Top 10 Western Games
Robert Carroll
United States
Lawrence
Kansas
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Below is my Top 10 list of games covering aspects of the Old West . . . the American West, that is . . . . These are games that meet substantially all of the following criteria: (1) focuses on the American West; (2) has some, if not several, of the following elements: cowboys, indians, gun-fights or shoot-outs, horses, bank robberies, high stakes poker, land grabs or stake jumpers, the "Noon" train, and other "Western" things as a featured aspect of the game (or at least does an excellent job of capturing the Western "feel" of one or more of these elements); (3) compelling "theme" (not too abstract); and (4) fun to play. That said this is a list of the BEST! As always, your mileage may vary and some entries may be "controversial." As such, please feel free to comment, debate, or just express your own point of view. Feel free to
 this list (to draw attention and more comments) or any pleasing, interesting or thought provoking entries. If I missed one that you feel is essential or I am "insane for not listing" (trust me, it has been said before), then by all means let the comments fly . . . just be civil. FYI - I am a sucker for comments and discussion and usually most if not all of them.
I find that these lists sometimes are helpful for others seeking similar games and the more rich the discussion for more useful the list.
For a complete listing of my Top 10 lists, see--MetaList: Nap's Top 10 Lists - 50th GeekList.
As always, thanks for reading and participating!
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Robert Carroll
United States
Lawrence
Kansas
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"Well, what's there to say? This game has it ALL. I've played 4 times now (3 & 4 players), and my rating stands. I can't find ANYTHING wrong with this game. Theme, Thinking, Excitement, Fun and Interaction are all here. It's a "10".
This game caught me off gaurd, because I was expecting it to rate as a high 8 to a low 9. I really wasn't expecting a cowboy western themed game to rate as a 10 for me (thought that only a Fantasy or Scifi theme such as War of the Ring or Galactic Emperor could do that (haven't had a chance to play either yet), but it did."
--Arthur Rutyna (Neo_1)
"Carson City combines city building, role selection, worker placement, and tightly-themed player interaction (cowboy dueling) and comes out a big winner.
Players select a role each turn (Sheriff, Grocer, Settler, Mercenery, etc.) and then alternate turns in placing their cowboys on the board (cowboy meeples!). Players have very tough choices before them: do I place my cowboy on a promising parcel of land so that I can build on it? Do I buy a saloon for a cheap price, hoping no other players duel me for it, or do I pay a little more to make sure it remains uncontested? Do I pick the Sheriff this turn and secure my actions from being taken in a duel, or increase my firepower with the Mercenary? Do I risk fighting another player for the right to build a certain building? Do I dare roll the dice and gamble for extra income? So many choices, so much fun.
QWG's production values--always top notch--are yet again first rate. The artwork is evocative and the pieces are all extremely durable, functional, and thematically charged. There is also a genuine pleasure in watching Carson City grow from a tiny house into a full-fledged Western town. Kudos to QWG for making another game that makes you really WANT to play with those pieces!
As a highly involved strategy game, Carson City is demanding--especially on the first play--but it is worth it! Although the rules are sometimes ambiguous and in a few cases difficult to follow, the notes on BGG offer welcome clarifications.
In short: I found Carson City utterly engaging and atmospheric, with lots of room for surprise and tension in player dueling, and makes for a welcome breath of fresh air overall. Very highly recommended!"
--Alf Seegert (alfseegert)
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Robert Carroll
United States
Lawrence
Kansas
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"Without a doubt, this is the best CCG I've ever played. I wish it would make a comeback. The combination of the poker hands made with the cards for shootouts and the need to balance good poker values with good actions, good deeds, and good dudes makes it a very satisfying game for deck-building. There are also plenty of ways to win which leads to lots of interesting choices during play.
The western with supernatural theme is also well-executed and the game is a blast to play or even watch."
--Teh Slipperboy (sdonohue)
"An excellent game with a solid mix of creative combat mechanics, strategic character movement, and resource management. The ultra-cool Deadlands theme doesn't hurt, either! Speaking of the theme, Doomtown has to be one of the most thematic card games ever; you truly do feel like you're controlling a band of Wild West misfits as they vie for control of a toxic town in the middle of a wasteland. While playing Doomtoon, I've been known to twiddle my moustache, evilly.
