How to Play Colt Express: Couriers & Armored Train

Objective of the Game

In this expansion, you play as a Bandit, a member of one of two teams—blue or red—vying for Loots. Your primary goal is to be part of the richest team at the end of the game. Beyond the standard Loots, new items like Gold Nuggets, Bags, and Secret Documents, along with a new reward called Wild Bunch, will help you accumulate wealth.

You begin the game inside the Starting Train from the base game. The Armored Train from this expansion and the Starting Train will gradually pass each other over several rounds until they are completely separated.

At the end of the game, only Bandits located on the Roof or inside the Starting Train contribute their Loots to their team's total. Any Bandits still on the Armored Train are eliminated, and their Loots do not count towards the team's score.

If playing in Betrayal mode, it is possible for only one Bandit to emerge as the sole winner.

Preparation (Setup)

1. First, divide the players equally into two teams. If there's an odd number of players, Il Professore joins the smaller team.
2. Players should sit around the table alternating between members of the first and second teams. Two Bandits from the same team cannot sit next to each other, unless playing with an odd number of players.
3. One team will play in red, the other in blue. Each player from both teams takes a Team Badge matching their team's color.
4. Set up the Starting Train: Place the Locomotive followed by the 3 Cars from the base game (the Restaurant, the Baggage Car, and the First Class car) in any order.
5. Set aside as many $250 Purses as there are Bandits playing. Then, place the Loot tokens in the Cars according to the usual rules.
6. Place all playing Bandit pawns inside the Caboose of the Starting Train.
7. Take the Wild Bunch token and 23 Neutral Bullets (13 from the base game and 10 from this expansion) and place them in the center of the table.
8. If playing with an odd number of players (Il Professore):
   • Place Il Professore's sheet and the Team Badge from the smaller team between two members of the opposing team.
   • Do not give Il Professore a $250 Purse. Instead, place his Loot marker on the lowest position of his Diabolical Plan ladder on his Character sheet.
   • Place Il Professore's 10 Bullet cards on his Character sheet.
9. Set up the Armored Train: Arrange the Armored Train by placing the Locomotive first, then the Tender Car, one armored Car, the Armory Car, one armored Car, the Infirmary Car, and finally one armored Car.
10. Place the Armored Train's Locomotive next to the Starting Train's Locomotive, facing in opposite directions.
11. Place 1 Gatling on the Roof of the Armory Car and 1 Gatling on the Roof of the Infirmary Car. Randomly pick 1 Bag and place it face down inside each of these 2 Cars.
12. Randomly place 1 Secret Document, face down, inside each of the 3 armored Cars.
13. Randomly place 1 Bag, face down, on the roof of each of the 3 armored Cars.
14. Place the 3 Gold Nuggets, face down and without looking at them, on the Tender Car.
15. Place 1 Strongbox inside the Locomotive.
16. Place 1 Courier pawn on the roof of the first and last armored Cars, and 1 Courier pawn inside the central armored Car.
17. Depending on the number of players, choose 5 Round cards at random to form a deck: 4 Round cards for 2 to 4 Bandits, or 4 Round cards for 5 or more Bandits. At the bottom of this deck, add 1 Cavalry Charge card, either in normal mode or betrayal mode. (For your first few games, it's recommended to use the normal mode Cavalry Charge cards.)
18. Each player takes the contents corresponding to their chosen Bandit: their Character sheet, their 6 Bullet cards, and 1 $250 Purse token (placed face down on their Character sheet).
19. Set up your personal deck with the 10 following Action cards: 2 Move, 2 Fire, 2 Robbery, 1 Punch, 2 Floor Change, and 1 Nudge. (Marshal cards are not used in this expansion and should be returned to the box.)
20. Shuffle your deck and place it face down on your Character Sheet, next to your 6 Bullet cards.
21. For Il Professore's deck: Take the Binocular cards based on the number of players and add them to the following cards:
    • With 3 Bandits: 2 Scheme, 1 Rapid Fire, 1 Fire at the last Courier, 1 Bonus Nudge. (Note for a 3-player game: the Nudge card for the Bandit teammate with Il Professore is removed from the game.)
    • With 5 Bandits: 2 Scheme, 1 Rapid Fire, 1 Fire at the last Courier.
    • With 7 Bandits: 3 Scheme, 1 Rapid Fire, 1 Fire at the last Courier.
    • With 9 Bandits (if you have Mei or Silk): 3 Scheme, 1 Rapid Fire, 1 Fire at the last Courier.
22. Shuffle Il Professore's deck and place the pile face down on his Character sheet in the dedicated location. Unused cards are returned to the box.

Fluxo do Jogo

The game consists of 5 Rounds, each divided into two phases: Schemin' (the plan) and Stealin' (the actions). The game applies the same rules as a standard game, with the following additions:

Schemin' Phase

• During the Schemin' phase, Bandits are allowed to communicate, but remember that your opponents can hear you.
• Il Professore is played like any Bandit: at each round, the first card of his deck is added to the common pile by the enemy Bandit sitting to his right.
• During a Speeding-up turn, the first two cards of Il Professore's deck are added to the common pile.
• During a Tunnel turn, the first card of Il Professore's deck is added face down to the common pile.
• Il Professore never benefits from the Diversion or Action plan effects.

