Next Station Berlin (ML)

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Expected Date: This item is expected around August 15, 2026. Occasionally, unforeseen circumstances may delay a product’s release. This date is not guaranteed.

Next Station Berlin gives you an ambitious challenge: redesign the German capital's transportation network one pencil line at a time. In this board game from the Next Station series, every player receives their own Berlin map and simultaneously develops metro lines according to the Station cards being revealed. The objective is easy to understand but much harder to master: serve the city efficiently, create valuable interchanges, and score as many points as possible.

The game takes place over four rounds, with a different pencil colour used each round. One of Berlin's major twists is that every metro colour has two departure stations, one on the Bear side and another on the Crown side of the city. Depending on the card revealed, you extend the line connected to the corresponding side toward a station showing the required symbol. If you successfully connect both departure stations of the same colour into one continuous line, you earn a valuable 10-point bonus.

This flip and write rewards both the reach and efficiency of your network. For each colour, you want to travel through several districts while serving multiple stations within key districts. As the rounds progress, your different coloured lines can meet at the same stations to form interchanges, creating another important source of end-game points. Joker cards can also turn reached stations into National Train Stations, potentially increasing the value of their interchanges.

The Double Switch card adds another interesting tactical decision. When it appears, it can let you develop both lines currently under construction and create additional endpoints from which you can continue expanding your network. Despite the accessible rules, the building restrictions require careful planning: sections must follow the available connections on the map, tracks cannot cross, and a line cannot form a loop. One poorly planned route can therefore close off an opportunity you hoped to use a few turns later.

Next Station Berlin is for you if you enjoy quick games where you build something different every time you play. Its combination of network building, optimization, and route drawing makes it especially appealing to fans of light puzzles and strategic family games. Since everyone plays simultaneously on their own map, turns move quickly, and the system works just as naturally solo as it does with four players.

Network planners looking for an additional challenge can also explore the advanced modes included in the rules. Common Objective cards reward specific accomplishments across your network, while the Accelerated Construction mode introduces changing effects and bonuses over the game's four rounds. Next Station Berlin therefore maintains the accessibility of the series while providing extra possibilities for players who want a deeper planning challenge.

Next Station Berlin continues a series that has already taken players through the transportation networks of London, Tokyo, and Paris. This time, the formula heads to Berlin with two departure stations per colour, National Train Stations, the Double Switch, and a fresh approach to connecting your lines. The result offers a new puzzle while preserving the immediate satisfaction of gradually drawing your own metro network.

Next Station Berlin was designed by Matthew Dunstan, a prolific modern board game designer and the creator behind the previous games in the Next Station series. The colourful artwork and maps are illustrated by Maxime Morin, whose distinctive visual work also accompanies the series.

BOX CONTENTS
1 pad of 100 Berlin map sheets
11 Station cards
5 Common Objective cards
9 Accelerated Construction cards
4 coloured pencils

Number of players: 1 to 4
Playing time: 25 minutes
Age: 8+