Black Hills

About this board game

Black Hills is a resource-management game for 2–4 players, with a playing time of approximately 60 minutes. Set during the 1876 Gold Rush, it challenges players to gather valuable goods, convert them into status points, and become the new mayor.

Each round, players receive four character cards and choose two to use. The game includes 16 characters drawn from cowboys, settlers, and Indians, with every character offering a distinct ability. Players place their chosen characters in one of four locations: the woods, plains, city, or jail.

Character abilities and locations determine how players develop their position. They may acquire wood, gold pieces, and leather, or invest resources in the city in exchange for status points. The first player to obtain five status points wins the game and is appointed mayor of Black Hills.

• Manage three resources: wood, gold pieces, and leather.
• Select two characters each round from four available cards.
• Use character abilities across the woods, plains, city, and jail.
• Buy event cards for one gold piece and play them whenever you want.
• Hire a gunman to try to steal resources from fellow players.

The event deck adds disruption and tactical opportunities to the regular flow of play. Events can grant extra status points, close locations, or force other players to lose resources, giving you ways to reshape the contest at crucial moments.

Prefer direct confrontation to careful investment? Your gold can also fund hired gunmen, bringing a sharper edge to this Wild West struggle. In Black Hills, every decision can bring you closer to civic prestige—or leave you with nothing in your pockets.