One caveat with Doomtown is that it tends to overwhelm new players, who in turn spend most of the game turtling on their home deed and drawing the game out to a slow anticlimax. The benefits of an active, aggressive play style aren't immediately obvious to those unfamiliar with Doomtown's mechanics. For experienced card-floppers looking for something immensely creative, though, it doesn't get any better than Doomtown.
RIP, Doomie!"
--Henry Spencer (erasercrumbs)
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Robert Carroll
United States
Lawrence
Kansas
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"THE BEST, MOST DRAMATIC SECOND BY SECOND TACTICAL SHOOTOUT GAME EVER."
--KEITH DINKLAGE (DOCTORDINK)
"One of the greatest games of all time, I have played this one the most times of all my games, and with more people than any other game. In depth rules that are common sense, and therfore easy to teach new gamers. Basically you set your moves one turn ahead and go at...unless of course your hit and just lay there while your opponent takes more and more aim with his gun! A great game which allows you to recreate just about any scenario you can think of from a movie, or it has actual historical scenarios. There are eight game boards, and on each one side has a town setting, while the other has a country setting. Rules include all kinds of weapons (even a gunbelt upside the head), wagons, horses, dynamite, thrown chairs, etc. etc. It doesn't get much better than this one."
--Kirk Allton (kirko)
"One of the game I could bring with me on a desert island!
The best Old West themed game you can find ... no doubt.
It has all:
- Details: almost a simulation
- Gunfight rules; with a lot of weapons to choose from
- Brawling rules; saloon melee for example... a lot of fun!
- Campaign rules
- RPG rules; new concept as Fear, Respect ... a Career is waiting you
- Solitaire rules; when no one can play with you
- A lot of scenarios and you can build your own as well
As you can see is a COMPLETE SYSTEM but, most important of all, you'll remember for years the actions played "remember when I was about to throw a table over you head and you decided to shoot at me but your gun malfunctioned??"
BTW it is not so complicated as some people think ... you can start play all scenarios after reading 11 pages of rules (and the first one doesn't count really so you need to read only 10 pages).
I'll never sell this game and I own 2 copies."
--ROBERTO SILVA c/o MORO (rsitaly)
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Robert Carroll
United States
Lawrence
Kansas
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"I've always been a fan of Western games, ever since TSR's Boot Hill. Our group usually plays epic 8+ person BANG! games, so it's refreshing to have a new Western game to play. The game is a lot of fun, very well themed, and very interactive with other players. One of my grips with a lot of games is playing against the board - not with Deadwood. You are directly attacking and kicking players/cowboys off annexed buildings in the game. The game is an absolute hoot and very very fun! The only gripes I have are that is plays best with 3+ people. Two players is just OK, not too competitive. The game board tile placement mechanic doesn't seem to matter that much, as it's not very intuitive. From what I can tell, tile placement doesn't seem to be a dominant factor for Deadwood, it's more about cowboys, theft, and killing! Besides that, it's a great cowboy action game! I would definitely rate Deadwood higher than Bang!"
--eric barnes (landrobot)
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5.
Board Game: Bang!
[Average Rating:6.75 Overall Rank:466]
Robert Carroll
United States
Lawrence
Kansas
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"Gosh do I love me some Bang! All-time favorite card game. Combines hidden identity elements of Mafia/Werewolf with some good old fashioned structure and strategy.
Also, can't go wrong with the Spaghetti Western theme."
--Jeffrey Gibson (codexile)
"This is by far my favourite game of all time. It's impossible for me to think of a evening with friends without at least a couple of shots at Bang!"
--Massimiliano Rizzi (Zarkan)
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Robert Carroll
United States
Lawrence
Kansas
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"Really fun, fast and thematically strong game. Games tend to be really tight and the asymmetrical decks are really well tuned to allow the game to flow differently every time."
