Manual — Colt Express: Horses & Stagecoach

2
Crossing the plains, the railroad runs along the track that links Des Moines to Bismarck.
Stagecoaches are running alongside the Iron Horse in great clouds of dust that you can see
for miles.
The passengers of the Wells, Fargo & Company line are dozing when the Colt Express comes
up beside their stagecoach. They are not yet aware that a robbery is underway in the train
as they cannot see between the heavy leather curtains. Six unscrupulous bandits are riding
between the railroad and the track. The passengers will learn the hard way very soon of
their misdeeds.
Contents
1 Stagecoach
1 Shotgun pawn
6 Horse pawns
1 Strongbox carrying $1000
Note - Before your first game, carefully assemble the Stagecoach using the enclosed instructions.
5 Whiskey flasks
1 Old Whiskey flask
6 "Ride" Action cards
8 Hostage cards
3 Neutral Bullet cards
13 Round cards
– 5 cards for 2-4 players
– 5 cards for 5-6 players
– 3 Train Station cards
Set-up
Place the Stagecoach at the right of the Locomotive.
On the roof of the Stagecoach, place the Strongbox token. On this token, put
the Shotgun pawn.
In each Car, except in the Locomotive, place a Flask of Whiskey. These tokens
are taken at random and placed face-down. The remaining Flask tokens are put
back into the game box.
Draw as many Hostage cards as there are players minus one. Display them at
the left of the Locomotive. The remaining Hostage cards are put back into the
game box.
Shuffle the Round cards with the ones from the base game. Do
the same with the Train Station cards.
Then randomly draw 4 Round cards and 1 Train Station card,
as in the base game.
Add the 3 Neutral Bullet cards to the 13 Neutral Bullet cards
from the base game.
Each player adds the Ride card of his color to his Action cards
deck.
Each player takes a Horse pawn.
The Bandit pawns are not placed at the beginning of the game
like they usually are. You have to follow the set-up rule on the
opposite page: Horse Attack.

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3
1 2 3 4
Horse attack
Before the game starts, the Bandits arrive on horseback. They can choose the
Car where they will start the game. Nobody can start in the Locomotive or in
the Stagecoach.
Each player holds out his closed fist over the table with either his Bandit pawn
or his Horse pawn inside. If you play with the special rules for 2 players, hide
in your fist 2 pawns instead of 1: one for each of your Bandits. Then the players
reveal the contents of their hand(s) simultaneously.
The players who have their Bandit in their hand place it in the Caboose. They
must place their Horse at the right of the train, next to the Caboose.
The other players thus choose to go on riding. They are invited to shout, "Clip
clop, clip clop, Yee Hawwww!" all together. Then they hold out their fist again,
with their Bandit or their Horse inside, choosing to enter the Car next to the
Caboose or not.
And so on... If there is only one player left, he can directly choose his starting
car among the remaining ones.
You can start the game in any Car except the Locomotive.
Once the Horse Attack is over, the Horses do not belong to a particular Bandit.
Any Bandit can ride any Horse.
Ride Action
Extract from the Manual for the Perfect Pirates of the Far West, p.1 : "Banditry is not just
associated with dishonest acts, it is above all a way of life. Knowing how to be a true bandit
is not just stealing in front of everyone, but is rather sneaking inside someone's pocket with
class and refinement. It is not riding heavily on an old nag but rather jumping on his faithful
charger from the roof of a fast train..."
This new Action card can be played during the Schemin' phase
like any other Action card.
If there is at least one Horse at the level of the Car where your
Bandit is when the Actions are resolved, he rides this Horse. He
can jump on a Horse either from inside the Train or from the Roof.
If no Horse is adjacent to your Car, this Action has no effect.
Then move your Bandit, and the Horse the player is riding, by 0, 1, 2 or 3 Cars
(your choice) to the front or the back of the train.
At the end of this movement, place your Bandit inside the train, in the Car next
to the Horse. If your Bandit is next to the Stagecoach, you can choose to place
your Bandit inside the Stagecoach instead of the train.
At the end of the Ride action, there must be no Bandit on Horseback; all the
Bandits must be in the train or the Stagecoach.
The First Player is randomly chosen among the Bandits who are in the fur-
thest Car from the Locomotive.
It is allowed to use the Horse as an intermediary between the Stagecoach and
the Car in front of it. In this case, the Horse doesn't move.
Turns

