10 Days in Europe: A Review

Out of the Box Games is known for making games that are both fun and educational and games that are easy to learn, but make you think.  Of their games, my favorite series has to be the 10 Days in Series.

These games help you learn geography while presenting you with a simple yet thoughtful game play.

Components / Set Up

I really appreciate the quality of the components in the 10 Days series.  The tiles, the card holders, and the box itself will hold some abuse.

Since I use these games a lot in the classroom they certainly see some abuse.  I don't feel like I have to worry about hovering over the game to make sure the students use it properly.

The game comes with 48 Country tiles.  These are heavy card-stock.  The countries are one of five colors: green, blue, orange, pink or yellow.  There is one tile per country, except for Denmark, France, Russia, Germany, Spain and Sweden, for these there are two.  There are also 19 transportation tiles.  There are no tiles for Andorra, Gibraltar, Liechtenstein, Malta, Monaco, San Marino, and Vatican City.  These countries are also not listed on the board.

The tiles show the name of the and the name of the capital, a outline map of the country with the location of the capital, the population, and the square miles of the country.

There are 2 airplane tiles of each color.  And there are nine ship tiles: four for the Atlantic, three for the Mediterranean, and two for the Baltic Sea.

When you pick up the box you will notice how heavy it is.  Most of the weight comes from the wooden card holders.  Each player gets two of these were they will secretly store five tiles in each holder.

The board is a Political map of Europe with the countries colored the same color as the country tiles.  All the countries and seas are labeled.

The game is set up by putting the board in the center so that every player can play it.  Its purpose is as a reference for the color and location of the countries.  Nothing else is placed on the board. 

Each player is given one set of tile holders and places them in front of them so that they can see the Days 1-10 displayed in order, facing that player.  All the country and transportation tiles are placed face down in front of the players and mixed.

Object of the Game

Players are trying to use the country and transportation tiles to chart a ten day course across Europe.  The first person to complete a journey, where each day connects to the next day is the winner.

Game Start

Players must first fill their tile holders.  They do this without taking turns.  Each player will randomly draw a tile, look at it, and place it into any open location, Days 1-10.  Players will continue to draw, and place, one tile at a time, until all players have placed ten tiles in tile holders.  Once a player places a tile they may not be moved within the holder.  However, a tile may be replaced during a players turn.

Players need to make sure that the others cannot see your tiles.

After the players have filled their holders, all remaining tiles should be stacked, face down, to form a draw pile.  The top three tiles should be placed, face up, next to the draw pile to form the discard pile.

Now, select a player to take the first turn. Turns will continue clockwise.

Game Play

During a players turn they will draw a tile and then place the tile.  Players may select the top tile from one of the three discard piles OR the top tile from the draw pile.

If a player depletes the draw pile, all tiles in the three discard piles, except the top tile on each pile, are shuffled together to form a new draw pile.

Next, the player must  replace any one of the ten tiles in the tile holder with the drawn tile, or discard the tile, face up, onto one of the three discard piles. If the player replaced
a tile in the tile holder, the replaced tile is discarded, face up, on one of the three discard piles.

If the player selected the last tile from a discard pile, that tile must be replaced by the newly discarded tile. As a result, players will always be able to select from three discard piles, as well as the draw pile.

Making Connections

Tiles should be placed so they make connections in one of three ways:  connections by foot, connections by ship, or connections by airplane.

Connecting by Foot: Players may travel by foot from one country to a bordering country. The bordering country tiles are connected to each other when they are positioned side-by-side in the tile holder.

A solid black line across a body of water indicates a connection by bridge and a broken black line indicates a connection by ferry (therefore by foot). Two country tiles are considered connected if there is a black line, solid or broken, connecting the two countries on the map, or if they are located next to each other.

Connecting by Ship: Players may travel by ship from one country to another country by sailing on the sea or ocean which borders both of the two countries being connected. When a ship tile is positioned between the two country tiles, these three tiles are connected to each other. Ship tiles may only be used for making connections on the sea or ocean designated on that tile.

