Pioneer Days

About this board game

Pioneer Days is a dice-drafting game for 2–4 players that takes about 75 minutes, challenging you to lead a wagon train along the perilous Oregon Trail.

Each round, players draw dice from a bag, roll them, and take turns drafting one die. Your choice can help you collect silver, hire a townsfolk, or perform an action based on the die value. Gather wood, medicine, cattle, equipment, and gold nuggets while developing a plan for the journey ahead.

Every die you leave behind has consequences. The unchosen die advances a disaster track according to its color, bringing one of four frontier hazards closer to its effect:

• Raids: lose half of your silver.
• Famine: spend 1 silver per cattle or lose the cattle.
• Disease: spend 1 medicine per townsfolk or lose the townsfolk.
• Storms: spend 1 wood per wagon or suffer damage to your wagons.

Townsfolk provide immediate or constant benefits, along with possible end-game scoring bonuses. Wagons, cattle, supplies, and equipment support your progress, but each resource must be managed with the coming disasters in mind.

At the end of every round, you may satisfy the current town’s favor conditions to earn its favor. Balance short-term opportunities against the dangers you help advance, prepare for inevitable disasters, and pursue the strategy that will earn the most points. With its distinctive dice-drafting system and Oregon Trail-inspired setting, Pioneer Days combines resource gathering, preparation, and difficult choices on the road to victory.