Way West Rules

 

How to Win

This game is a race! The first player to arrive back at their City of Origin having accumulated $1,000 in cash and redeemed gold wins the game.

How to Start

Players begin in a different eastern City of Origin with $300 and their own uniquely colored place indicators and markers.

Destination

Your first objective is to travel across the continent as it was in 1849, be the first to collect the most gold possible in your pre-determined Destination City, and then return to your City of Origin safely before any other player.

How to Move

Play occurs by rolling two dice and moving on railroads, lakes and rivers, roads, and trails through squares marked on the board. A roll of doubles signifies an extra turn, which you can use to move yourself or move an opposing player backward by that same amount.
Travel is more difficult, costly, and dangerous west of the Mississippi River. Once you collect gold vouchers in your Destination City, you may move by rolling three dice. You can also move an extra 5 spaces when traveling downriver, though this benefit does not apply when rowing upriver.

Fees

• Railroads and Waterways: $40 one-way ticket on interconnected railroad systems or $40 for interconnected river, lake, and canal systems.
• Wagons: $60 to buy a “fit-out” or new wagon marker at specially marked wagon cities along the Mississippi River and in Canada.
• Dangers West of the Mississippi: Substantial costs if attacked by Native American Indian tribes or bandits.

Bankruptcy

If you go bankrupt, you’re out of the game. However, this is entirely avoidable, as you can substitute a regular move with a “work move” to restock your money supply.

 

Destination Cities/Capturing Gold

The first player to reach their City of Destination in the west, as indicated on their City of Destination card, captures the largest payout of gold vouchers. With each round of play, the amount of gold increases. However, you cannot redeem your gold vouchers into actual money until you return east, cross the Mississippi River, and reach your City of Origin for that round. If you do not at least cross over the Mississippi, you forfeit your gold vouchers to the bank. If you do reach the Mississippi but fall short of reaching your City of Origin before the winning player does so, you redeem only half the value of your gold vouchers.

Dangers

A roll of snake-eyes (“1 and 1”) indicates an attack by Native Americans for trespassing upon their lands. If thrown while you are still east of the Mississippi, you merely go back two squares and lose your turn; if thrown west of the Mississippi, it means a “bow and arrow attack” and must be defended against in a best-of-three roll (their three dice against your two). If you lose, you are captured and transported to the nearest tribal nation, pay a fee of ten times the amount rolled on your last defensive roll of the dice, and move with only one die on your next turn.

There is a good side to this, however; if you pay the full amount of tribute money, you collect a Tribal Nation Card (a sort of ‘get out of jail card’, but only if you pay the full amount owing) and you are now considered friends. You are now immune from any further attacks from Indian tribes anywhere. Another advantage: if you are later attacked by any tribe, you may deflect such future attacks upon any one opposing player who must now defend themselves as if they had thrown snake-eyes.

A double cross move (“2 and 2”) indicates a Bandit attack. If thrown east of the Mississippi, players move back 4 spaces and forfeit their turn. If thrown west of the Mississippi, it means a “double cross” attack and must be defended against as with an Indian attack described above. If you lose in this shootout, you will be transported to the nearest Spanish or French mission, pay a fee of 10 times the amount shown on your last defensive roll, and while recovering from your wounds, move with only one die on your next turn. Unlike Indian attacks, there is no forging of friendships with these kinds of cut-throat bandits.

Rounds of Play

It will take you at least two, likely three, rounds of play to win this game with the amount of payouts for finding gold increasing with each round. (See Rule Book for Payout Chart.)

Tips for Winning

See Rule Book – But just remember, it’s the Wild West of 1849. Have fun! Stay safe! And move as fast and as far as you can.