--Juuso Mattila (juuzzom)
"Revolver is certainly a challenging and really fun game, especially if you are a fan of westerns, and a nice change from the usual fantasy/sci-fi card games out there. It is great to have fixed decks and a complete game as well and the great backstory really brings the game to life beyond the mechanics which are pretty solid and easy to follow. The whole package looks excellent and again adds to the atmosphere. The rules are clear, the mechanics and structure effective and the journey consistently strong. The variety is enough to keep your attention and the turns of fate both frustrating and exciting in equal measure. The decisions about how and when to deploy your resources and firepower will keep you in the thick of things, trying to outsmart the other player. And, it plays pretty fast too.
For me though, the best part of the game is the tense storyline as the game progresses through the 5 battlefields. Essentially, you have a series of gunfights with the Colty Gang losing members of their gang as they race for the 3:15 Express from Rattlesnake Station or the Mexican Border. The Colonel Ned McReady player is under pressure to utilize attacks well and quickly kill off the Colty Gang members before they can get away. It all comes together and works very well.
Revolver is fun, easy to play, (although there is a bit of initial reading including backstory to get through) interactive, action packed, dripping with theme and a jolly good romp through a spaghetti western. It is limited to 2 players and not everyone may be interested in the theme but it is a well designed, strong addition to the 2-player card game category."
--Mark Rivera (mrivera)
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Robert Carroll
United States
Lawrence
Kansas
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"Components: Great artwork for the board and the cards. The poker dice are functional. The money, though small, works surprisingly well.
Experience: I can't believe how fun this is. I was skeptical of the keep-only-one-die rule at first, but it ended up being such a nail-biting source of contention. Usually all or almost all of the town's buildings are attractive, but the competition can be viscous, whether for the Bank because we're low on cash, or for the Saloon to steal (or keep another player from stealing), or for the Town Hall when there are some juicy claims on display. Very fun, and plays quickly."
--Will M. Baker (darquil)
"Don't be fooled: this game might have dice but it is anything but a pure luck-driven game. Dice Town is all about luck-management wich is something completely different. It has alot of interesting dillema's for such a lighter game and the dice cup and optimal roll selection part is so addictive. For me this is the best lighter game in my collection and a modern classic that cen be played both with gamers and non gamers."
--David Ausloos (ausloosd)
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Robert Carroll
United States
Lawrence
Kansas
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"This is the Western shoot-em-up I'd been waiting for! Simplicity and ease of play are this games' strengths. Even if it had more competition in this genre, it'd still be the best in my book."
--Eric Avila (TXLawDog)
"A really fun, simple game that is a nice change of pace from my normal brainburner games like ASL and Go. Evokes the Old West theme wonderfully. The game is almost TOO simple, but with the Advanced Rules and a more in-depth scenario, it can still be pretty involved. Plusses: S***load of scenarios, good quality chits and boards, great theme. Minuses: Simplistic, some awkward rules, NOT ENOUGH SCENARIOS!
I really hope they make an expansion for this game. My friend and I love it!"
--Paul Franklin-Bihary (paulus22)
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Robert Carroll
United States
Lawrence
Kansas
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"Easy rules to learn, quick fast play, a lot of fun if you are a fan of westerns!"
--Justin Me (cptnemo)
"Did enjoy this quick, fun, western themed game. Saloon brawl game, quick, fast and easy. Can't go wrong."
--Carlos Robledo (crobledo)
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Robert Carroll
United States
Lawrence
Kansas
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"Very rich in theme. Plays best if all players agree to keep the game rollin' avoiding mini/maxing. I only play the wounded cowboy variant, $10 trains, and Struggle of Empire pay out rolls for the Banks (personal payout difference of two dice then matched by the "government", 7s bank blows up). Tons of cool tactical and strategic decisions, if you want a western themed game this is the one. Works best with 4 or 5 players. It really has everything you need."
--Morgan Dontanville (sisteray)
"Nasty game when the end reaches near. At first you do not suspect the brutality, but as the game progresses, the players tend to step on each other's toes, and gunfights are really violent! Very good game indeed, with simple, easy-to-learn rules!"
--John Michalski (jmichalski)
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