Boardgames

Western Legends

Immerse yourself in the American Wild West with Western Legends! Assume the roles of historic figures, gamble, duel, and write your own legend in this open-world adventure board game.

90
minutes

2 - 6
player(s)

14+

Medium

About the game

Historic characters from the American Wild West face off and write new legends across the face of history! Gather your gun, your mount, and your grit as you forge your path into the history books. Western Legends is an open-world sandbox tabletop adventure for 2-6 players set in the American Wild West. Players assume the roles of historical figures of the era, earning their legendary status in a variety of ways: gamble, drive cattle, prospect for gold, rob the bank, fight bandits, pursue stories, become an outlaw, keep the peace. The possibilities are darn near endless. Each player’s turn starts with drawing poker cards and/or gaining cash. Then they choose three actions. Possible actions include: move on the map (how far depends on whether they have a mount), doing a location-specific action (such as mine for gold if they are at a gold mine, gamble if they’re in a saloon, etc.), fight other players at the same location (either duel them, rob them, or arrest them if they’re wanted), play poker cards that have action abilities, etc. Legendary Points (LPs) are earned based on the outcomes of many of these actions, and the winner is whoever has the most LPs at the end of the game. Key Points - Award-winning gaming experience set in the American West! - Beautiful artwork, and presentation brings this highly thematic game to life. - Intuitive gameplay and choices lets you write your own legend every game! Note: The Russian edition of Western Legends contains two expansions packaged inside the box and thus has its own entry here: Легенды дикого запада (Western Legends)

Setup and rules summary

Game components Unboxing the fun!

Western Legends is a sandbox style, action game that allows players to explore the Wild West in different roles, such as a Marshal, Outlaw, or Pioneer. The game relies heavily on its components to create a rich, immersive experience for players. Below are the different components included in the game and their respective roles:

1. Game Board: The game board is the playing field for Western Legends. It’s a map of the old west, featuring different locations like the Gold Mine, General Store, and Saloon. Players move their characters around this board to perform various actions.

2. Miniatures: There are 12 unique miniature figures in Western Legends. Each figure represents a different character that a player can choose to embody during the game, such as Billy the Kid or Calamity Jane.

3. Player Boards: There are 12 player boards in the game, one for each character. These boards help players track their character’s stats, equipment, and resources.

4. Cards: Western Legends includes several types of cards:

  • Action Cards: These give players special abilities or actions that they can use during their turn.
  • Item Cards: These represent the various items that players can purchase from the General Store. Items can give players advantages or abilities.
  • Poker Cards: These are used when players choose to play a game of poker at the Saloon. The winner of the poker game usually receives monetary rewards or other benefits.
  • Story Cards: These drive the narrative of the game. When certain conditions are met, a Story Card is revealed and its effects are implemented, often changing game conditions or providing new opportunities for players.

5. Tokens and Markers: Western Legends includes a variety of tokens and markers:

  • Gold Nugget Tokens: These are used to track the gold that a player has collected from the Gold Mine.
  • Wanted/Not Wanted Tokens: These indicate whether a player is wanted by the law or not. Being wanted can have both positive and negative effects.
  • Wound Markers: These are used to track the damage that a player’s character has taken. If a character’s wounds equal their health, they are “killed” and respawn at the Doctor’s Office.
  • Money Tokens: These are used as the currency in the game. Money can be gained through various actions such as winning poker games, selling gold nuggets, or robbing the bank.

6. Dice: The game includes two types of dice: a 10-sided die for mining gold and a 6-sided die for resolving fights. The 10-sided die has different amounts of gold nuggets on each face, while the 6-sided die has different outcomes for fights (hit, miss, or critical hit).

Game setup Lay it out, line it up, let’s go

‘Western Legends’ is an open-world sandbox tabletop game for 2-6 players set in the American Wild West. Players assume the roles of historical figures of the era, earning their legendary status in a variety of ways: gamble, drive cattle, prospect for gold, rob the bank, fight bandits, pursue stories, become an outlaw, keep the peace. The possibilities are near endless. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to set up the game:

1. Setting Up The Board:

Place the game board in the middle of the table. Make sure all players can access it comfortably. The board is divided into several areas, including the town of Darkrock, the town of Red Falls, the Gold Mine, the Ranch and the General Store.

2. Preparing The Cards:

Shuffle the Poker Cards and place the deck on its designated spot on the board. Do the same for the Story Cards. Each player will start with two Poker Cards.

3. Preparing The Tokens:

Sort out the Gold Nuggets, Cattle Tokens, and Wound Tokens. Place them in piles next to the game board within reach of all players.

4. Setting Up The Money:

Sort the Money and make separate piles for each denomination next to the board. Each player starts the game with $20.

