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Circus Train (Second Edition)

#144566BGG ↗

2013 · 1-5 players · 90min · weight 2.45 · 327 ratings

v2 v3 v4 wide v4 deep

BGG raw

ID
144566
Name
Circus Train (Second Edition)
Year
2013
Rank
6618
Min players
1
Max players
5
Playing time
90
Min playtime
90
Max playtime
90
Avg weight
2.4545
Num weights
22
Bayes avg
5.68478
Average
7.06555
Users rated
327
Num owned
539
Wanting
79
Wishing
208
Num comments
144
Fetched at
Wed Apr 29 2026 05:34:55 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)
Mechanisms (7)
Action RetrievalCatch the LeaderDice RollingEnd Game BonusesHand ManagementPoint to Point MovementSet Collection
Categories (2)
EconomicTrains
Description (1836 chars)

Circus Train Second Edition, by designer Tom Decker, is a 1-5 player game in which you are the owner and operator of a small circus train in prohibition-era America. In this game, you and your opponents are vying to employ the best talent while putting on the most magnificent show each month. While touring the country by train, you will have the opportunity to perform while adding talent to your show through hiring the performers stranded in cities by defunct circuses. Just remember to keep an eye on your wages, because your talent definitely will. Through clever card hand management, you control the movement of your train around the American northeast, making strategic business decisions about talent, performances and payroll in this fast-paced strategy game. Each turn represents one week of real time, and after six months, the circus season closes for the year and the game ends with one player declared as having The Greatest Show on Earth. Inspired by Sara Gruen’s novel, Water for Elephants, Circus Train Second Edition includes thematic elements such as improving your show’s reputation by picking up alcohol for your talent and staff (legally, in Canada), the high costs of supplying big cats and elephants, and the ability to “red light” (firing by throwing off the train) disgruntled talent or talent that has simply become too expensive to maintain. These elements are blended into the game’s mechanics, keeping it all simple while adding layers of depth and strategy. What's New in 2nd Edition: This new edition combines the first edition with its first expansion. Along with a graphic face-lift, it adds more players (3 more), thereby changing the experience for a gamer and how they play Circus Train 2nd Edition. It also adds new, never-before-seen Event cards into the mix.

LLM v2 (wide)

Not yet enriched at v2 (wide pass).

LLM v3 (deep)

Not yet enriched at v3 (deep pass).

LLM v4 wide (controlled-vocab primitives)

Not yet enriched at v4 (wide pass).

LLM v4 deep (archetype fit)

Not in the v4 deep-pass top-20% slice.