USPS: The Great American Mail Race puts players in the driver’s seat of many different modes of transportation used by the United States Postal Service throughout history and today; some of which may surprise you! We’ve all heard of the Pony Express, but did you know mail has even been delivered by rocket or that mules are still used today? Each mail carrier will compete against one another to deliver mail and earn the most points before the game ends. Consecutive packages will earn more points, but don’t forget to see the sights and grab some postcards along the way!

Speaking of seeing the sights, every location on the map, while not an exact representation, is an actual place! Chicken, Alaska; Waterproof, Louisiana; Ding Dong, Texas; and even Booger Hole, West Virginia are all, in fact, real towns lending their charm to this 2-4 player board game. While exploring the board and learning about other interestingly named locations, it is easy to see that the country has been divided up into four regions. Each region contains a depot from which to pick up the mail as well as multiple destinations and possible routes. The mail awaiting delivery is represented by colored cubes that can be loaded onto the mail truck serving as your position on the board. All of the mail is pre-sorted by region and placed at the top of the map within easy view of all players.

All players will take their mail truck and place it in the main hub at the center of the board to begin their adventure. On their turn, a player will have three actions to spend however they wish between two possible choices: draw cards or use those cards to move. Each Transport Card will allow a player to move in a way specific to the vehicle depicted on it. These will include rail, air, dirt path, road, or water travel. While players are unable to end their move in the same location as another, they can pass through town and take packages from one another on the way; “assisting” them with the delivery. As each parcel is delivered a scorecard will be filled in. Each package of the same type will be worth an increasing amount of points as well as other achievements. Same-day delivery (that’s a thing??) and other special achievements add up as well to increase points earned.

We found the game to be quite fun at all player counts, with a caveat. The first print run of the game actually doesn’t scale very well right out of the box. However, designer Ed Naujokas has a proposed rebalancing ruleset readily available on Board Game Geek for those that want to enjoy the game with less than four players. These new rules modify the number of each Transport card in the deck based on player count. When we played, we used these modifications and found that the game went smoother and faster while maintaining the challenge that larger games provide.

There are a lot of things we really like about The Great American Mail Race that aren’t even part of the gameplay. The inclusion of little thematic touches alongside the components greatly adds to the ambiance of the game. Our favorites of these include the working ink stamper and the usage of a vintage-style red and blue Airmail envelope to contain the rule sheets. The packaging also made an impact on us. Big Potato Games used recyclable, non-plastic materials for the insert and to contain loose components. While sustainability is something that has been discussed in many gaming circles, to see it implemented in a game from a big box store really impressed us. The same can be said about many of the other practices put in place by Big Potato Games to be more environmentally friendly.

The overall package of the game is truly adorable! We like the silly humor of it all – the use of real locations with funny names and the silly puns on the postcards. Zoe Lee’s art provides an almost timeless feel to the game, illustrating both past and present delivery systems with coherency. When it comes down to the game, we found it to be a great entry-level game that everyone can enjoy. There is a little bit of take-that mixed with set collection and tactical movement. It all blends well and we have already recommended this product to several friends and groups looking for something new. It also sparked a need to learn about the more obscure facts about the USPS. For example, did you know that the Stamp Fulfillment Service facility is located underground in a limestone cave? Neither did we and we can honestly say we probably never would have bothered to learn about it if it weren’t for USPS: The Great American Mail Race. We really do feel almost everyone can enjoy this game as it has an appeal, in one way or another, and charm that can be appreciated by most groups. It was a bit scarce when we went hunting for a copy, however, so if you happen to find a copy we suggest grabbing it up and giving it a try!

All photos in this review were taken and edited by Krista.