Colt Express: The Ultimate Guide to Robbing the Train!

Get ready for a Wild West adventure! In Colt Express, you and your friends become fearless bandits, jumping between cars, exchanging gunfire, and, of course, stealing everything you can from the Union Pacific Express. But beware, Sheriff Samuel Ford is watching, and only one of you can become the richest outlaw in the gang!

Game Objective

Your objective in Colt Express is simple yet challenging: be the richest outlaw in the Wild West! To do this, you need to accumulate more loot (money bags, jewels, and briefcases) than your opponents by the end of the game. And don't forget: the best shooter, the one who spends the most ammunition, still earns the title of Gunslinger, worth $1000! Can you steal without taking too many bullets?

Setup

Let's set up the table and prepare the train for the big heist! Follow these steps:

1. Assemble the Train: Take the locomotive and 1 car for each player. Assemble them in a line behind the locomotive in the center of the table, forming the train. The last car is the caboose.
2. Choose Your Character: Each player chooses a Character and takes their respective character token (or card, if space is limited), placing it in front of them.
3. Prepare Your Action Deck: Each player shuffles their 10 Action Cards in their character's color and places them face down in a pile on their character token, forming their deck.
4. Prepare Your Ammunition: Place the 6 Bullet Cards in your character's color in a pile in descending order (following the number of bullets shown), forming the ammunition deck. At the start, your weapon is fully loaded!
5. Starting Money: Separate 1 money bag worth $250 for each player. Each player takes one of these bags and places it face down on their character token. Keep the value a secret!
6. Distribute Loot on the Train: Separate 1 money bag worth $250 for each player. Then, place the remaining loot (money bags, jewels, and briefcases) in the cars as indicated. The money bags should be shuffled and placed randomly face down, with their values hidden. Remember, passengers in different cars have loot of different values!
7. Position the Sheriff and the Briefcase: Place the Sheriff and 1 Briefcase inside the locomotive. The Sheriff always stays inside the cars, protecting the passengers.
8. Neutral Bullet Cards: Place the 13 Neutral Bullet Cards in a pile near the locomotive. They represent the wounds the Sheriff can inflict.
9. Determine the First Player and Position the Bandits: Separate the bandits in the colors corresponding to the chosen characters and choose 1 randomly. The player corresponding to the drawn bandit will be the First Player in the first round. Starting with them and proceeding clockwise, players place their bandits in the last (caboose) and second-to-last cars of the train: odd numbers in the last, even numbers in the second-to-last car.
10. Prepare the Round Deck: In your first game, randomly draw 5 of the 7 Round Cards that correspond to the number of players (indicated by 2-4 or 5-6) and shuffle them, forming the round deck.

The Game Turn

A game of Colt Express consists of 5 rounds, and each round has two exciting phases:

Phase 1: Scheming!

In this phase, the bandits plan their actions, but without knowing exactly what the others will do! It's time to anticipate and be clever.

1. Draw Action Cards: At the start of the round, each player draws 6 Action Cards from their deck, forming their hand.
2. Reveal the Round Card: The First Player draws the top card of the round deck and places it on the table, visible to everyone. This card shows the number and type of turns in this round.
3. Programming Actions: Starting with the First Player and proceeding clockwise, each player takes their turn and passes. On your turn, you have two options:
   • Play an Action Card: Choose 1 action card from your hand and play it face up (unless the round card instructs otherwise, such as in a Normal Turn or Tunnel) on top of the central pile.
   • Draw 3 Action Cards: If you don't have a good card or want more options, you can draw 3 action cards from your deck and add them to your hand.
4. End of Scheming: The Scheming! phase ends when all players have completed the number of turns indicated by the round card. Any cards remaining in players' hands must be returned to the top of their respective decks.

Turn Types (indicated on the Round Card):

• Tunnel: Players must play action cards face up.
• Normal Turn: Players must play action cards face down.
• Accelerate: Players take 2 consecutive turns (on each turn, they choose between drawing or playing cards; they don't have to do the same action twice).
• Reversed: Players take their turns counter-clockwise, starting with the First Player.