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The Stagecoach
Inside the Stagecoach
Extract from the Manual for the Perfect Pirates of the Far West, p.591:
"A bandit, seeing a rich and defenseless man who had the bad idea to stand in his way, would always take him as a hostage, even if the ransom doesn’t match his expectations. This is expressly stipulated in Article 12.3 from the Bandit Honor code."
The inside of the Stagecoach can be reached by going down from the Stagecoach's roof with a Floor Change Action or by riding with a Ride Action card. The inside of this Car is considered adjacent to the Stagecoach regarding the Fire and the Punch actions.
Note - The Marshall never goes inside the Stagecoach. He must stay inside the train to protect the passengers.
When a Bandit enters the Stagecoach, if he has not taken a Hostage yet, he MUST take the Hostage of his choice from among the available ones (if there is one remaining).
Place the chosen Hostage card next to your Character card or profile. A Hostage gives you money at the end of the game. However, you'll have to support their inconvenient presence (see Hostage description p.6).
The roof of the Stagecoach
You can go on the roof of the Stagecoach from the inside of the Stagecoach with a Floor Change Action or from the roof of the Car next to it. You can move from the Car's roof to the Stagecoach's roof and vice versa using one of the movements of a Move action.
The roof of the Car and the roof of the Stagecoach are considered adjacent regarding the Move, the Fire and the Punch actions.
Note - A Bandit can have only one Hostage.
Note - Once you have taken a Hostage, nobody can take him from you. You cannot get rid of him, either.
Note - Should you play with the special rules for 2 players, each of your Bandits is allowed to take one hostage.

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A Bandit on the Stagecoach's roof can shoot any Bandit who is on the train's roof. Conversely, you can shoot a Bandit on the Stagecoach's roof from any position on the train's roof.
Beware! In these two cases, Django's ability does not apply.
Angry Shotgun
The Shotgun doesn't act until somebody tries to steal from him the Strongbox that he is protecting.
To release the Strongbox, a Bandit must play a Punch action and hits the Shotgun.
Note - If you can punch either Belle or the Shotgun, you must punch the Shotgun.
When he is punched, the Shotgun leaves his Strongbox. He is ejected to the roof of the Car next to the Stagecoach. He will stay on the train's roof until the end of the game.
Beware! A Bandit cannot stay on the same position as the Shotgun on the train's roof. If a Bandit ends his movement on the Shotgun's position, he immediately gets a Neutral Bullet card and must run to the adjacent car's roof of his choice (even if he has just come from there). He can't run to the Stagecoach.
A Bandit can move across the Shotgun's position. In this case, his move goes on normally but he immediately get a Neutral Bullet card.
You cannot shoot at the Shotgun.
The Shotgun blocks the line of sight when firing on the train's roof (but not when firing from or to the Stagecoach's roof).
At the end of each round, after applying the possible event, move the Stagecoach one Car towards the Caboose (except if the Stagecoach is already next to the Caboose). If the Shotgun is on the train's roof, then move him one Car to keep him next to the Stagecoach.

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The Hostages
A Hostage’s effect applies as soon as you take their card. The ransom is
obtained at the end of the game, during the points’ count.
The Zealot
"Take your time and pray to our Lord."
You cannot use the Ride Action anymore.
Ransom: $700
The Minister
"Don't shoot, son!"
Draw one card less than you are allowed to at the begin-
ning of each Round.
Ransom: $900
The Old Lady
"Don't go too fast; I'm not twenty anymore..."
You can move only one Car on the roof (instead of 3).
Ransom: $500 per Jewel token you have
The Teacher
"Even a child would understand that it is naughty to beat his
classmates!"
You cannot Punch anymore. This Action card becomes
useless for you.
Ransom: $800
The Banker
"My family wouldn't give a single dollar to have me back, you
know. Let's talk business instead..."
This Hostage doesn't bring any negative effect.
Ransom: $1000 if you have at least one Strongbox.
The Lady's poodle
"Woof! Woof! RRRRR"
Add a Neutral Bullet card to your deck at the beginning
of each Round.
Ransom: $1000
"Damn dog! He's just bitten me!"

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The Photographer
"Don't move..." FLASH "The more striking my pictures are, the more interesting my documentary will be."
You cannot play your Action cards face down anymore, even if you are Ghost.
Ransom: $200 per Bullet card of another Bandit (not allied if you are playing with the team variant) in your deck.

The Poker Player
"— Should you lend me this purse, I'm sure I can make you double your loot by playing a card game with that man over there. You'd earn your wages honestly for once!"
You lose the special ability of your Bandit until the end of the game.
Ransom: $250 per Purse token you have

The Whiskey Flasks
Extract from the Manual for the Perfect Pirates of the Far West, p.158:
"Too much alcohol is unhealthy. However, if your life depends on it, don't hesitate too long."
The Whiskey Flasks are a new kind of loot you can get by playing a Robbery action.
Each Whiskey Flask can be used twice in a game.
After the first use, flip the Flask token on its side showing a half-drunk Flask. After the second use, discard the token once and for all.
During the Schemin' phase, on your turn, you can use a Flask instead of playing an Action card or drawing 3 cards.
A Whiskey Flask can be used only during a normal turn (with no special rule).

Normal Whiskey Flask
Draw 3 cards, then play an Action card from your hand. You cannot draw 3 other cards instead of playing your Action card.

Old Whiskey Flask
You play two Action cards in a row. You cannot draw 3 cards instead of playing one of the two cards.
If a half-drunk Whiskey is dropped on the floor after being punched, it stays on its "half-drunk" side.

