Read Time:2 Minute, 2 Second
Players: 2 to 7
Playing time: About
15-30 minutes per round
My husband and I learned to play Mexican Train
years ago at a family Christmas party. It’s just a domino game, really. All you need is
a set of dominoes (double-twelve, preferably) and some kind of marker (we used pennies).
But when I found this version of the game—with colorful plastic trains as markers and a
station in the center that makes train whistle sounds (as well as the dominoes, score
cards, and a carrying case to keep it all together)—I couldn’t resist…
To
play, you start with double-zeros in the middle of the station (you move up to
double-ones on the next round, then double-twos, etc.). Each player draws 10-15
dominoes, depending on how many people are playing. To begin, each player must start his
or her own “train” by playing a domino with a zero on one side. Players then take turns
adding to their train (or to what we call the “community train”—an extra train on which
anyone can play), one domino at a time. If a player can’t play, he or she must draw a
domino and place a train marker on his or her train. Any player can play a domino on a
train that has a marker on it.
If a player plays a double, normal play
stops, and the next player must play a domino matching that double. Once a matching
domino has been played, normal play continues.
The first player to get
rid of all of his or her dominoes is the winner of the round. If you want to keep score,
players add up the numbers on their remaining dominoes—and the player with the lowest
score after playing all thirteen rounds (or a specified number of rounds) is the
winner.
Mexican Train is a great family game—as long as you have plenty of
room (like a big table or lots of floor space) for playing. It’s a fun, simple game for
adults, yet it’s easy enough for the kids. We played it with my six-year-old nephew, and
he only needed a little bit of help. And while you don’t really need a special Mexican
Train set to play the game, I have to admit that we all got extra laughs out of making
the train whistle blow.
Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.
Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.
As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).
Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
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Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.
Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.
As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).
Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
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