Wide World
A travel-themed board game of destinations and points.
Wide World is a board game from Parker Brothers, now part of Hasbro. Players each receive a set of Destination cards. Upon reaching a destination, they collect two Product cards, each worth either one or two points. The first player to visit all their destinations and return home earns a bonus five points; the highest total points wins.
Movement is determined by rolling a single die and advancing that many spaces. Players do not need to land exactly on a destination—for example, being three spaces away allows arrival with a roll of five. Landing on a red spot forces a player to draw a Travel Agent card and follow its instructions, which might move the token elsewhere, grant an extra turn, or trigger other effects.
The game includes a Weather Vane, a plastic sheet covering a quarter of the board. When a six is rolled, the vane shifts, carrying any player on it to a different board location. This was part of the original 1969 game, not a later addition.
The original box contained a world map board, instructions, six metal plane tokens, twenty Destination cards, twenty-eight Travel Cards, fifty-six Product cards, and one die.
- publisher
- Parker Brothers (subsidiary of Hasbro)
- type
- Board game
- components
- Board of World Map, Instructions, 6 Metal plane tokens, 20 Destination cards, 28 Travel Cards, 56 Product cards, 1 Die
- scoring
- Product cards worth 1 or 2 points; extra 5 points for first to visit all destinations and return home
- special features
- Travel Agent cards, red spots, Weather Vane (included from the original 1969 edition)
Quick Facts
- Title
- Wide World
- Publisher
- Parker Brothers / Waddingtons
- Players
- 2–6
- Setup Time
- 5 minutes
- Playing Time
- About 30 minutes
- Random Chance
- Medium (dice rolling, card drawing)
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
In Wide World, players are dealt Destination cards and must visit those locations on the board. Movement is determined by rolling a single die, and players may overshoot their destination. Upon reaching a destination, they take two Product cards, each worth 1 or 2 points. The first player to visit all their destinations and return home receives an additional 5 points, and the player with the most points wins.
Reader's Guide
The game includes special mechanics such as red spots on the board, which force a player to draw a Travel Agent card and follow its instructions. These cards can move the player, grant an extra turn, or produce other effects. In later versions, a 'Weather Vane'—a plastic sheet covering a quarter of the board—is added; when a six is rolled, the vane moves, transporting any player on it to a different part of the board. The original game contents include a world map board, instructions, six metal plane tokens, 20 Destination cards, 28 Travel Cards, 56 Product cards, and six dice. Wide World is a product of Parker Brothers, itself a subsidiary of Hasbro, and is listed on BoardGameGeek.
Did You Know?
- Players take two Product cards when they visit a destination, each worth 1 or 2 points.
- The first player to visit all destinations and return home gets an extra 5 points.
- Landing on a red spot requires drawing a Travel Agent card and following its directions.
- The Weather Vane was part of the original 1969 game, not a later addition.
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