Chaparral

About this board game

Chaparral is a 2016 board game for 1–4 players, with an approximate play time of 90 minutes. Each player takes the role of an investor in the old American West, seeking fortune, prestige and prosperity.

The board features twelve characters, each enabling different actions. Players must plan carefully as they welcome diligence, acquire and profit from businesses and farms, trade in the market, pursue mining opportunities, hire cowboys and settlers, and help build the railway.

Players accomplish goals through their choices and timing. The available objectives are limited, so deciding which opportunities to pursue is an important part of the game. The first player to reach a certain number of goals triggers the end of the game, although reaching that point does not necessarily guarantee victory.

• Invest in businesses and farms
• Trade in the market and pursue mining
• Hire cowboys and settlers
• Contribute to railway construction
• Adapt to unexpected events and the presence of Apaches

Unexpected events can require players to change their plans during the course of the game. The presence of Apaches, displaced from their natural habitat by the arrival of white settlers, adds another factor that may affect strategic decisions.

With its combination of investment, varied character actions, limited objectives and changing circumstances, Chaparral challenges players to plan ahead while remaining ready to adjust their approach. The race to complete goals shapes the closing stages as each investor works toward fortune and prosperity in the developing West.