Phase 2: Execution!

Now it's the moment of truth! The actions programmed in the Scheming! phase are carried out, and the chaos begins.

1. Flip the Action Pile: The First Player takes the pile of action cards created in the Scheming! phase and flips it without changing the order of the cards.
2. Execute Actions: The bandits' actions are carried out one by one, in order, starting with the first card played (i.e., in the order they were played). All played actions are mandatory, if possible to perform them.
3. Action Details:
   • Move (x2):
     • If you are inside a car, move to an adjacent car.
     • If you are on top of a car, move 1 to 3 spaces over the cars.
   • Change Floor (x2):
     • If you are inside a car, move to the roof of that same car.
     • If you are on top of a car, move inside that same car.
   • Shoot (x2):
     • If you are inside a car, shoot a bandit who is inside an adjacent car (in any direction). You cannot shoot bandits in the same car or more than 1 car away.
     • If you are on top of a car, you can shoot any bandit who is in your line of sight (on top of another car, with no other bandits between you), regardless of distance.

     When you shoot a bandit, take the top bullet card from your ammunition pile and place it in the targeted bandit's deck. This helps compete for the Gunslinger title and hinders the opponent with "dead weight" in their hand.

   • Rob (x2): Take 1 loot token from where you are (car or roof) without looking at its value and place it on your character token. You cannot rob from inside the car if you are on the roof, and vice versa.
   • Sheriff (x1): Move the Sheriff into an adjacent car.

     Beware! If a bandit enters the Sheriff's car or the Sheriff enters a bandit's car, the bandit must move to the roof of the car (even if they just changed floors). Bandits can never stay in the same car as the Sheriff! Additionally, bandits expelled by the Sheriff receive a Neutral Bullet Card and place it in their deck.

   • Punch (x1): Choose another bandit in the same space as you. The chosen bandit loses 1 Loot Token (if they have any): take one of their tokens, without looking at the value, and place it in the space you are in. Then, move the chosen bandit to the same floor of an adjacent car.
4. End of Round: After all actions have been performed, the action cards are returned to the players they belong to. Each player shuffles all cards in their possession (their 10 action cards and any bullet cards they have received) and places them on their character token, forming a new deck. The player to the left of the First Player places the round deck in front of them and becomes the new First Player. The next round begins.

End of Game and Scoring

The game of Colt Express ends at the end of the 5th round. It's time to count the loot!

1. Sum of Loot: Each player sums the values of the Loot Tokens they have on their character (money bags, jewels, and briefcases). Remember that the values of the money bags are secret until this moment!
2. Gunslinger Title: The Gunslinger title is given to the player(s) who have spent the most ammunition (i.e., who have the fewest Bullet Cards in their ammunition). The title is worth $1000!
3. The Winner: The player with the highest total amount of money (loot + Gunslinger bonus) wins the game!
4. In Case of a Tie:
   • If there is a tie in money, the player who has taken fewer shots (has fewer Bullet Cards in their deck) wins.
   • If the tie persists, the players share the victory!

Tips for Winning

To become the richest outlaw in the Wild West, you'll need more than just luck. Here are some tips to get started:

1. Anticipate Others' Actions: The Scheming! phase is crucial. Try to predict what your opponents will do. If you know someone is going to rob a car, maybe it's your chance to move there and punch them to take what they stole!
2. Manage Your Hand and Ammunition: Don't hesitate to use the "Draw 3 action cards" action if your hand is weak or if you need options. Also, using your Bullet Cards to shoot opponents not only hinders them but also helps you compete for the Gunslinger title, which is worth extra cash!
3. Use the Sheriff to Your Advantage: The Sheriff is a powerful tool! Move him to a car where your opponents are robbing or preparing for an important action. Expelling them from a car not only prevents them from robbing but also makes them receive a Neutral Bullet Card, further disrupting their plans.