5. Preparing The Dice:

Place the Prospecting Dice next to the Gold Mine.

6. Setting Up The Characters:

Each player chooses a character from the Character Cards. Each character has unique abilities and starting resources which are indicated on the card. Place the matching miniatures on the Saloon space of Darkrock. Give each player their starting resources.

7. Preparing The Legend Points:

Each player takes a Score Marker of their color and places it on the ‘0’ space of the Legend Points track. Legend points will be earned throughout the game to determine the winner.

8. Setting Up The Outlaw Track:

Each player places one of their colored cubes on the zero space of the Outlaw Track. Players who commit crimes during the game will move up this track.

9. Setting Up The Cattle:

Place all of the Cattle Tokens in a bag and shuffle them. Draw two and place them on the Ranch space.

10. Random Elements:

Random elements in Western Legends include the Poker Cards, Story Cards, and Cattle Tokens. These are drawn from their respective decks or bags during gameplay.

Now, the game is ready to start. Remember, the goal of the game is to become the most Legendary figure of the Wild West. This is achieved by gaining Legend Points, which are earned by performing actions that contribute to your character’s story.

Game flow Round and round we go

Western Legends is an open-world sandbox tabletop game, where players take on the roles of historical figures of the Wild West. The game is played over a series of turns until the endgame is triggered, with each turn consisting of three phases: the Start Phase, the Action Phase, and the End Phase. Each player completes these three phases on their turn, before play moves to the next player.

The Start Phase

During the Start Phase, players perform the following actions in order:

  1. Refresh: The player refreshes their exhausted cards.
  2. Draw: The player draws up to their hand limit from the Poker deck.
  3. Event: If the player has no Wanted Points, they draw and resolve an event card.

The Action Phase

During the Action Phase, players have a total of three actions to use. They may choose from the following actions, and may perform the same action multiple times:

  • Move: The player moves their character up to their movement limit.
  • Use an Action on a Card: The player uses an action listed on one of their cards.
  • Work: The player chooses a location and performs the associated work action.
  • Prospect for Gold: The player attempts to find gold in a mountain area.
  • Use a Location: The player uses the action associated with their current location.
  • Fight: The player initiates a fight with another player or non-player character.

The End Phase

During the End Phase, players perform the following actions:

  1. Check Hand Limit: The player discards down to their hand limit.
  2. End of Turn: The player signifies the end of their turn.

The game continues with players taking turns until the endgame is triggered, either by a player reaching a certain amount of Legendary Points or by the end of the Man in Black deck. At this point, the game concludes with a final round before players calculate their final scores to determine the winner.

Players'turn One turn to rule them all

Western Legends is an open-world, sandbox-style board game that allows players to live out their wildest Western fantasies. During a player’s turn, they have a multitude of actions and strategic choices at their disposal. These will be broken down in detail below:

At the start of each turn, a player may perform 3 actions. These actions include:

  1. Movement: A player may move their character pawn a number of spaces up to their current mount’s speed. This is necessary to travel to different areas on the board to perform various activities.
  2. Poker: Players can choose to play a hand of poker at the saloon. This involves selecting a poker card from their hand and comparing it with other players. The player with the highest card wins and gains rewards.
  3. Prospecting: This action involves mining for gold in the mountains. The player rolls a die and the result determines the amount of gold they have found. Gold can be used to buy items or gain points.
  4. Work: Players can choose to work for a small amount of money. This action does not involve any dice rolls or cards. It can be a safe but slow way to accumulate wealth.
  5. Cattle Rustling: A risky action that allows a player to steal cattle for money. However, it increases the player’s wanted level and can attract the attention of the sheriff.
  6. Combat: Players can choose to fight other players or the sheriff. This involves dice rolls and can result in rewards or penalties depending on the outcome.
  7. Trading: Players can buy or sell items at the General Store or trade with other players. This can result in gains or losses depending on the transaction.

Strategic choices in Western Legends involve managing your reputation and risk. Players can choose to be law-abiding citizens, earning points for performing good deeds and capturing outlaws, or they can choose the life of an outlaw, earning points for successful criminal activities but risking run-ins with the law.

Furthermore, managing resources, such as money and gold, is crucial. These resources can be used to buy powerful items, pay off bounties, or directly converted into points.

Finally, the poker mechanic introduces an element of bluffing and risk management. Choosing when to play high cards, when to bluff, and when to fold can be crucial to winning the game.

In conclusion, a player’s turn in Western Legends is filled with exciting choices and strategic decisions. The player must balance risk and reward to earn the most points and win the game.

