Doomtown: Weird West Edition

About this board game

Doomtown: Weird West Edition is a poker-driven territory-control card game for 1–6 players, with a playing time of about 60 minutes. Set in the Weird West of Deadlands, it challenges players to gain control of Deadwood, South Dakota.

In this dangerous town, cowpokes wield guns, steampunk gadgets, and spells, while death can be only a minor inconvenience. Six main groups struggle for control, including That All Look At’s effort to enforce a fragile treaty, Hao-Te Zui’s Anarchists defending townsfolk, E.B. Farnum’s Entrepreneurs driving rivals out of business, and Ursula’s cult preparing to summon the great Worm.

Every card has a suit and value, so poker controls the game’s randomization. Building the hands you want to draw is part of deck building, alongside choosing the actions and dudes you want to play. Each deck is built around an Outfit representing one of the factions seeking control of Deadwood.

During the day, players take one action at a time. Their options include:

• Hiring a dude to increase influence in town
• Purchasing a deed to gain control in town
• Shopping for gear for their dudes
• Starting a shootout to remove an opponent’s influence

Combat is resolved with poker hands, and turn order is also decided through poker: players draw the top five cards of their decks, with the lowest hands going first. When everyone passes, Sundown begins. If one player has more control in town than anyone else has influence, that player wins.

Released in 2023, Doomtown: Weird West Edition updates and remains fully compatible with the 2014 release of Doomtown: Reloaded, itself based on the 1998 Origins Awards Best Trading Card Game, Deadlands: Doomtown.