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2-4
5-6
2-4
2-4
8
The Round cards
Special turn: Turmoil
During this turn, the players choose which card they are going to play and reveal them all at the same time. The Action cards are then placed on the common pile in the normal order.
It is still possible to skip your own turn in order to draw 3 more cards. It has to be done before the other cards are revealed.
End of Round bonus
Extract from the Manual for the Perfect Pirates of the Far West, p.236 : "A true bandit would always have a head start compared to you. If he doesn't have it yet, he could probably steal it from you."
On the Round cards of this expansion, a new icon shown opposite appears. For each icon of this kind you can see on the Round card, you are allowed, if you wish, to keep one of the cards you have in hand for the next Round.
This effect is applied between the Schemin' phase and the Stealin' phase.
At the beginning of the next Round, the cards you have set aside are not shuffled with your deck. You draw cards to get a hand of 6 cards (or 7 for Doc).
The Events
Panting horses
In a 5-6 player-game, remove from the game the 3 Horses closest to the Caboose.
In a 2-4 player-game, remove from the game the 2 Horses closest to the Caboose.
A shot of Whiskey for the Marshall
If there is a Whiskey Flask on the Marshall's position, remove this token from the game. If it is a classic Whiskey Flask, the Marshall moves to the adjacent Car, toward the back of the train. If it is an Old Whiskey Flask, the Marshall moves on as many Cars as necessary to reach the Caboose. Each time the Marshall meets a Bandit during this movement, the latter must flee on the roof and gets a Neutral Bullet card as a free gift as usual.
If there is no Whiskey Flask on the Marshall's position, nothing happens.
Higher speed
Move all Bandits who are on the roof of the train one Car towards the back of the train.
Moreover, move all Horses, the Stagecoach and the Shotgun one Car towards the back of the train.
The Shotgun's rage
All the Bandits who are standing in the Stagecoach or on its roof or in the Car in front of the Stagecoach or on its roof receive a Neutral Bullet.

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STOP
STOP
STOP
– $150:
9
Sharing the loot
At the end of the game, if several Bandits are on the same Car and at the same level, and one of them owns a Strongbox, the value of this one is shared between all the present Bandits. If needed, the result is rounded down.
Escape
At the end of the game, order is re-established on board the train. All the Bandits remaining in the Train (either inside a Car, the Locomotive or on the roof) will get caught. They won't be able to win the game.
In order to avoid being caught, the Bandits have to leave the train by either of these means:
- playing a Ride card during this Round and permanently leaving the train. The game is over for those players but they are in the race for the victory;
- standing on the Stagecoach at the end of the game (inside it or on the roof).
Mortal Bullet
Each player loses $150 for each Bullet received during this Round. This includes the Neutral Bullets and those from all the Bandits.
In order to facilitate the count of those Bullets, it is advised to play them apart during this Round.
The points are calculated the same way as usual from the base game. However, the Hostage's ransoms have to be added.
End of the game

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Special rules to play in teams
These special rules allow teams of two to play so the number of players needs to
be even. It can be played with or without the Horses and Stagecoach expansion.
Setup
The two players of the team sit next to each other. The first player, on the right hand side, is called Player A. The second one is Player B. They always play one after the other.
Player A of each team places his Bandit in the Caboose. Player B of each team places his bandit in the Car next to the Caboose. If you play with the Horses and Stagecoach expansion, use the Horse Attack rule.
First Player
The First Player is drawn randomly among the players A of each team.
For each new Round, the player A of the next team clockwise becomes the next First Player (and not Player B of the same team).
First Player for
the first Round
Player A
team 1
Player B
direction
of the
game
First Player
for the second
Round
Player A
team 2
Player B

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Starting around
At the beginning of each Round, each player draws a card from the deck of his partner and fills up his hand with cards coming from his own deck.
If the card drawn from his partner is an Action card, he would be able to play it during the phase 1 Schemin'! instead of one from his own hand.
If this is a Bullet card, he keeps it in his hand.
This card is returned to its owner only if it is played. If this doesn't happen, it is kept amongst the other cards of this player.
Note about the Switching turn
A Switching Turn is played in a counter-clockwise direction. Player A becomes Player B and the other way around for this turn.
End of the game
The two players of the team adds up their scores to obtain the final score of the team. The richest team wins the game.
The Gunslinger prize is awarded to the team who shot the most Bullets; however, they receive a penalty point for each Bullet they shot at their partner. So, a Bullet shot at their partner doesn't help to win the Gunslinger prize.
Credits
Christophe Raimbault
Jordi Valbuena
Design : Cédric Lefebvre
Layout : Marinella Degiorgi
© 2015 COLT Express, All Rights Reserved.
Distributed by Asmodee Editions LLC
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Hahaha, some gold at the end of the rails and I'm the only one to know! Lets go! Hurry up Django! You're late ! The train is about to leave and... ... you don't have a horse anymore! Grrrr !!!

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