End of the game All good games must come to an end

Western Legends is a thrilling, open-world board game where players assume the roles of historic figures of the Wild West. The game is driven by a point system, known as “Legend Points” (LP). The end of the game is triggered when a player reaches a certain number of LPs, depending on the number of players in the game.

The game ends in one of two ways:

  • Triggering the End: If a player reaches the predetermined number of LPs, they trigger the end of the game. For a 2-3 player game, the limit is 20 LPs. For a 4-6 player game, the limit is 15 LPs. Once this happens, the current round is played to completion, ensuring all players have an equal number of turns.
  • Deck Exhaustion: The game also ends when the poker deck is exhausted for the third time. The round is completed as mentioned above.

Once the game ends, players proceed to final scoring. Here are the steps that players must take:

  1. Marshal and Wanted Tracks: Players score additional LPs depending on their final position on the Marshal and Wanted tracks. The higher a player’s token is on these tracks, the more points they receive.
  2. Legendary Items and Mounts: Players reveal their legendary items and mounts, scoring the LPs indicated on the cards.
  3. Gold Nuggets and Cash: Players convert their remaining gold nuggets and cash into LPs at a rate of $10 to 1 LP. Any remaining money under $10 is disregarded.

The player with the highest total of LPs, after final scoring, is declared the winner. In case of a tie, the player with the most cash and gold combined wins. If there is still a tie, the player who triggered the end of the game wins.

Scoring Did you outsmart your rivals?

Western Legends is an exciting sandbox adventure game where players take on the roles of historical figures from the American Wild West. The objective is to achieve the most Legendary Points (LP) by the end of the game. Players earn LP through a variety of activities. Here are the various ways to score points:

  • Mining Gold: Players can earn LP by mining for gold. Each nugget of gold can be deposited at the bank for 1 LP.
  • Playing Poker: Winning a hand at poker can earn a player LP. The amount varies depending on the location and other factors.
  • Performing an Action: Certain actions such as arresting a bandit or rustling cattle can earn players LP.
  • Completing Story Cards: Players can earn LP by completing objectives on story cards.
  • End of Game Bonuses: At the end of the game, players receive bonus LP based on their rank on the Wanted and Marshal tracks, and any remaining money.

The game ends when a player reaches the determined Legendary Point goal, or all the cards in the story deck have been used. The player with the most Legendary Points at the end of the game is declared the winner.

In the event of a tie, the game has specific tie-breaking rules. The tied player with the most total wealth (money + gold nuggets + cattle) is the winner. If there is still a tie, the player who achieved the Legendary Point goal first is the winner. If there is still a tie, the player with the most cards in hand wins. If there’s still a tie, then the game is a draw.

Tips and tricks Play smarter, not harder!

Advanced Strategies for ‘Western Legends’

1. Optimize your actions: Every action point is precious in Western Legends. Always plan your moves to maximize the use of your action points. Sometimes, it is better to perform a lesser action if it results in better overall productivity.

2. Invest in poker cards: Having a good set of poker cards can provide a significant advantage. These cards can be used in various ways – from winning fights to gaining extra resources.

3. Stay flexible: Although it’s good to have a strategy, Western Legends is a game of opportunity. Be ready to change your plans based on the cards drawn and the moves of your opponents.

Beginner Tips for ‘Western Legends’

1. Start with simple tasks: If you’re new to the game, stick to straightforward tasks like cattle herding and mining gold. They provide a steady income and can help you understand the game mechanics.

2. Learn to fight: Combat is a crucial aspect of Western Legends. Don’t shy away from fights, as they can provide valuable rewards and experience.

3. Pay attention to your opponents: Keep an eye on what other players are doing. This can give you an idea of their strategies and help you plan your moves accordingly.

Common Mistakes to Avoid in ‘Western Legends’

1. Ignoring the story cards: Story cards can provide significant benefits and should not be ignored. They can drastically change the course of the game.

2. Not managing your resources: It’s easy to get caught up in the action and forget to manage your resources. Always plan ahead and ensure you have enough resources for your next move.

3. Overlooking the wanted track: Gaining wanted points can provide powerful bonuses. However, it also makes you a target for the sheriff. Balance your actions accordingly.

Ways to Optimize Gameplay in ‘Western Legends’

1. Manage your risk: Western Legends is a game of risk and reward. Sometimes, taking a risk can lead to a big payoff, but it can also put you in a difficult position. Learn to manage your risk effectively.

2. Balance your strategy: Don’t focus too much on one aspect of the game. A balanced strategy that includes exploring, fighting, and managing resources can often lead to victory.

3. Utilize your character’s abilities: Each character in Western Legends has unique abilities. Make sure to utilize these abilities to gain an advantage over your opponents.

Thematics

Mechanics

Download
Official Rules - EN