Why the Last Spike is Perfect for Family Game Night

The Last Spike is a game that I never expected to like. While I’m always on the look out for a good family game for the non-gamers in my house, this railroad themed board game wasn’t on the radar. 

Being a fan of Columbia Games in general, and a bigger fan of their block war games specifically, I was aware of this addition to their catalog (while an earlier version came out in 1976, the latest incarnation was just released in 2015). However, the Last Spike just seemed too...simple to warrant any serious consideration. Boy was I wrong!   

So what is it about the Last Spike that has made it perfect for family game night and a hit with everyone in my house? (And that’s no exaggeration either):      

The game is surprisingly simple. In fact, game turns are so simple that they fit in the bottom corner of the board. In addition, the rules are a mere 4 pages and can be explained to a newcomer in less than ten minutes.              

The object of the game is simple as well: the players cooperate to build a railroad which connects Saint Louis with Sacramento.  You accomplish this by laying down railroad tracks (Columbia’s famous wooden blocks). Each block costs a certain amount to play and has a designated spot on the board.            

Players also speculate by purchasing property in towns on the mapboard. Payouts are collected when the railroad runs through a town in which you own property. There are five cards for each town; the first property being free, with each successive card increasing in cost.   

The game ends when one continuous route is completed. The “last spike” (the final block placed) earns the player a $20,000 bonus. The winner is the player with the most money.      

The components are nice without being overwhelming. The game board shows only 9 cities and the twelve routes that link them. Each route has 4 track spaces, keeping the board from being unnecessarily large. 48 wooden blocks represent the track sections. There are also 45 property cards, along with red, white, and blue currency chips. 

The Last Spike is deceptively strategic. While the game can be played by 2-6 players, it works best with 3-5 according to the publisher. The average playing time seems to consistently fall between 45-60 minutes. Despite this modest scope and relatively quick play, the game truly challenges you.     

The second half of the game sees the tension rise as players must carefully choose which tracks to play and which properties to purchase. Will that particular block you play complete a route which pays your rival better than you? Should you hold off on laying a track until you can purchase another property in a town about to be connected? Which brings us to the next secret for the Last Spike’s success. 

The railroad theme is compelling and it permeates every aspect of the game. The map and blocks effectively reinforce this theme of the race to complete the transcontinental railroad. For example, track tiles which run through (or over) the Sierra Nevada Mountains can cost 5x more than one played between Omaha and Laramie. 

The Last Spike is educational without sacrificing fun. In 2016 the game was honored with the Mensa Select Award. From analytical thinking, to counting, to teaching basic economic principles, the Last Spike is a great choice for families looking for a game that challenges kids while keeping adults interested. Best of all it’s suitable for ages 8 and up, so younger kids can play too. 

Consider making the Last Spike by Columbia Games your choice for family game night. Let this little gem of a game surprise your family as it did mine. 

Photo credit: Brian Williams 

What Makes These Little Wooden Blocks So Special?

In a previous post I explained what defines a block wargame, beginning first and foremost with the blocks themselves. Recently I came across an excellent explanation of the central game mechanic of block wargames written nearly twenty years ago by game designer Steffan O’Sullivan. 

So what makes these little wooden blocks so special? As O’Sullivan explains:

“The wooden blocks are roughly 1" by 1" by 0.5" - like half a domino that can stand on end a little easier...Only one face has unit information on it. Normally, that side is kept towards the owner of the piece. This means that you can see all of your units, and what they are, and how strong they are, but you can only see the backs of your opponent's pieces. You can tell where he has units, but not what they are nor how strong they are.”

This is what’s known as fog of war and it’s key to capturing the realism and confusion historically found in war. It also means that you do not know the strength of your opponent until you actually engage them in battle. O’Sullivan continues:

“There are numbers around the edges of the side facing you. The number on top represents the current strength of the unit. As the unit takes a hit in combat, it is rotated to the next lower number, one step per hit until eliminated. In combat, you roll a number of six-sided dice equal to the current strength...” 

The brilliance of this system, pioneered and perfected by Columbia Games, permits players to record step reduction with minimal effort. In the above picture, featuring a Roman legion from the game Julius Caesar, we see a block which initially plays at a four dice strength, which then decreases (rotating counter clockwise) with each hit taken in battle. 

“These two factors - easy fog of war and step reduction - mean that a wooden block game can achieve very sophisticated simulation with a minimum of strain on the gamer...consequently, even the most complicated wooden block game is still on the low side of moderate complexity by wargame standards.”

Don’t be fooled, however: strategic depth and satisfaction of play are not sacrificed for this simplicity. And that, in the end, is the brilliance of the block system. 

If you haven’t done so yet, check it out for yourself!