Connecting by Airplane: Players may use an airplane to fly from one country to another country of the same color. When the airplane tile is positioned between the two country tiles, and is the same color as both country tiles, these three tiles are connected to each other.

Winning the Game

If at the end of a player’s turn, that player has a completed ten day journey, they win 10 Days in Europe!  But, they must show that each day is connected to the next day in his or her tile holder.

For the journey to be complete it must also meet the following criteria.   The completed journey must start with a country tile and end with a country tile.  Five countries have two tiles each, indicted by the * symbol. Two tiles from the same country may be included in a completed journey as long as the tiles are not placed next to each other.   It is not necessary to include either an airplane or a ship tile to complete a ten day journey.  Transportation tiles placed next to each other, do not form a connection.

My Thoughts

I have found that the 10 Days In Series are a group of intellectually challenging games who can be used in a variety of settings. The rules are simple to teach and easy to remember.  After just brief explanation of the rules you can get started. Players will soon realize that though the rules are simple, and the idea of connecting ten days of a journey seems easy but actually completing the journey can prove a challenge.

There is a bit of a poker element to the game.  You need to hide your plan from you components and not give away a good or even a bad hand.  You cannot give away what countries or transportation tiles you need, but it isn't always easy.  I also like the push your luck elements of the game.  You may really want that Germany tile, but it isn't in the correct space.  So, do you put it in the discard pile hoping it isn't covered or taken by another player?  Or, do you just leave it where it is and change you original plan.  I seem to change my plan quite often during this game.

There is no denying the educational element of this game.  I certainly have used multiple copies in my classroom.  Many times students resist games that seem educational.   That has never happened with this game.  Students love the tiles, the map, and of course the tile stands.  They like looking at the stats on the tiles and trying to say the names of the capital cities.   Reykjavik stills stumps most of them.

I do wish that they perhaps had chosen some different statistics than population.  While population doesn't change much from year to year, it does change every year.  Perhaps a more stable statistic such as highest or lowest point would have been a better choice.  But this is certainly a minor complaint.  And while the artwork is nice and simple it also seems a little bland.  If they ever made a 10 Days in Beautiful Europe, as they did for Africa, I would be tempted to purchase a new set.


10 Days in Europe is just as comfortable on the kitchen table as it is in the classroom.  It is a wonderful family game.  Those people looking for a really deep exciting game won't necessarily find it here.  If you want a game that you can play with both young and older family members this is a game for you. 

The theme won't scare anyone off.  While it does involve geography you don't have memorize the map since it is right there and don't worry, it isn't cheating to look.  There may even be some fun discussions of where exactly is Macedonia again or do you the capital of Latvia?  

While I like all the games in the 10 Days Series, Europe is definitely my favorite.  I like the ship connections and the using the ferries to connect countries.  I use this more in my classroom than in my home yet it has been a hit with my family.  So if you are looking for a gateway / family game that isn't Ticket to Ride, give the 10 Days in Series a try.  I don't think you will be disappointed.

Quick Stats:

Designers: Grafik Studio Krüger, Alan R. Moon, Aaron Weissblum
Artist:  Grafik Studio Krüger, Cathleen Quinn-Kinney, John Kovalic
Publishers:  Out of the Box Publishing,  Schmidt Spiele
Players: 2 - 4
Game Length:  30 minutes
Ages: 10 and up
Mechanic:  Hand Management, Set Collection

Picture Credits:  from www.boardgamegeek.com - W. Eric Martin (W Eric Martin) Andreas Resch (Gonzaga), Dede Kurnia Kardiman (ddkk),  Mike Hulsebus (mikehulsebus), David Namaksy (Geosmores),  Mike Hulsebus (mikehulsebus),  Chris Fenwick (fenwic,  Ryan Mayes (Malaiser), Mike Hulsebus (mikehulsebus)(2)

Thanks for sharing your beautiful photographs!