Stealin' Phase

• During the Stealin' phase, Bandits cannot communicate. Each Bandit must decide independently what to do with the Action card played or the Nudge card.

Special Turns

• Diversion: During a Diversion turn, you can choose to skip your turn. If you do, randomly choose one card from each of your opponent's hands without looking at it. Your opponents, however, can look at the card before discarding it under their personal deck. Skipping your turn means you cannot play or draw Action cards during that turn. Only one Bandit from each team can use the Diversion effect during a Diversion turn.
• Action plan: After the Schemin' phase ends, each Bandit can keep one card from their hand for the next Round. By doing so, they will draw one fewer card at the start of the next Round and add the card they kept to their Hand.

End of a Round - Moving the Starting Train

• At the end of every Round, and after completing the end of Round event, move the Starting Train 2 Cars away from the Armored Train.

End of Rounds Events

• Couriers in movement: All Courier pawns change floors. If you are on the same spot as a Courier after this Event, you must immediately change floors and add a Neutral Bullet to your personal deck.
• Heavy fire: If you are on the Roof of the Starting Train or the Armored Train at the end of the Round, take a Neutral Bullet and add it to your personal deck. Then choose one of your Loots and put it, face down, on your position.
• Swivel Arm: If you are on the Roof of the Starting Train or the Armored Train at the end of the Round, move to the Roof of the Caboose, without changing Trains.
• Help!: In turn order, you can move your pawn to the location of one of your allied Bandits. You can change Cars and/or floors, and even Trains.
• Coordinated Action plan: If at the end of the Round, you are on the same location as a team member, draw 2 additional cards at the beginning of the next Round. (Note: if you are in the Armory Car at the end of this Round, only draw 2 additional cards, not 4. You can only benefit from one of the effects of the Coordinated Action Plan and the Armory Car.)
• Heal: If at the end of the Round, you are on the same location as a team member, choose up to 2 Bullet cards—either Neutral or from the opposite team—from your game (deck, hand, discard pile) and put them back in the box. They will not be used for the rest of the game. (Note: if you are in the Infirmary Car at the end of this Round, only discard up to 2 Bullets, not 4. You can only benefit from one of the effects from Heal and the Infirmary Car.)

Ações e Como Jogar

Players use Action cards from their personal decks to perform various actions. Some Bandits have unique abilities that modify these actions.

Player Actions

• Move:
  • Inside a train, you can move one Car back or forth in your train, or move to the adjacent Car of the other train.
  • When on the Roof, one of your moves (out of the three possible) can be to go to the Roof of the adjacent Car of the other Train.
• Fire:
  • Inside the train, if your Car is adjacent to the Car of the Train in front of you, you can also shoot a Bandit or a Courier located inside that Car.
  • On the Roof, the Line of Sight rule from the base game applies to targets on your Train. You can target any Bandit or Courier located on the Roof of the other Train.
  • Firing on a Courier: Take one of your Bullet cards and place it face down under the Wild Bunch token. This will be taken into account at the end of the game. Make the Courier pawn change floors. If Bandits are on the Courier's new location, they must change floors and take a Neutral Bullet. If you are out of Bullets when shooting a Courier, nothing happens.
• Punch: When punching, you can now send your target to the adjacent Car of the other Train, at the same floor (Intérieur or Toit). When you Punch a Bandit, you choose and place one of their Loots, face down and without looking at it, on your position.
• Nudge: This new Action is specific to the "[Couriers & Armored Train]" expansion and to team play. During the Action phase, the Bandit who has played the Nudge card gives one of their team members one Action from the base game: Move, Floor Change, Fire, Robbery, Punch. The chosen Bandit is then free to perform the Action how they prefer, or not perform the Action.
• Robbery: Use the Robbery action to randomly take 1 Loot on your position. Place it face down on your Bandit sheet—you can look at its value.
  • The Gold Nuggets and the Bags: There are 3 Gold Nuggets on the Tender car's roof at the beginning of the game. One is worth $1500, the other two are worth $0. There is a Baggage on the roof of each armored car and inside the Infirmary and the Armory cars at the beginning of the game. Baggages can be worth $300, $400, $500, $600, and $700.
  • The Secret Documents: Inside each armored car is a Secret Document at the beginning of the game. There are 3 kinds of Secret Documents: the blue team's goal, the red team's goal, and a decoy.
    • If the Secret Document is your team's, place the token face down on your Character sheet.
    • If the Secret Document is the other team's, put the token back on the Train, where it was, face down. You cannot keep the other team's Secret Document.
    • If the Secret Document is the decoy, you can choose to keep it or put it back, face down, on your position.
• Floor Change: Same Action as in the base game. You cannot change Trains when using a Floor Change card.

Il Professore's Action Cards

Il Professore's Action cards are shuffled at the end of every Round and make up a new deck.

• Scheme: Move Il Professore's Loot marker one space higher on his Diabolical Plan ladder. If the marker is already on the last space of the ladder, nothing happens.
• The Binoculars: Each Binoculars card targets a specific Bandit.
  • If the Binoculars target one of Il Professore's opponents standing on a Roof, Il Professore fires and the target gets a Bullet from Il Professore. If the Bandit is inside a Train, nothing happens.
  • If the Binoculars target a Bandit from Il Professore's own team, that Bandit can immediately do the base game Action of their choosing (Move, Floor Change, Fire, Robbery, or Punch).