Dalgliesh
- Artists: Cezary Szulc, Karim Chakroun, Tomasz Larek
- Publishers: Columbia Games, Nasza Księgarnia
- Release Date: 2015
- Player count : 2 - 6
- Age range : 10+
- Time range : 45 minutes
- Mechanism(s): Stock Holding, Tile Placement
- BGG Geek Rating: 6.71705 - converted to Meeple Mountain scale: 3.5.
- More articles about The Last Spike.
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